Perceptions of the effectiveness of internet marketing strategies for first-time students in an ODL institution

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.