International Student WOM, SM and Marketing

IEAA International Education Association of Australia has released a report by Ravichandran Ammigan PhD and Debra Langton looking at four dimensions of the student experience arrival, learning, living and support services; an extract of the report follows below.

How to Satisfy and Communicate with International Students (Image copyright Pexels)

In summary, the very useful report finds important to focus upon satisfied students who then spread positive word of mouth to prospective students; this is supported by previous research.

However, the use of the traditional expression ‘marketing materials’ does not seem to match the language of international students who are ‘digital natives’ and would most likely use social media under the umbrella of digital marketing.  Further, related to marketing, and contrary to the report, Australia does have issues in developing diversity outside of PRC and India, for which effective digital marketing system (not a one off strategy) should be a solution.

Nonetheless, it does focus upon the need to have students as central in marketing and one could suggest that in addition to maintaining quality for satisfied students, also involving students in creating customer generated media that can be used in digital marketing.

‘International student experience in Australia

In today’s increasingly competitive market to recruit and retain international students, it is critical that higher education institutions stay current on student perceptions, preferences and experiences with various aspects of the university environment. Ensuring students have the right level of support and resources can contribute to their academic, social and cultural success. It can also directly influence their overall institutional satisfaction and whether they would recommend their institution to prospective applicants.

This paper investigates the experience of international university students in Australia with respect to arrival, learning, living and support services. It is based on previous research by Ammigan and Jones (2018) and uses data from the International Student Barometer (ISB), to examine the relationship between student satisfaction and institutional recommendation for over 21,000 international students at 34 Australian institutions.

This paper provides guidance for university administrators and support staff on how to adjust and improve resources and services for international students, which can be an important component for enhancing institutional recruitment and retention strategies.

International students in Australia

As with other leading destination countries around the world, the higher education student population in Australia is culturally diverse, which presents opportunities for both international and domestic students to interact with peers from different cultural, social and linguistic backgrounds (Arkoudis et al., 2013).

According to the Australian Government’s Department of Education and Training (2017), more than 600,000 international students chose Australia in 2017. This is a record high and represents a 13 per cent increase since 2016. International students now make up more than a quarter of all students at certain universities.

In 2017, the international student sector generated over AUD30 billion, making it the country’s third-largest export (ICEF Monitor, 2017). It is predicted that Australia will overtake the UK to become the world’s second highest destination for international students in 2019 (Marginson, 2018).

International student satisfaction Improving student satisfaction is a major goal for universities – a satisfied student population can be a source of competitive advantage with outcomes such as student retention, recruitment and alumni relations (Arambewela & Hall, 2009). Student satisfaction, which generally results from an evaluation of a student’s educational experience, occurs when actual performance meets or exceeds expectations (Elliott & Healy, 2001). In recent years, there has been a growing interest from international educators to gather and utilise international student satisfaction data as a way to influence campus change and strengthen support services for this community (Yu, Isensee, & Kappler, 2016).

This is not surprising as the international student experience can be a critical recruitment and retention strategy for providing a high-quality education and remaining competitive in the global student market and world rankings (Shah & Richardson, 2016).

The Australian Government’s National Strategy for International Education 2025 recognises the importance of student experience. Goal 2 outlines a number of actions that expressly address the delivery of supports that:

• meet or exceed student needs
• build capacity for employment; and
• encourage a strong international student voice to inform continuous improvement.

A study on the attitudes, goals and decision-making processes of over 67,000 prospective
international students from 193 different countries found that course offerings was the main driver of student decisions on institution and location, with the expectation that the course of study would lead to career prospects (QS Enrolment Solutions, 2018).  Reviews and marketing materials showcasing the quality of teaching and experience of academic staff was the second most influential factor in choosing their institution.

The same study found that prospective students were most concerned about the cost of living and being able to afford their tuition fees. Having a relative or friend in a destination country and receiving information about local culture and customs can help reduce concerns and worries about going to study abroad and impact students’ choice of a particular location. Campus safety and a welcoming environment were also important factors in international students’ institutional and destination choice…..

Satisfied students are strong advocates

For international students, choosing an institution is based on a number of ‘push’ and ‘pull’ factors, which may influence them to leave their home countries to study abroad (Banjong & Olson, 2016). Such factors include knowledge and awareness of the host country, quality of education, institutional reputation, tuition and living costs, scholarship opportunities, safety and security, university environment, quality of life, visa requirements and post-graduation employment options
(Mazzarol & Soutar, 2002).

Mavondo et al. (2004) suggest that institutional recommendation is closely related to satisfaction, where satisfied students are more likely to recommend their institution to potential or future students.  It is therefore important, especially from a marketing and recruitment perspective, for institutions to understand the factors that impact upon international student satisfaction which in turn drive propensity to recommend.

