MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING FOREIGN TRADE UNIVERSITY -*** SUMMARY OF DOCTORAL THESIS DIGITAL MARKETING FOR STUDENT RECRUITMENT IN SOME DEVELOPED NATIONS AND ADOPTION TO VIETNAMESE EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS Major: Business Administration Code: 9340101 NGUYEN THI MINH HA June 2019 Hanoi, April THIS THESIS HAS BEEN COMPLETED AT FOREIGN TRADE UNIVERSITY Supervisor: Prof., Dr Hoang Van Chau Examiner 1: Examiner 2: Examiner 3: The thesis was orally defended at the Examining Committee Time: date/month/2019 Venue: Foreign Trade University, Hanoi This thesis is available for reference at: - - National Library of Vietnam - Library of Foreign Trade University INTRODUCTION Rationale 2.8 trillion US dollar is estimated the total revenue of global ecommerce transactions, reported by Statista in 2018, and expected to nearly double by 2021 (Hatch, 2018) 4.388 billion Internet users by January 30, 2019 which accounts for 57% of the world population is online (We are social & Hootsuite, 2019) 85% of consumers search online before making purchasing decision, even if they buy offline The global e-commerce picture has increasingly become vidid and diverse since 1995, with the debut of such giants as Google, Facebook, Amazon and other names in education like Udemy, Coursera It can be seen that IT has been positively influencing most industries, including education Information technology (IT) not only strongly promotes education innovation with great achievements but also improves educational institution management as well as facilitates marketing and brad development The education market in developed countries in particular and all over the world in general in recent years is constantly under pressure by enrollment and retention of learners 58% of the leaders of educational institutions are really concerned about not reaching student recruitment target (Jaschik & Lederman, 2015), the number of successful admission and enrollment applications has been leveled off and signaled a decline in recent years (Keypath, 2017) University administrators and managers are suffering from headache to compete with domestic and foreign rivals to attract potential learners, ensure enrollment targets and promote school brand in the context of educational autonomy The emergence of many new training programs and the trend of globlization in the field have put much pressure on managers in all levels of institutions Moreover, highly intensive competition have pressured institutions to go online and integrate digital platforms into marketing strategy to actively approach prospective learners rather than wait for inquiries or applications Possible students may seek for information about institutional characteristics from various sources and to evaluate before choosing a university over another These potential learners and their parents who may influence university choice, no longer wait for leaflets or viewbooks but actively search the Internet for information for better decision-making Digital marketing has quickly replaced traditional marketing to become a pillar in the strategy of attracting potential learners (Hanover, 2016) in this fierce competition There are some developed nations including the United States, Britain, Australia, France, Germany, New Zealand, Singapore which are best known for their achievements and experience in IT adoption to student recruitment marketing 84.5% of educational institutions surveyed in those countries in a report of 2018 digital marketing trends in educational institutions apply digital marketing for student attraction and recruitment (Terminalfour, 2018) In practice, studying digital marketing for student recruitment of educational institutions in some developed countries is essential for Vietnamese universities In theory, even less is known about the influence of this digital platform on the marketing strategies of universities and colleges to attract potential learners From both pratical and sienctific perspectives, the study aims to analyze "Digital marketing for student recruitment in some developed countries and adoption to Vietnamese educational institutions" Literature review Academic databases such as Elesevier, SpringerLink, Sciencedirect and Google Scholar have been used by to synthesize papers related to the topic, but far less attention was paid to the influence of digital marketing for student recruitment as well as international experience 2.1 Studies on educational marketing There is a lot of research worldwide about education marketing, typically the "Marketing strategy for educational institutions" by Kotler and Fox (1995, 2002) Le Quang Truc and Tran Van Hoa (2017) have investigated and confirmed the importance of marketing mix for learners' enrollment decisions Later studies mostly focused on marketing mix applications to improve the efficiency of attracting students in universities (Hoang Thi Phuong Thao & Nguyen Dinh Binh, 2016) Those authors suggested that educational institutions need to consider learners as customers and apply marketing theory into management activities to better their education service Some other studies integrated IT into communivations strategy such as "Application of mixed marketing in information - library activities in Vietnamese universities" (Bui Thanh Thuy, 2012) or "Higher