ABSTRACT
This study investigates the role of social media influencers in modern marketing strategies within public universities located in Edo state, Nigeria. The primary objective was to explore the impacts of different types of influencers campus ambassadors, realtime marketers, competitive analysts, customer feedback gatherers, and content creators on university marketing strategies. A total of 258 business education students in 400 level from Edo state's University of Benin in Benin City and Ambrose Alli University in Ekpoma make up the study's population. Seventy-five (75) students from each university were chosen for the study through the use of random sampling. The research instrument for the study was a Questionnaire titled: “Role of Social Media Influencers in Modern Marketing Strategies Within Public Universities Questionnaires (RSMIMMSPUQ)”, which was distributed to the respondents and collected immediately after completion from respondents. The simple percentage and mean score was used in computing the responses of the questionnaire items. To account for the reliability of the study, the Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient was used which gave a value of 0.737. Findings indicate that campus ambassador influencers significantly enhance brand visibility, trust, and student engagement with university activities. Real-time marketing influencers are effective in leveraging current events, extending reach, managing crises, and facilitating direct communication with students. Competitive analysis influencers provide strategic insights, aid in positioning the university competitively, manage reputation, and promote continuous marketing improvement. Customer feedback influencers play a crucial role in gathering student insights, fostering meaningful engagement, managing reputation, and informing data-driven decision-making processes. Lastly, content creators contribute by generating engaging content, influencing student decisions, advocating for brands over the long term, and boosting online visibility and search engine optimization efforts. Recommendations include integrating diverse influencer types strategically into university marketing plans, fostering collaborations between influencers and university departments, enhancing influencer training programs, and leveraging influencer-driven insights for agile marketing strategies.
