Influence of Social Media Advertising on Student Enrolment in Private TVET Institutions in the Central Economic Bloc, Kenya

It has become paramount for higher education institutions, such as Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions, to invest heavily in their advertising budget. Despite significant resources being invested in advertising, growth in enrolment has not been witnessed in private TVETs. This study, therefore, sought to analyse the influence of different social media advertising platforms on student enrolment in private TVET institutions in the central economic bloc in Kenya. Principals of these institutions and heads of marketing were the respondents in the study. A census of all 174 private TVETs was conducted, resulting in 348 respondents. The study had a 90.5% (n=315) response rate. Questionnaires and interviews were used to collect information for the study. Descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation analysis were conducted on the quantitative data while thematic analysis was performed on the qualitative data. Results were presented using tables and narration. All TVETs in the study were found to have a website and social media presence, with 73.4% spending under KES 100,000 on digital ads. Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok were the most cited social media platforms utilised. Pearson correlation analysis showed that social media marketing had a strong, positive, and significant association (r = 0.690, p < .001) with student enrolment. The study concluded that social media advertising is a powerful medium for reaching prospective students and influencing their enrolment decisions. The researcher recommended that TVETs ought to invest heavily in social media marketing. They should hire professionals to ensure that they are visible online.