Digital and Social Media Marketing
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Executive SummaryThis research focuses on the MSc International Business and Management program at Bradford University. Based on the examination of the college’s internal and external environments, business students perceive the institution to be at the forefront of educational innovation. In the study of the suggested digital strategies for the institution, the University of Bradford must strive to provide business solutions that are backed by cutting-edge technology and unmatched domain experience. Therefore, we suggest a multichannel strategy to digital marketing. It might utilize websites, in-person encounters on college campuses, social media catalogs, email marketing, television, text messaging, billboards, blogging, and direct mail in order to match the current criteria for digital marketing.
Key words: Bradford University, competition, digital marketing, multichannel strategy
Contents
TOC o “1-3” h z u Executive Summary PAGEREF _Toc109313210 h 2Background on University of Bradford PAGEREF _Toc109313211 h 4Marketing Brief PAGEREF _Toc109313212 h 41. Situation Analysis of Internal and External Environment PAGEREF _Toc109313213 h 4A. Internal Environment PAGEREF _Toc109313214 h 5B. External Environment PAGEREF _Toc109313215 h 92. Objectives for Digital Marketing Activities PAGEREF _Toc109313216 h 133. Multichannel Digital Marketing Strategy PAGEREF _Toc109313217 h 144. Description of Implementation of Tactics in Exploiting Multichannel Marketing PAGEREF _Toc109313218 h 155. KPIs for Online Channel and Digital Marketing PAGEREF _Toc109313219 h 16Website Engagement PAGEREF _Toc109313220 h 17Website Conversion Rate PAGEREF _Toc109313221 h 17Social Media Engagement Rate PAGEREF _Toc109313222 h 17Conclusion PAGEREF _Toc109313223 h 18Reference List PAGEREF _Toc109313224 h 19
Background on University of BradfordThe University of Bradford, which is now considered to be one of the world’s oldest institutions, did not officially welcome its first students until 1963. The University of Bradford is often recognized as being among the most prestigious universities for obtaining a technical education anywhere in the globe. Its pedagogical endeavors are of the greatest quality and are backed by cutting-edge research that has practical applications. The institution is committed to aiding each and every one of its students in living fulfilling lives, developing into responsible citizens of the world, and having a constructive effect on the world. Through its employer engagement initiatives, Bradford has developed strong working ties with companies that are active in all aspects of the global economy, regardless of whether those firms are local, regional, national, or international. This includes deals with firms in Nigeria, Ghana, Singapore, Poland, Malaysia, Pakistan, and India, amongst other nations, as well as collaborations with local enterprises. The local and global links maintained by the university both shape its educational programs and make it possible for students to engage in internships that are meaningful to them.
Marketing Brief1. Situation Analysis of Internal and External EnvironmentAs the level of global rivalry between educational institutions rises, the administration of an educational establishment has to be aware of changes occurring in both the internal and external environments. The components of the interior environment are marginally altered as a result of the University of Bradford’s presence. For instance, the organizational culture, product development, the University’s mission, and strategy are all included in the University’s internal environment. On the other hand, the components of the world that are found outside of the institution make up what is known as the external environment (Cox, 2021). Even if the management team has only a limited amount of control over these occurrences, the company nevertheless has to be ready for them and respond in the appropriate manner. The external environment may consist of a range of components, such as the economy, technology advancements, legislation, competition, social difficulties, and others. Several aspects of the firm, such as its top management, its corporate strategy and culture, its technological capabilities, its organizational structure, and its size, all have an impact on HR-related duties. For instance, the values held by the leadership team have an effect on the atmosphere that prevails internally within the organization. These principles determine the organizational strategy and culture, both of which have an impact on the organizational structure of the company. Having said that, it is very necessary to have an understanding of how each of these components of the internal environment influences HR policy.
