Zakiyanto Arief, Nora Andira Brabo

The Influence of Word of Mouth and Social Media Marketing on Students' Decision to Choose a University With Brand Image as a Mediating Variable (Case Study at Darunnajah University)

Introduction

The influence of word of mouth and social media marketing on students' decision to choose a university with brand image as a mediating variable (case study at darunnajah university). Explore how Word of Mouth and Social Media Marketing influence students' university choices, mediated by Brand Image. Insights for higher education enrollment strategies.

Abstract

The increasing competition among higher education institutions requires universities to develop effective marketing strategies to attract prospective students. This study aims to examine the influence of Word of Mouth and Social Media Marketing on students’ decisions to choose a university, with Brand Image serving as a mediating variable. A quantitative survey was conducted with 222 active students at Universitas Darunnajah, and the data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares (PLS) with SmartPLS software. The findings reveal that Word of Mouth significantly affects Brand Image (T-statistic = 2.671, p < 0.05) and student decision-making (T-statistic = 3.512, p < 0.05), while Social Media Marketing also significantly impacts Brand Image (T-statistic = 4.205, p < 0.05) and student decisions (T-statistic = 5.027, p < 0.05). Furthermore, Brand Image significantly mediates the relationship between both communication strategies and student decision-making. This study contributes strategic insights for universities by emphasizing the importance of enhancing brand image through digital engagement and positive interpersonal communication to improve student enrollment outcomes.

Review

This study tackles a highly pertinent issue in the increasingly competitive landscape of higher education, focusing on how marketing strategies influence student university choice. The research clearly outlines its objective to examine the influence of Word of Mouth (WoM) and Social Media Marketing (SMM) on students' decisions, with Brand Image acting as a mediating variable. The use of a quantitative survey with a substantial sample size (222 active students) and robust analytical techniques (Partial Least Squares with SmartPLS) lends credibility to the findings. The reported significant effects of both WoM and SMM on Brand Image and student decision-making, along with the confirmed mediating role of Brand Image, provide valuable, empirically supported insights into effective university marketing channels. However, the study presents several areas for consideration. As a "Case Study at Darunnajah University," the generalizability of its findings to a broader university landscape, with diverse institutional contexts and student demographics, is inherently limited. A critical methodological ambiguity lies in the sampling strategy: surveying "active students" about their "decision to choose a university" suggests a retrospective approach. This could introduce recall bias, as students reflect on past decisions rather than researchers observing prospective students in real-time during their decision-making process. Additionally, while statistical significance is reported, the abstract would benefit from including the magnitude of the effects (e.g., path coefficients) to provide a more nuanced understanding of the strength of the relationships identified. Despite these points, the paper offers a significant contribution by empirically validating the interplay between modern communication strategies and university brand image in influencing student enrollment within a specific context. It strongly emphasizes the strategic imperative for universities to invest in enhancing their brand image through both digital engagement and positive interpersonal communication channels. Future research could enhance this contribution by broadening the scope to include multiple institutions for comparative analysis, adopting longitudinal designs, or employing qualitative methods to gain a deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying these influences directly from prospective students.

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