Analysis of Digital Marketing in NCAA Division I and NCAA Division II Colleges of Education and Colleges of Busines

Higher education institutions have become big businesses that must thrive in the open marketplace to stay viable for the upcoming generation of students. As Generation Z students begin to populate campuses around the country, senior leaders need to possess tools to effectively solicit them. Reaching these online "digital natives" equates to having a digital presence. The purpose of this study was to examine how senior leaders of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I and NCAA Division II Colleges of Education and Colleges of Business used digital platforms to market themselves and if any observable differences occur. Specifically, this study focused on how senior leaders of Colleges of Education and Colleges of Business relied on digital marketing platforms to promote their respective organizations. This study contained a comprehensive review of the literature regarding characteristics of prospective students, the College-Choice Process, current marketing practices in higher education, and institutional marketing plans.;The researcher developed a theoretical framework to show how organizations go through change. Technology changes daily and some higher education institutions are quicker than others to adopt these advancements into their marketing schemes. The researcher developed and distributed a survey to senior leaders of Colleges of Education and Colleges of Business to determine which digital marketing platforms they used to communicate with prospective students and to discover if any differences occurred between them.;Through descriptive statistics, the researcher concluded that the primary digital marketing platforms that both Colleges of Education and Colleges of Business used were Facebook, websites, and email. The researcher discovered that most senior leaders had been in their position for less than five years and were more apt to incorporate the available platforms. The researcher discovered that some platforms are used, but others such as texting, digital publications, and videos are not. Regarding differences, the researcher used a Pearson chi-square test of independence and discovered there were no statistically significant differences between NCAA Division I and NCAA Division II Colleges of Business. Within the Colleges of Education, the only statistically significant difference between NCAA Division I and NCAA Division II schools was in the use of text messages. The study concluded with a summary of the findings, implications, and recommendations for further research.