Digital marketing capabilities and student enrolment in private secondary schools in Kampala district: the moderating role of organizational support

Abstract

This study examined the role of digital marketing capabilities in fostering student enrolment in private secondary schools in Kampala. The study was guided by two specific objectives, i.e., to establish the relationship between digital marketing capabilities and student enrollment in private secondary schools and to investigate the moderating effect of organizational support in the relationship between digital marketing capabilities and student enrollment in private secondary schools in Kampala District. A quantitative research approach and a correlation research design were used for the study. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire from 125 private secondary schools that were selected using stratified random and purposive sampling. The data was analyzed using SPSS, where correlation and regression analyses were carried out to establish the relationships. The study findings revealed that: there was a significant and positive relationship between digital marketing capabilities and student enrolment, a positive and significant relationship between digital knowledge and student enrolment, as well as a positive and significant relationship between digital skills and student enrolment. Furthermore, the findings revealed that digital marketing capabilities and organizational support accounted for 24.8% of the variance in student enrolment and that organizational support significantly moderates the relationship between digital marketing capabilities and student enrolment. The study findings suggest that private secondary schools with personnel who are competent in knowledge and skills in undertaking digital marketing activities are likely to attract more students than their non-competent counterparts. It is therefore recommended that administrators of private secondary schools should prioritize capacity-building initiatives to enhance digital knowledge among their staff, invest in specialized training and recruitment to address significant gaps in digital skills among their staff, invest in adequate digital resources such as computers to support effective digital marketing activities, implement regular refresher training programs to keep staff updated on new digital marketing techniques, systems, and software and to adopt a holistic approach to optimize student enrolment by simultaneously investing in both digital marketing capabilities and organizational support.