Reference:

Ammigan, R. & Langton, D (2018). The International student experience in Australia: Implications for administrators and student support staff. International Education Association of Australia (IEAA). Retrieved from www.ieaa.org.au’

See original report via https://www.ieaa.org.au/research/student-experience IEAA Student Experience for full list of references.

For further articles and blogs on international education marketing, international students, information seeking journey, WOM word of mouth, student satisfaction and digital marketing click through.

Digital Behaviour in Marketing

Advances and Changes in Digital Behaviour

for

Digital or e-Marketing Communications

Digital technology and education related publishing companies have researched youth markets well to understand their target market and confirm previous industry research around digital behaviour of millennials (plus generations X and Y).

Student Decision Making

Student decision making is a process over time including decisions based on information about course, country then institution, fees, satisfaction, graduate outcomes, destination marketing, security and up to date websites.  Accordingly, student engagement through social media SM is important, and students need to be tracked and supported in discovery process through to application and ongoing feedback and analysis (Hobsons, 2014).

Social Media and Digital Behaviour in Marketing (Image copyright Pexels)

Further, according to stakeholders in the SM space, youth including diverse sub-sets is engaged and online whether social media or via mobile, requiring optimism and personality in communications.  (FacebookIQ, 2014).  Due to this changing technology environment and human computer interaction (HCI), millennials now conduct their ‘information seeking’ differently from the past (Scanlon, 2006).

Market Research of Youth, Social Media and Word of Mouth

Market research concurred with other industry-based reporting, i.e. showed increased use of SM by both consumers and businesses, with former using online for information search and post purchase review (Sensis, 2016). Related, another consumer report cited the need for leveraging of word of mouth WOM and ‘Consumer-Generated Media’ (CGM), suggesting bottom-up strategy has become more important than top down according to advertisers or commissioners (Nielsen, 2009).

Application to International Education Marketing

Additionally, much of the above has been confirmed by other industry research in international education highlighting the need for new ways of doing things. For example, identifying broader ROI KPIs, student led marketing content, mobile focus, skilled human resources and becoming more integrated with agents or distributors including assistance with cooperative digital strategy (Educations Media Group, 2017).


Another viewpoint from international education industry research came up with ‘Myths Busted’, including: admissions is no longer the most important source of information, rankings not so relevant, but SM, mobile and web search are central, Facebook is declining in importance with teens, and institutions must understand the nuances of their target market (Rogers & Stoner, 2015).


Finally, important for institutions to match students’ decision-making and discovery process to have multiple information sources, WOM, peer reviews, course, student body, employment outcomes and warn that sub-optimal university websites and social media can turn prospective candidates away (Karzunina et al., 2016).


The question nowadays should be how does an institution or any business develop, implement and maintain and informed digital or e-marketing strategy according to their clients or customers?

Reference List:

Educations Media Group (2017) International Higher Education Report: Marketing + Recruitment Trends. Available at: https://www.educations.com/file/1055/download (Accessed on: 23/04/2017).


FacebookIQ (2014) Coming of Age on Screens: An in-depth look at teens and young adults around the world. Available at: https://fbinsights.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/comingofageonscreens_whitepaper_120814.pdf (Accessed 03/01/2017).


Hobsons (2014) Beyond the Data: Influencing international student decision making.  Available at: http://www.hobsons.com/emea (Accessed: 3/1/2017).


Karzunina, D., Bridgestock L. & Philippou, G (2016) What Matters to International Students: Global Overview. Available at: http://www.qsdigitalsolutions.com/resources/what-matters-to-international-student-global-overview/ (Accessed 03/01/2017).


Nielsen (2009) Nielsen – Global Online Consumer Survey. Available at: http://www.nielsen.com/content/dam/corporate/us/en/newswire/uploads/2009/07/pr_global-study_07709.pdf (Accessed on 07/05/2017).


Rogers, G. & Stoner, M. (2015) Mythbusting Admissions: Where Prospects and Professionals Agree – and Disagree – on Enrollment, Marketing, Messages and Channels. Chegg Enrollment Services. Available at: https://www.uaf.edu/files/provost/MythbustingAdmissions.pdf (Accessed on 23/04/2017).


Scanlon, M. (2006) Information-Seeking Behaviour of Millennials.  SLA Annual Conference.  Available at:  http://sla-divisions.typepad.com/dam_blog/files/Information-Seeking_BehaviorofMillennials.pdf (Accessed on: 23/04/2107).


Sensis (2016) Sensis Social Media Report 2016. Available at:  https://www.sensis.com.au/asset/PDFdirectory/Sensis_Social_Media_Report_2016.PDF (Accessed on: 23/04/2017).