A. Internal EnvironmentCulture
It is possible to interpret the firm’s value system as a reflection of the corporate culture that the organization maintains. Culture gives insight into people’s thoughts and presumptions on their work ethic, level of desire to put in labor, and how they should be treated, among other things (Gore, Steven, and Bailey, 1998). These ideas and presumptions may be seen reflected in the culture. The HR rules and processes of a firm are often an accurate reflection of the culture of the organization. For example, the University of Bradford has a tagline that goes something like “making knowledge work”. Even though no two organizational cultures are identical, it is reasonable to assert that each and every organizational culture has a significant impact on the tasks and activities associated with human resource management. This is as a consequence of the fact that human resources activities often exemplify and represent the culture of the company. To put it another way, the organizational culture that is now in place inside the company will determine the accessible alternatives from which the HR practices that will be implemented will be selected.
Internal Technology
The technical infrastructure of the University is an additional component that makes up the organization’s internal environment (note that technology of the industry at large and of competitors is part of the external environment). The word “technology” has a broad scope and may refer to a variety of different things, such as the tools and the body of knowledge that are required to successfully provide services to both workers and students (also known as consumers) (Longhurst et al., 2020). It is generally agreed upon that the assembly line is the most important piece of technology in the process of manufacturing automobiles. Students at higher education institutions often have access to educational technology in the form of online text, videos, tests, and courseware. This is done with the intention of fostering learning. For instance, the technology that enables online and remote work has unquestionably had an impact on the organizational structure of the University of Bradford, as well as the types of staff who have been hired and trained to manage the university’s internal operations. There will be a considerable change in the emphasis put on choosing faculty members, providing supervision for them, and teaching them as technology becomes more incorporated into educational environments. This is due to the fact that the quality of teaching has such a substantial bearing on the results of the students’ educational experiences.
Organizational Structure
The increased use of technology has led to the flattening of organizational hierarchies as a consequence of its effects. An organization is said to be “flat” when its management structure is simplified or when there are fewer supervisors overall. This tendency may be explained in a variety of ways, but one of them is that the proliferation of computers and other forms of technology has rendered the strict monitoring of staff unnecessary (Abad-Segura et al., 2020). This is particularly true for the teaching members at the University of Bradford, who do the bulk of their work for a wide range of students situated both locally and abroad via the use of remote technology. In addition, technology makes it possible for work to be done outside of typical business hours and in locations other than offices and factories that are physically separated from one another. Businesses often undergo reorganization in an effort to improve both their product quality and their cost effectiveness. In order to attain this goal, it is common practice to reduce the number of levels that staff occupy in the organizational structure and to decentralize the decision-making process.
Organizational Size
When deciding which HR tasks to engage in, another issue that has to be taken into consideration is the size of the company. The larger an organization is, the more developed its internal labor market is, and the less reliance it has on the market for available workers in the outside community. However, there will always be instances in which this rule is not followed. This indicates that choices on how to pay people, how to assess them, how to categorize jobs, and how to establish career pathways are less reliant on variables that are external or competitive in nature (Bilan et al., 2019). Because the company will rely more on its own internal labor market, it will have greater leeway in terms of developing and executing regulations pertaining to human resources. It is still vital to have management in order to react to and be ready for the external environment, despite the fact that organizational culture, technology, structure, and size are all components of the internal environment.
SWOT Analysis
Strengths
Strong reputation with the stakeholders
Financial stability and management
Fair cost for tuition and fees
Premier location
The size of the institution and international presence
Accessibility and accreditation Opportunities
Increased international recruitment
Increased number of intakes
International partnerships and academic collaboration
Increased research income
Demand for the continuing professional development
The entrepreneurial climate
The university’s brand status
The strategic alliances
The fundraising prospects of the university
Weaknesses
Tightly constrained city center
No space for new buildings and infrastructure
Bureaucracy in the University’s change structure
Poor adaptability to the processes of change and demands Threats
Lack of the investment in newer facilities
Lagging behind in IT to match rising expectations
Competition from other UK universities and international institutions including Huddersfield University, Leeds, Manchester, and Sheffield universities
Government policies on immigration
B. External EnvironmentThings that take place outside of the organization are included in the definition of external environmental components. Internal environmental factors are easier to forecast and regulate than these variables, which may be found in the environment itself. Environmental issues that are external to an organization may pose a greater threat to the firm since it is difficult to forecast them, difficult to plan for them, and often ambiguous what actions to take in response to them (Findler et al., 2018). Changes in the economy, threats posed by competition, political concerns, the needs of government regulatory agencies, and the features of the sector itself are all examples of factors that might have an influence on the environment external to the sector.
