IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/pal/palcom/v10y2023i1d10.1057_s41599-023-02187-8.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Analysing effective social media communication in higher education institutions

Author

Listed:
  • Paul Capriotti

    (Universitat Rovira i Virgili)

  • Ileana Zeler

    (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona)

Abstract

This paper aims to analyse the institutional communication of universities on social media by conducting a content analysis of the communication strategy of 70 higher education institutions (in the United States, Europe and Latin America). The study focuses on three social networks (Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter) and the analysis three dimensions of social media institutional communication: posting, interactivity and content. Findings reveal that while most universities demonstrate a passive centripetal performance to posting, there is a significant divergence in relation to the level of activity. The study highlights that interactivity focus is predominantly characterised by monologues, despite institutions increasingly integrating various communication resources to foster stakeholder interaction. The majority of universities tend to prioritize exclusive or dominant content combination, with organizational content exhibiting a significantly greater presence. By an integrated analysis of these three key dimensions on social media, this paper this paper offers valuable insights for both academics and practitioners. It contributes to the scholars by facilitating further academic research on social media institutional communication and provides professionals with a practical guide for strategically managing communication on social media.

Suggested Citation

  • Paul Capriotti & Ileana Zeler, 2023. "Analysing effective social media communication in higher education institutions," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-13, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:pal:palcom:v:10:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-023-02187-8
    DOI: 10.1057/s41599-023-02187-8
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41599-023-02187-8
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1057/s41599-023-02187-8?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Rishika Rishika & Ashish Kumar & Ramkumar Janakiraman & Ram Bezawada, 2013. "The Effect of Customers' Social Media Participation on Customer Visit Frequency and Profitability: An Empirical Investigation," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 24(1), pages 108-127, March.
    2. Ashley Paintsil & Hye-Shin Kim, 2022. "Sharing personal experiences and online consumer engagement: A case study of Glossier," Journal of Global Fashion Marketing, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(1), pages 1-15, January.
    3. Chung, Alexander Q.H. & Andreev, Pavel & Benyoucef, Morad & Duane, Aidan & O’Reilly, Philip, 2017. "Managing an organisation’s social media presence: An empirical stages of growth model," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 1405-1417.
    4. Elena Gori & Alberto Romolini & Silvia Fissi & Marco Contri, 2020. "Toward the Dissemination of Sustainability Issues through Social Media in the Higher Education Sector: Evidence from an Italian Case," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-14, June.
    5. David Eberle & Guido Berens & Ting Li, 2013. "The Impact of Interactive Corporate Social Responsibility Communication on Corporate Reputation," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 118(4), pages 731-746, December.
    6. Felicitas M. Brech & Uwe Messer & Brian A. Vander Schee & Philipp A. Rauschnabel & Bjoern S. Ivens, 2017. "Engaging fans and the community in social media: interaction with institutions of higher education on Facebook," Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(1), pages 112-130, January.
    7. Floreddu, Paola Barbara & Cabiddu, Francesca & Evaristo, Roberto, 2014. "Inside your social media ring: How to optimize online corporate reputation," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 57(6), pages 737-745.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Uthman Alturki & Ahmed Aldraiweesh, 2024. "The impact of self-determination theory: the moderating functions of social media (SM) use in education and affective learning engagement," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-16, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jose Benitez & Laura Ruiz & Ana Castillo & Javier Llorens, 2020. "How corporate social responsibility activities influence employer reputation: The role of social media capability," Post-Print hal-02462583, HAL.
    2. Lin, Xiaolin & Li, Yibai & Wang, Xuequn, 2017. "Social commerce research: Definition, research themes and the trends," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 190-201.
