The purpose of the study was to assess how social
media marketing (SMM), which includes
trendiness, eWOM, interactivity, and informativeness, affected brand
awareness in the education services industry in Lusaka, Zambia, with a focus on
the University of Zambia. The study’s theoretical foundations were the
Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) and Customer Bonding theories. A structured
survey questionnaire was used in data collection, and Pearson’s R was used to
analyze the effect of SMM on brand awareness. The University of Zambia’s 277 students were the study’s target
population. The method of simple random sampling was applied. The study
found that SMM significantly increased brand
awareness in the education services industry in trendiness, eWOM, interaction,
and informativeness. The study also found that poor scheduling for SMM and
problems with internet access affect how effective SMM is at raising brand
awareness in the Lusaka, Zambia, education services industry. The SMM framework
for increasing brand awareness was designed based on the findings. According to
the study’s findings, social media marketing (SMM) is an essential instrument
for market communication in the Lusaka, Zambia, education services industry,
helping to raise brand awareness. Accordingly, the study suggested that Zambian
educational institutions consistently invest in social media marketing (SMM) to
build and enhance brand recognition.
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