Analysing effective social media communication in higher education institutions

Strategic communication is crucial for achieving organizational objectives, and digital platforms offer valuable tools. Social media has become increasingly integrated into public relations and communication programs, particularly for universities seeking to connect with their communities, promote their brand, and cultivate reputation. However, a comprehensive analysis of all dimensions of social media institutional communication in higher education is lacking. Existing research focuses on isolated aspects like university presence, activity levels, communication approaches, resources used, and content disseminated. This study addresses this gap by comprehensively examining posting, interactivity, and content in a large sample of universities across three continents and three major social media platforms.

Several studies emphasize the importance of strategic communication and the role of digital media in achieving organizational goals. Social media platforms are recognized as valuable tools for building relationships with stakeholders, increasing access to information, and facilitating direct engagement. Active participation in social media positively correlates with organizational reputation. However, there's a need for guidelines on strategic social media management, including active presence, interactivity, and content strategy. Universities specifically can leverage social media for community building, brand promotion, and reputation enhancement, yet research on the comprehensive integration of these aspects is limited.

This study employed content analysis of the institutional social media communication of 70 universities (20 US, 25 European, 25 Latin American) across Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Universities were selected based on their rankings in ARWU, THE, and QS World University Rankings. Data included all posts from six months of 2021 (March-June and September-December). The analysis focused on three dimensions: 1. **Posting Performance:** Assessed through "Level of Activity" (LoAC) based on daily posting frequency compared to established benchmarks and "Type of Presence" (ToPE) based on the proportion of proprietary, shared, and hybrid posts. 2. **Interactivity Focus:** Measured using "Level of General Approach" (LoGA) – informational vs. conversational – and "Level of Resources" (LoRE) – expositive vs. interactive resources used in posts. 3. **Content Combination:** Analyzed the proportion of five thematic contents (teaching, research, social commitment, organizational, contextual) to identify content combinations (exclusive, dominant, combined, balanced). Intercoder reliability was assessed using Cohen's Kappa, demonstrating high agreement (Kappa values > 0.80). Data analysis included Chi-Square tests, Cramer's V, correspondence analysis, ANOVA, and Kruskal-Wallis tests.

The analysis revealed several key findings: **Posting Performance:** Overall, universities demonstrated a "passive centripetal" performance (low activity, predominantly proprietary content). However, significant regional differences emerged. Latin American universities showed "active centripetal" performance (higher activity levels), while European and US universities exhibited "passive centripetal" patterns. Across social networks, Facebook showed more active centripetal performance than Twitter and LinkedIn. **Interactivity Focus:** Universities generally maintained a "monologic" focus (informational approach, predominantly expositive resources). Latin American universities showed slightly higher interactivity scores than other regions. While Facebook and LinkedIn demonstrated slightly more interactive resource use than Twitter, the overall approach remained primarily monologic across all platforms. **Content Combination:** The predominant content combination was "exclusive," focusing heavily on organizational content. Latin American universities displayed a more "dominant" combination, integrating teaching content alongside organizational content. Across social networks, Facebook showed a slight shift towards "dominant" combinations, while Twitter and LinkedIn leaned towards "exclusive" combinations.

The findings reveal that universities predominantly utilize social media for disseminating institutional information rather than fostering dynamic dialogue. The passive, centripetal posting performance indicates a focus on attracting users to institutional content without extensive engagement. The monologic interactivity approach confirms limited two-way communication, even if interactive resources are increasingly used. The heavy emphasis on organizational content suggests a prioritization of institutional branding and visibility over fostering engagement on core university activities like teaching and research. While regional variations exist, with Latin American universities showing higher activity and some content diversification, the overall trend towards passive monologic communication persists. This suggests an opportunity for universities to refine their social media strategies to enhance user engagement and create more dynamic online communities.

This research highlights the need for universities to adopt more active and dialogic approaches to social media communication. While a centripetal focus on proprietary content is understandable for institutional branding, increasing activity and implementing a more dialogic approach would enhance engagement. A more balanced content strategy, incorporating teaching, research, and social commitment themes, would better reflect the multifaceted nature of university life and create more meaningful connections with stakeholders. Future research could investigate the impact of these dimensions on user engagement, expand the analysis to other platforms, and delve deeper into the unique communicative characteristics of each platform.

This study's scope is limited to three social media platforms and a specific set of universities selected based on global rankings. The six-month data collection period might not fully capture the nuances of long-term communication strategies. Future research could address these limitations by expanding the sample size, analyzing diverse social media platforms, and employing longitudinal data collection.