The Economy
When doing an analysis of the external environment, the economy is an essential component that has to be taken into consideration. Activities that are associated with HR may be significantly influenced by occurrences that occur at the local, state, and international levels of the economy. When the economy is doing well, many times unemployment and underemployment go down, salaries go up, it becomes more difficult to find new workers, and more people become interested in getting training (Crawford et al., 2020). This is an important consideration for the University of Bradford. On the other hand, a weak economy tends to result in an increase in the number of people who are unemployed, a decrease in the number of people who demand higher salaries, a reduction in the level of hiring competition, and a decreased requirement for the training and development of those who are currently employed. Although the significance, character, and type of the activities and obligations associated to HRM may fluctuate depending on the health of the economy, this sector is crucial regardless of whether the economy is robust or weak.
In order to pay for their education, a significant number of students throughout the United Kingdom, and notably in England, have racked up significant amounts of student debt. The fact that many recent college grads start their careers with a big financial deficit is making this an increasingly pressing issue in today’s society. In point of fact, the option of continuing one’s education is becoming less enticing as a growing proportion of recent graduates find themselves unable to repay their student loans.
Political Issues
The government of the United Kingdom provides financial assistance to the overwhelming majority of the country’s higher education establishments. Because public financing makes it possible to provide just a partial subsidy, the government is able to do so, bringing the total cost of education for a single student down to an affordable level (Watermeyer et al., 2021). However, the amount of public money that is spent on education, particularly on higher education, is sometimes a difficult topic. The amount of money allocated to education in the UK is steadily going down, which might pose a big problem for educational establishments in the years to come.
It is essential that one be aware of the role that the UK plays as a hub for higher education on a global scale. Students who were born outside of the UK make up more than one quarter of postgraduate students and approximately one fifth of undergraduate students attending higher education institutions in the UK. Despite the fact that the UK has the potential to compete in this market, this presents both a significant opportunity and a significant risk for the country’s higher education sector (Younger et al., 2019). If political conflicts led to a major drop in the number of overseas students enrolling in British institutions, it is difficult to predict the effects that this would have on the industry as a whole. If there was a considerable decrease in the number of students enrolling at the institution, the management would most likely have no choice but to consider closing the school. It will be intriguing to see any possible effects that Brexit may have on the vast number of students who come from other EU nations to study in the UK.
Sociocultural Issues
The previous conversation on the problem of student debt from an economic point of view has thrown light on the higher education sector in the UK. Nevertheless, the burden of student debt is a substantial economic and social issue that calls for attention. Students nowadays have a generally positive attitude on taking on significant sums of debt to pay for their education (La Velle et al., 2020). It is possible that new students may have a pessimistic outlook on the subject of student debt as the economic problems related with unpayable debts continue to become more obvious in countries all over the world. In the event that this turns out to be the case, it is possible that this will have a substantial influence on the number of people enrolling in English university programs.
The world is changing regarding how people access education. Those who want to be successful in the contemporary world have known for a very long time that they need to get a degree from an accredited institution or university. Despite this, a significant number of people think that the significance of advancing one’s education is gradually losing value as a direct result of the era in which they now find themselves living (Traxler, 2018). As a consequence of this, we are able to see a fall in the total number of students since an increasing percentage of high school graduates are going straight into the workforce. This shift is mirrored in the criteria for employment for a large number of entry-level occupations, which have shifted from preferring a higher education degree to stressing relevant experience as the most important qualification for employment.
Technological Shifts in the Industry
The quality of the educational resources available online is always improving. It is not impossible to see a future in which a wide variety of educational materials would be made available online, maybe for free. This is a potential outcome. We have previously discussed how recent high school graduates may decide to enter the workforce instead of enrolling in college right away after completing their education. It is also a possibility for high school graduates to decide without continuing their education in favor of enrolling in online courses (Langan, Cowley, and Nguyen, 2019). This decision would have a large and detrimental influence on the traditional higher education business in the United Kingdom.