    3. Yaru Tang & Mengdi Liu & Fan Xia & Bing Zhang, 2024. "Informal regulation by nongovernmental organizations enhances corporate compliance: Evidence from a nationwide randomized controlled trial in China," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 43(1), pages 234-257, January.
    4. Eva Alexandra Jakob & Holger Steinmetz & Marius Claus Wehner & Christina Engelhardt & Rüdiger Kabst, 2022. "Like It or Not: When Corporate Social Responsibility Does Not Attract Potential Applicants," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 178(1), pages 105-127, June.
    5. Robert P. Ormrod & Annika C. Müller, 2022. "The Impact of Corporate Political Activity on Corporate Reputation Amongst Industry Stakeholders," Corporate Reputation Review, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 25(3), pages 226-238, August.
    6. Wei Peng & Baogui Xin & Yekyung Kwon, 2019. "Optimal Strategies of Product Price, Quality, and Corporate Environmental Responsibility," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-24, November.
    7. Kim, Yeonshin & Hur, Won-Moo & Lee, Luri, 2023. "Understanding customer participation in CSR activities: The impact of perceptions of CSR, affective commitment, brand equity, and corporate reputation," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    8. Jaime-Andres Correa-Garcia & Maria-Antonia Garcia-Benau & Emma Garcia-Meca, 2018. "CSR Communication Strategies of Colombian Business Groups: An Analysis of Corporate Reports," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-19, May.
    9. Bertschek, Irene & Kesler, Reinhold, 2022. "Let the user speak: Is feedback on Facebook a source of firms’ innovation?," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    10. Aladwani, Adel M. & Dwivedi, Yogesh K., 2018. "Towards a theory of SocioCitizenry: Quality anticipation, trust configuration, and approved adaptation of governmental social media," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 261-272.
    11. Tingting Song & Jinghua Huang & Yong Tan & Yifan Yu, 2019. "Using User- and Marketer-Generated Content for Box Office Revenue Prediction: Differences Between Microblogging and Third-Party Platforms," Service Science, INFORMS, vol. 30(1), pages 191-203, March.
    12. Halloran, Timothy J. & Lutz, Richard J., 2021. "Let's Give Them Something to Talk About: Which Social Media Engagements Predict Purchase Frequency?," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 83-95.
    13. Wunhong Su & Chun Guo & Xiaobao Song, 2022. "Media coverage, Environment Protection Law and environmental research and development: evidence from the Chinese-listed firms," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(5), pages 6953-6983, May.
    14. Yun-Seok Hwang & Byung-Jik Kim, 2021. "“The Power of a Firm’s Benevolent Act”: The Influence of Work Overload on Turnover Intention, the Mediating Role of Meaningfulness of Work and the Moderating Effect of CSR Activities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(7), pages 1-15, April.
    15. Kee-Young Kwahk & Byoungsoo Kim, 2017. "Effects of social media on consumers’ purchase decisions: evidence from Taobao," Service Business, Springer;Pan-Pacific Business Association, vol. 11(4), pages 803-829, December.
    16. Carlo Pugnetti & Johannes Becker & Cristian Zani, 2022. "Do Customers Want to Communicate with Insurers on Social Media? An Investigation of the Swiss Market," IJFS, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-14, December.
    17. Adam Arian & John Sands & Stuart Tooley, 2023. "Industry and Stakeholder Impacts on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Financial Performance: Consumer vs. Industrial Sectors," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-21, August.
    18. John Cantrell & Elias Kyriazis & Gary Noble, 2015. "Developing CSR Giving as a Dynamic Capability for Salient Stakeholder Management," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 130(2), pages 403-421, August.
    19. Kouassi Marius Honoré Aké & Olivier Boiral, 2023. "Sustainable development and stakeholder engagement in the agri‐food sector: Exploring the nexus between biodiversity conservation and information technology," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(1), pages 334-348, February.
    20. Wu He & Feng-Kwei Wang & Yong Chen & Shenghua Zha, 0. "An exploratory investigation of social media adoption by small businesses," Information Technology and Management, Springer, vol. 0, pages 1-12.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:pal:palcom:v:10:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-023-02187-8. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.nature.com/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.