Understanding social media advertising in higher ed: a case study from a small graduate program

Abstract

This paper describes how a small academic program used social media marketing--specifically, a Facebook advertising campaign and a Facebook page to attract prospective students. From the results obtained, the design and deployment of Facebook as part of a strategic departmental communication and marketing plan requires more study. While advertisements brought users to the page, the conversations and engagement typically expected in a social network site did not materialize. In the end, the online advertising and promotion resulted in no new student applications to the graduate program.