Abstract:
Technology has the ability to open up completely new markets and to radically shake up
existing ones. The major breakthroughs in technology have altered the relationships
between marketers and consumers, and did so on a global scale, but according to Ryan
and Jones (2009), marketing is not about technology, it’s about people. Technology is only
interesting, from a marketing perspective, when it connects people with other people more
effectively. Digital marketing, like traditional marketing is not about the technology and tools
used, but it’s also about people, it’s about people connecting with other people, and building
relationships.
The World Wide Web (WWW or the web) is a universal platform for information exchange,
and it provides a channel through which businesses may display and generate sales on
their offerings and communicate with their targeted audiences. The purpose of the
proposed study is to explore and study how effective internet marketing strategies are for
new students at ODL institutions, specifically Unisa. As Singh’s (2002) research clearly
indicate the tremendous potential of the Internet and its ability to exposes new business
opportunities for organizations, the study aimed at exploring the perceptions of the new
students as to how helpful and effective the internet marketing strategies are before and
and/or during the pre-registration period. This study found that there is considerable
variation in the students’ perception of the website’s navigation and link functionality, overall
performance and the quality of education information.
The effectiveness and usability of a website as a marketing strategy lies in the successful
interaction of the students (and other users) with the website and this can only be
accurately measured by assessing user performance, satisfaction, and acceptability
(Bevan, Kirakowski, and Maissel, 1991). The main purpose of a university website is to
provide information to current and potential clients and to promote and market the
organization, which means university website is primarily a means of communication, first to
inform and second to promote. This study provided evidence that in order for university to
effectively market itself using their website, the university’s relevant bodies need to engage
in continuous improvement of the website.
One of the most effective ways of evaluating one’s website is to involve those users for
whom the website is designed for, in this case, firstly students, and other relevant
stakeholders. The results clearly indicated a need for the university to conduct further
research that may include a wider population.