education marketing tools of local universities in Vietnam" (Le Quang Hieu, 2015), and "Application of educational marketing in Vietnamese universities" (Le Quang, 2015) In general, communications activities for learner attraction was just considered one of the components, but has not been fully exploited in these studies 2.2 Studies on marketing for student recruitment There is a lot of research around the world about education marketing, in which potential learners are seen as consumers (Obermeit, 2012) Studies on determinants of student enrollment decisions based on the theory of consumer behavior and consumer behavior stimulus Learners are influenced by institutions’ communication marketing strategies (Perna, 2006) and school features (Nguyen Thi Kim Chi, 2018) Some researches exploited communication channels to attract and interact with potential learners, for example, advertising publications, posters, billboards, websites, television advertisements, newspaper advertisements (Yamamoto, 2006) In general, theoretical and empirical studies pointed out the communication channels affects learners' decisions most notably While students constitute the majority of Internet users, not many studies have discussed the impacts of Internet-based marketing activities to attract potential learners (We are social & Hootsuite, 2018) Besides, educational institutions have not taken advantage of to interact with potential learners 2.3 Digital marketing for student recruitment Much attention has been paid to find out the impact of a specific digital marketing tool such as a website or social network The study of Hayes, Ruschman and Walker (2009) observed and measured the impact of social networks as a tool in university admissions, and this idea was further developed by Barnes and Mattson (2009), Augustsson (2010), Constantinides and Stagno (2011, 2012), Alexa, Alexa and Stoica (2012) Another popular online channel that universities use to attract and reach potential learners is website, which is evaluated as an official and reliable source of information provided to customers Several studies the important role of websites and social networks in the process of choosing and deciding enrollment (Hoyt & Brown, 2003; Kim & Gasman, 2011; Yamamoto, 2006) Social networks are used as an online channel for interaction and enrollment counseling, and if combined effectively with the website, it will create positive effects on applicants for admission This view has been reinforced by Phillips (2015), education providers need to be aware of the importance of building an online relationship with learners From the perspective of information assessment and acceptance, LeFauve (2001) studied the application of websites in college admissions and analyzed the impact of website content on learners’ school choice The author compares and concludes that the website and other publications have similar characteristics in providing information and persuading potential learners to find information The persuasiveness of messages from institutions has apply to many social media channels such as online forums and online messages (Tower, 2006) There are many ways for schools to convey information to potential learners and encourage them to enroll Universities can personalize the school's admissions website towards targeted customers (Foster, 2003) Interaction with potential learners also plays an important role in attracting and recruiting them Previous studies have revealed that information sharing and exchanging have significant effects on learner satisfaction regarding educational services related to their study choice (Bush, et al., 2005) as well as their attitudes toward buying in general During the admission process, the school needs to maintain direct contact with potential learners, as direct communication will help learners to distinguish options (Donehower, 2003) Now, social networks are becoming an effective and interactive channel between schools and learners Digital marketing is the best way for educational institutions to approach and attract potential learners, thereby expanding the market and improving competitiveness Studies to measure the effects of digital marketing in the education sector so far have not evaluated comprehensively and followed the customer journey online 2.4 General assessment Firstly, recent researches on digital marketing for student recruitment have only observed one or some typical digital marketing tools such as website or social network However, the strong development of science and technology will promise many new media Therefore, this study focus on the unsolved question of the attributes that attract potential learners of digital marketing Secondly, the research question on impacts of digital marketing in student recruitment from an organizational perspective is still covered Some papers on digital marketing from an organizational point of view are mainly implemented in the field of e-commerce such as "Researching customer satisfaction in the digital marketing C2C in Vietnam" (Nguyen Hung Cuong , 2013) or have just approached a single digital marketing tool such as "Factors affecting consumer behavior for mobile marketing activities in Hanoi urban areas" (Nguyen Hai Ninh, 2012) Thirdly, previous studies were mostly based on technology acceptance model, but have not analyzed