A Review of Social Media Efficiency Over a 3-Year Period to Promote a Hospitality Management Program at a Southwestern University

Abstract

Social media is utilized in marketing to maximize outreach, and within higher education, its use has been growing to engage a variety of stakeholders and recruit students. This paper compared the efficiency of three marketing campaigns using Facebook and Google Search Engine Management (SEM) over three years in support of promoting a new hospitality management program at a southwestern university. The findings may provide insights into a better understanding of the attitudes and consumption behaviors of students and parents, and the efficiency of utilizing social media through the lens of a comparative 3-year timeline in the period before and during the Covid-19 pandemic.