The impact of covid-19 and digital transformation on the marketing and communication strategies of higher education institutions, in relation to student recruitment

Where the Coronavirus pandemic has interrupted face to face delivery of university student recruitment events, whether large scale external events or internal events, digital channels appear to have been utilised as the main form of communication to engage prospective students. However, what is unclear is to what extent COVID-19 and digital transformation have impacted the marketing and communication strategies of HE institutions and whether other universities have had to increase their social media presence and online resources and recruitment events more than others. The thesis finds that COVID-19 has ultimately acted as a catalyst for digital transformation, allowing universities more flexibility to move their marketing and communication strategies online through virtual activities and events, as well as through greater use of image and video content across webpages and social media. Factors considered include reflecting the differences and extent of digital transformation between Russell Group and Non-Russell Group universities. The target audience majority of ‘digital natives’ is also considered as a reason for this accelerated effect of digital transformation, with COVID-19 allowing an opportunity to adhere to their demands. Their familiarity and accessibility to online information is an important rationale for HE institutions to create content on digital platforms and move away from paper communications and marketing material – a strategy that will remain in future student recruitment.