internal resources of organization or viewpoint of leaders or external environment such as innovation effects and competition pressure Fourth, in terms of research methods, most of prior researches use first-generation data analysis methods such as correlation, regression, so there are certain limitations on reliability, due to unrealistic statistical assumptions The thesis uses the second-generation data analysis with linear structure model to bring more reliable results In summary, although education marketing is increasingly concerned, literature and empirical studies about the adoption of digital marketing to attract prospective learners from the perspective of educational institutions is still limited This is the first research about digital marketing adoption for student recruitment which has comprehensively approached from both viewpoints of consumers and education service providers Aims and Research questions 3.1 Aims and objectives This study aims to focus on digital marketing for student recruitment, learning from international experience of attracting and encouraging interactive functions with these prospective consumers then boost their decision-making process In order to achieve the above objectives, specific objectives were identified: - Systematizing theoretical background on adopting digital marketing in education to attract potential learners - Analyzing experience of digital marketing activities for student recruitmnet of educational institutions in some developed countries, then drawing some typical lessons - Analyzing and verifying the status of applying digital marketing in educational institutions in Vietnam to attract potential learners - Proposing some recommendations to enhance the adoption of digital marketing to attract potential learners at Vietnamese educational institutions 3.2 Research questions - What is digital marketing education? The significance of digital marketing for learner recruitment at educational institutions? - Digital marketing activities to attract learners of educational institutions in some developed countries and lessons learned for Vietnamese institutions? - How have Vietnamese educational institutions adopt digital marketing to attract potential learners? - What can Vietnamese educational institutions to boost digital marketing for student recruitment? Scope of the study Under the pressure of increasingly fierce competition and the context of higher education 4.0 in Vietnam today, the research only focuses on digital marketing for student recruitment at higher education institutions (HEI), so the following topics are put outside the scope of research: digital marketing to improve e-learning efficiency, e-library, brand development, fundraising and attracting alumni, developing scientific research, internal marketing, community connection The scenario of rivalry is expected to be most intensified for tertiary education because increasing autonomy of higher educational institutions while universalization of primary and secondary education was implemented years ago or even exempted from tuition fees in many countries all over the world Therefore, the study aims to higher education service sector, especially universities 10 Thirdly, marketing technology has developed increasingly, so the research does not analyze digital marketing tools, but exploits typical features these modern marketing methods Fourthly, the study has also brought new theoretical contributions by setting up a technology - organization - environment - innovation framework (TOEIF) to identify determinant of adopting digital marketing in educational institutions to attract potential learners and support enrollment Finally, two models of TOEIF and TIAMC were logically and scientifically integrated into a framework of digital marketing adoption for student recruitment at educational institutions (DMA) Structure of the study The remainder of this thesis is structured as followed First, an overview of digital marketing of education service and an analysis of digital marketing for student recruitment at education institutions of specific developed nations Second, the theoretical background for this study is presented and hypotheses development is discussed Third, the research methodology of the study is described Then, the results of data analysis are presented Finally, some recommendations for enhancement of digital marketing for student recruitment at education institutions I also address the limitations and future research directions 11 Chapter OVERVIEW OF DIGITAL EDUCATION MARKETING AND AN ANALYSIS OF DIGITAL MARKETING ADOPTION FOR STUDENT RECRUITMENT AT EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS IN SOME DEVELOPED NATIONS 1.1 Overview of digital education marketing 1.1.1 Education service According to the marketing perspective of Kotler and Fox (1995, 2002), educational institutions are the providers of this type of special service The curriculum of the school is the educational service, and these training programs are full of characteristics of the service industry (Ivy, 2008), both marketable, non-market, financial balanced and must be profitable and non-profit 1.1.2 Educational institutions and learners Educational institutions are providers of educational services in the form of training programs Learners are one of the main customers 1.1.3 