Engaging students through social media. Findings for the top five universities in the world

Instagram has become a fundamental tool for information, communication and interaction, especially among younger individuals. The literature has analysed user interactions on this social network to determine the extent to which they are capable of generating engagement. The purpose of this study is...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Bonilla-Quijada, María, Anduiza Perea, Eva, Corrons, August, del Olmo-Arriaga, Josep Lluís
Format: article
Status:Versión aceptada para publicación
Publication Date:2022
Country:España
Institution:Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC)
Repository:O2, repositorio institucional de la UOC
OAI Identifier:oai:openaccess.uoc.edu:10609/151382
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10609/151382
https://doi.org/10.1080/08841241.2020.1841069
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:social media marketing
emotions
consumer engagement
higher education
Instagram
Description
Summary:Instagram has become a fundamental tool for information, communication and interaction, especially among younger individuals. The literature has analysed user interactions on this social network to determine the extent to which they are capable of generating engagement. The purpose of this study is to explore the ability of the official Instagram accounts of the world top 5 universities to generate engagement among their users. All posts on Instagram over the course of one academic year by these 5 universities (758 posts) were encoded and a comparative analysis carried out using multivariate modelling. This study aims to help identify which variables generate greatest engagement among users, providing strategic proposals for marketing management on this social network. Social network managers at higher education institutions will discover in the findings of this research patterns behind the posts and communication strategies that can generate greatest engagement, thus generating more valuable relationships with stakeholders.