The influence of technology is not limited to the confines of the academic world. On the other hand, thanks to the development of technology, The University of Bradford and the entire higher learning industry are now in a position to considerably improve the overall quality of the educational experience in a number of different ways. Even while it is now common practice to record or broadcast live university courses and make them available online, the technological revolution is not yet complete (Khalid et al., 2018). There is a good chance that recent developments in technology, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR), may cause a shift in the educational approach that we take in higher education.
Legal Environment
Legal issues and legislation surrounding the education sector in the UK are some of the challenges that the sector is currently facing as a result of legal factors. There are several regulations relating to facilities, buildings, and other infrastructural requirements. Other legal provisions govern instruction and education. Students are increasingly seen as consumers, and they are encouraged to exercise their rights to criticize institutions in whatever way they see fit, even via the legal system (Makrides, Vrontis, and Christofi, 2020). As a direct consequence of this, higher education institutions are subject to a variety of monitoring and regulatory obligations, as well as significant operational issues. These responsibilities include reporting to the Higher Education boards and agencies. At the cost of other methods, such as those of ‘utility’ or ‘justice,’ politicians are increasingly adopting an attitude that prioritizes the protection of individual rights in their public policies. Regulations are making it increasingly inadequate to provide academic staff with the means to provide the teaching materials of their choice. Similarly in the UK, copyright is becoming an increasingly operational problem. This is especially true given that the legal parameters do not adequately cover digitisation, which makes the problem even more difficult to solve. As the external environment grows progressively more competitive, it has also been stated that academic staff may in the future be at danger of being sued for malpractice in teaching.
2. Objectives for Digital Marketing ActivitiesIf digital marketing is used as a strategy, there will be no industry that does not see positive movement. The ongoing pandemic has had a severe debilitating effect not just on the economy as a whole but also on the primary enterprises that make up the economy. The education industry is one of the most severely affected ones, and if it continues to put all of its eggs in the old marketing basket, it has very little chance of surviving. Students are increasingly turning to apps and other types of online learning aids to help them reach their educational goals, since colleges and other forms of educational institutions remain closed to students in the majority of the world (Makrides, Vrontis, and Christofi, 2020). Students have gained a deeper comprehension of the usefulness and benefits of online education as a direct result of the pandemic that has been sweeping the nation. As a direct result of this, a large number of educational institutions have started providing online versions of the classes that they teach. The dissemination of information has been shown to be challenging and ineffectual; hence, the introduction of digital marketing has been a boon for the expansion of educational possibilities pertaining to marketing. As a consequence of this, educational institutions have to implement forward-thinking strategies for digital marketing.
The key objectives for the University of Bradford’s digital marketing strategy include:
Conversion and sales: Here, the main objective is to attain commercial success.
Consideration: Under this objective, the University will seek to evaluate if its product and brand meets the needs of the target markets.
Awareness: The University must be in a position to reach its audience
Retention: Here, the end goal is to ensure that the digital marketing approach is able to establish customer engagement.
Increase sales and build brand awareness, as it simultaneously grows market share
Launch new products or services as it targets new customers
Enter new markets internationally
Improve stakeholder relations and enhance customer relationships
The SMART goal is as follows: The university of Bradford intends to achieve more site traffic and convert these visits into queries, measured using the number of site visits and successful conversions, within the next 12 months.
3. Multichannel Digital Marketing StrategyMulti-channel marketing refers to the technique of disseminating marketing messages across a variety of media channels. This might include email, social media, print, mobile, television display advertisements, and perhaps a great deal more. Using several channels allows companies to communicate with consumers at many touchpoints, resulting in a more holistic marketing strategy. Multichannel marketing increases the frequency and reach of your campaign, ultimately resulting in more effective communications (Khalid et al., 2018). Typically, more than one channel is required for a marketing effort to be successful, given that customers employ a variety of media. Despite the fact that multi-channel tactics are more successful than single-channel ones, marketers should still consider cross-channel marketing in order to maximize their efforts. It may be able to use websites, physical communication within campuses, social media catalogs, e-mail marketing, television, text messaging, billboards, blogging, and direct mail in order to satisfy the current criteria for digital marketing.