Digital marketing Kannan and Li (2017) defined digital marketing as a coordinated process between businesses, customers and partners, integrated with online, measurable and highly flexible platforms, to form, exchange, transmit and maintain value for all stakeholders 1.1.4 Digital education marketing The research proposed: "Digital education marketing is the use of digital platforms by educational institutions to establish integrated, targeted, measurable and interactive channels to attract and retain customers through which to build & develop sustainable customer relationships” 12 In addition to major characteristics of traditional marketing, digital education marketing has distinct characteristics: cost-effective, unlimited time and space, interactivity, data analysis Some typical digital education marketing tools include website, search engines, social media, display advertising, email, online advertising, mobile advertising Key performance indicators of digital education marketing for student recruitment are click indicators, leads indicators, conversion rates of learners 1.1.5 Digital marketing evironment of education institutions Including internal and external environment affecting organizations Internal environment consists of human resources, finance, technical resources, top management support External environment refers to suppliers, customers, partners, competitors and the public The macro environment impacts the whole industry as demographic, economic, technological, political and socio-cultural factors 1.1.6 Enrolment process Enrolment or admission is only a part of the learner's decision-making process of school choice, including several stages starting at a desire to continue to a decision-making to go to a specific school Learners always conduct searches and gather information, thereby considering the choice among options before making a final decision When learners find messages from digital marketing channels useful, reliable and the process of online interaction really valuable to help them screen and choose, they will accept to use online IT for enrolment or admission 13 1.2 Benefits of digital marketing adoption for student recruitment at educational institutions in the era 4.0 Digital marketing has become a vital element for many educational institutions under increasingly competitive pressure among educational institutions in the era 4.0 Digital marketing is very cost effective in attracting potential learners and consulting online enrollment due to its interactivity - respond quickly, get high conversion rates and simple measurement 1.3 An analysis of digital marketing adoption for student recruitment at educational institutions Digital marketing is always based on understanding and closely connecting with the needs of prospective learners The indicator to measure the effectiveness of digital marketing activities to attract potential learners is mainly used by the number of applications for enrollment consultancy and school visits Optimization of digital marketing attributes: relevance, accuracy, comprehensiveness, interactivity, timeliness reflecting digital-based IT quality Expertise and reliability reflect the source credibility Educational institutions in developed nations have also exploited effectively digital marketing environment: internal resources, trade partner support and innovation effects in fierce competition 14 Chapter THEORETICAL BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESES OF DIGITAL MARKETING ADOPTION FOR STUDENT RECRUITMENT AT EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS Learning and applying the experience of educational institutions in developed countries, the research proposed the model of TIAMC and scientific hypotheses to study the impact of digital marketing in attracting potential students, combining models of technology acceptance TAM 1989, elaboration likelihood model - ELM and information acceptance model IAM To assess the digital marketing environment at educational institutions, the thesis establishes the model of Technology Organization - Environment - Innovation TOEIF, identifying determinants of digital marketing adoption for learner recruitment, based on the theory of diffuse innovation DOI 2003, unified theory of acceptance and usage of technology UTAUT and the framework of technology - organizational – environment TOE Then, an intergrated framework combining TIAMC and TOEIF model (Figure 1.0) was born to evaluate digital marketing adoption for student recruitment at educational institutions Chapter RESEARCH METHODS Quantitative research method, combined with additional qualitative research were used First, the scale was developed and preliminary research was carried out to adjust accordingly to the survey informants Preliminary qualitative research is done through focus group with TIAMC model and in-depth interview with TOEIF model 15 The study performs quantitative research and data collection through questionnaires, processed by SPSS 23 and AMOS software 22 Primary data of TIAMC model is collected through direct and online survey with 500 high school pupils, students, alumni, parents to assess the impact digital marketing in attracting prospective customers In order to assess the digital marketing environment at educational institutions, data collected through survey with 380 education