International Education Customer Journey of International Students

International Education: Experience of Students and Stakeholders Quality, Marketing and Customer Journey

Summary 

Minor research dissertation for Master of Education (Education & Training) awarded in 2002 by Victoria University, Melbourne, related to international education according to former international students and stakeholders leading to a cyclical quality and marketing paradigm.

International Education Experience of Students and Stakeholders

Proportionally less funding due to ageing permanent populations and workforces competing for state resources compelled universities and education institutions to attract full fee paying international students to both make up budget short falls, support tax base and subsidise domestic students; temporary immigration to balance government budgets.

Australia has been very successful in attracting students from the Asian region, especially India and China, with commensurate calls for more diversity e.g. students from Europe and Africa.  While quality and marketing are strongly related, research into these factors can assist in more systematic and informed marketing, especially through qualitative insights as opposed to interpretation of solely quantitative data.

Existing research is generally restricted to state sponsored surveys of general student population and institutional level students, already on campus.  Good research should use qualitative techniques e.g. grounded theory, to allow issues or concerns of students and stakeholders emerge without prescribing factors restricting and limiting insight.

Qualitative Research

Qualitative research methods can achieve validity, simplicity or utility and reliability of factors to be evaluated in international education at the institutional, faculty of course level as part of quality and marketing system.  According to an international education researcher:

“‘If they don’t like our courses, they wouldn’t come would they? I haven’t heard anyone complaining, have you?’

Attitudes such as these, though seldom voiced loudly or publicly, may be covertly present in many higher education institutions. Nevertheless, in spite of the fact that all too many institutions see overseas students solely or mainly in financial terms they are also an important educational resource, bringing fresh perspectives to our culture and are by no means simply a lucrative nuisance to be tolerated”

Already we are observing how globalisation exemplified by increasing mobility for travel, study, work and life leads to more competition or choices for international students.  Accordingly, institutions whether international and/or domestic, need to satisfy stakeholders through feedback, comparison and improving performance or quality; not waiting for state sponsored surveys.

To achieve consistent quality of value creation and delivery to the customer, sustained research and feedback from intermediate and final customers is required.  Without ongoing internal and systematic market, social and education research there is a danger of institutions, especially large, losing touch with students and stakeholders therefore not delivering a quality service; thus compromising their survival.

Click through for related blog and articles on International Education Marketing.

International Education Marketing - Conventional versus Digital

Traditional International Education Marketing 

There have been criticisms for some decades regarding the effectiveness of universities’ and related education institutions’ international marketing and their ability to identity what the market needs and communicating effectively (Nicholls et al., 1995).  

Anecdotal complaints from within larger institutions, whether faculty or administration, is that even with high enrolment numbers, there is little understanding of ‘how’ students came to be enrolled, let alone those prospective students who did not, with indirect or invalid KPIs (key performance indicators). 

International Students - Digital Marketing Strategy

International Students - Digital Marketing Strategy

(Image copyright Pexels)

This is compounded further in large entities by organisational structures on large campuses, leading to potentially sub-optimal co-ordination between international marketing, admissions, web marketing team, suppliers or agents and students; resulting in silos impacting analysis of communication and information sharing.

Conventional Marketing or Sales

Marketing strategy emerging in the 1980s relied upon travel to physical recruitment events, distribution of brochures or ‘marketing materials’ by hand, appointment of agents; mostly short-term sales and ROI model or basic ‘4Ps’.  This latter financial and physical ROI method of evaluation e.g. numbers of brochures distributed, and students recruited, may not be highlighting the important factors or process leading to enrolments, or missing many factors altogether e.g. WOM?

The assumed positive outcomes from such strategies may be correlated with other factors such as ongoing WOM with peers, suitable course availability or online visibility.  Previous research had already highlighted critical factors of significance including need for innovation, quality staff and image, service culture, good use of information technology (IT), healthy financials, technical excellence and broad range of courses (Mazzarol, 1998). There is focus upon internal human and technical resource factors required as inputs for good marketing and communication, but not behaviour of those seeking relevant information. 

Meanwhile, over ten years ago formal research recognised and confirmed in decision making of a student sample, it’s course first, over reputation and destination, along with creating awareness through search engine optimised (SEO) visible websites to be found directly and easily (Gomes & Murphy, 2003). 

This latter study is one of the few formal research articles related to international student purchasing behaviour available in the public domain, yet emphasising the importance of SEO and digital over ten years ago.  However, Australia’s pre-eminent and university owned student marketing and recruitment vehicle IDP, like most and according to formal job description, does not view analysis of enrolled students or other prospective students as important or essential (IDP, 2016)?

There has been little if any related or formal research on how students find information except some industry groups, mostly in Europe about ‘how’ prospective students behave and interact.

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