4. Description of Implementation of Tactics in Exploiting Multichannel MarketingIt would be helpful for the University of Bradford to distribute user-generated messages and material throughout the various social media platforms in order to increase brand recognition and provoke strong emotions from people who are making travel arrangements. Students should be able to enroll in or cancel courses using the university’s website or mobile app. In addition, the institution should link its social media activities with its business objectives and the demands of its clientele. Additionally, searches should be ported to additional platforms. To promote reengagement with the university, Bradford University might tailor adverts to these individuals based on the search parameters they have previously established while searching for courses and programs as potential students. After a student confirms enrollment in a course or schedules an interview, email communication is established. This communication is beneficial to the planning process due to the circumstances preceding the admission date and the channels of contact that are built with the user. Through its research, course selection, interview technique, and post-confirmation follow-up experiences, the University of Bradford provides a multichannel approach to engagement.
Customers, or students in this case, have the option of establishing in-app alerts in addition to receiving text message notifications when new course content is made available. The University of Bradford should provide its students with access to an online chat option so that customers can communicate with academics, ask questions about courses and programs, and obtain the most recent information and advice based on the suggested area of expertise. Customers should also be able to ask questions about the availability of the option. In addition, email marketing should be customized so that clients get content that is relevant to their previous purchases as well as how they interact with websites and mobile apps. Customers may use these digital channels to arrange course assignments, get expert advice on items, and develop contacts with members of the university faculty in order to gain more in-depth education.
5. KPIs for Online Channel and Digital Marketing
A key performance indicator (KPI), which directs marketing efforts in the proper directions, is defined as “a number or quantitative value that shows how successfully a firm is working towards its core business goals.” Based on the main objectives of the operations, The University of Bradford could keep an eye on a variety of KPIs (as shown in the image 1 above). In other cases, key performance indicators are also connected to the design or components of a website.
Website EngagementOne of the first places a customer would go to discover more about the courses offered at Bradford is often the university’s website. It plays a big role in the business’ continual attempts to build its brand. Several key performance indicators (KPIs), such as monthly unique visits, monthly returning visitors, bounce rate, average time spent on site, and average page views, may be used to assess the amount of engagement with this brand or website. These key performance indicators (KPIs) are very helpful for learning what your customers are doing on your website, what draws them in, how long they stay on the page, how many of them immediately depart, and other related data. These key performance indicators (KPIs) provide a deeper insight of the customer experience and are the cornerstone of the digital strategy.
Website Conversion RateHistorically, the “conversion rate” was the percentage of website visitors who became paying customers. On the other hand, the significance is now more complicated than ever. In the online world, “conversion rate” refers to the percentage of website visitors who do an action desired by the website owner and which takes the company closer to its goals. As a result, the conversion rate estimate is dependent on the kind of visitor behavior you want. Conversion rates are the percentage of website visitors who buy a product or service, complete a form, download a brochure, click a link, or view sponsored advertisements.
Social Media Engagement RateThe number of individuals who utilize various social media platforms has increased in tandem with the growth of these platforms themselves. Therefore, it is essential to make contact with this demographic of clients. The promotion of brands, the acquisition of new clients, and the execution of campaigns are all excellent uses for social media. The number of individuals that interacted in some way with postings made by the firm on the social media platform is one metric that can be used to gauge user engagement. Likes, shares, comments, and responses are all types of interactions that may take place online.
ConclusionThis report has focused on Bradford University’s MSc International Business and Management course. From the internal and external environment analysis, the college has maintained a stellar reputation among business students for being at the forefront of educational innovation. In the analysis of the digital strategies proposed for the institution, the University of Bradford must endeavor to offer business solutions that are supported by innovative technology and expertise that is unparalleled in its field. Therefore, a multichannel approach to digital marketing is proposed. In order to meet the current requirements for digital marketing, it could be able to employ websites, in-person interactions on college campuses, social media catalogs, email marketing, television, text messaging, billboards, blogging, and direct mail.
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