managers, managers of marketing, media and admissions of Vietnamese educational institutions Then questionnaires have been designed in advance Statistical and ecometric tests were fully carried out, including testing reliability of scales, exploratory factor analysis, affirmative factor analysis and running linear structure model For robust check, the author used bootstrap test with a returned sample size of 1000 (TIAMC) and 500 (TOEIF) Through multi-group regression using the channel of communication, the impact of students recruitment between website and social media were compared The type of educational institutions was selected to compare the difference in digital marketing environment between public and non-public schools Then equivalent model testing method was applied to confirm the proposed multiple linear structure Additional qualitative research was conducted by in-depth interviews, phone calls, text messages or emails in about 30 minutes to hour with pre-designed questions Specialists included middle-to-top managers, leaders, and decision makers of educational institutions in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City The results of additional in-depth interviews enabled to explain the results of the surveyed sample with questionnaires, and explain the abnormal results of the sample 16 Chapter ADOPTION AN ANALYSIS FOR OF STUDENT DIGITAL MARKETING RECRUITMENT AT EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS OF VIETNAM 4.1 Overview of Vietnam education sector in the era 4.0 4.1.1 Competition in Vietnam education market Although in the last few years the total enrolment quota for educational institutions had a tendency to increase and expected to reach 455,174 for the 2018-2019 school year, an increase of 1.2% compared to the 2017 national entrance exam, but there was still redundant of about 233,467 candidates (Thanh Xuan, 2018) After announcing the first benchmark, along with inadequate enrollment, many educational institutions continue to recruit additional candidates of about 500-600 learners Many new majors and new training programs have been developed, despite internal resource shortage and financial dispersal The main reason is lack of investment in market forecast, so the training programs and majors are overlapped and internally competed 4.1.2 IT adoption at educational institutions of Vietnam Educational institutions are interested in exploiting and improving the quality of digital marketing channels to attract and interact with customers: optimizing electronic portals and social sites to promote marketing activities, brand development and school administration 4.1.3 Learner usage of digital channels In interactive channels that learners often use to find information about school activities, events or course registration, the website is a popular source (with over 76% of potential students choosing), next is the fanpage (with over 40%) In addition, most students use electronic 17 devices such as smartphones, laptops or both and use them to log in and manipulate 4.2 Tests of digital marketing adoption for student recruitment at educational institutions of Vietnam – TIAMC & TOEIF All official scales in TIAMC model and 32/35 scales of TOEIF model are highly reliable through Cronbach’s Alpha testing 47 observed variables TIAMC rotated and splited into factors and 32 observed variables in the TOEIF model into concepts as proposed The second-tier CFA test for TIAMC model better explains the relationship between factors in the first-order model After performing a series of tests, the final model of TIAMC3 (after two modifications) with the path is statistically significant and logical in the direction that shows the TIAMC3 model fits well with the collected data The TOEIF model does not need modifying The result of bootstrap analysis shows that the two models are still meaningful for large sample sizes, so the results ensure reliability Compared to the official research model with equivalent models, the findings confirms the multiple linear structure proposed and the formal research model Enrolment = 0.292*Easy - 0.095*Irritation + 0.229*SourceCredibility + 0.114*Quality + 0.446*Usefulness + 0.086*Attitude + 0.164*Acceptance DigitalmarketingAdoption = 0.146*Competition + 0.169*Easy + 0.137*Innovation + 0.311*OrganizationalCompetency + 0.156*TradeparterSupport + 0.133*Usefulness In summary, the results of multiple regression analysis show that the factors in TIAMC and TOEIF models can explain the degree of 18 variance of digital marketing adoption for student recruitment at educational institutions The direct and indirect impacts in the two models and the regression equations are very important for education managers of all levels to optimize resources Chapter RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ENHANCEMENT OF DIGITAL MARKETING ADOPTION FOR STUDENT RECRUITMENT AT VIETNAM EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS 5.1 Prospects of enhancing digital marketing adoption for student recruitment at Vietnam educational institutions 5.1.1 Global trend of education market The world education system has changed with the trend of digitization, marketization, and privatization Some countries adopt a policy of restricting immigration for international learners studying abroad, or a policy of reducing education budget or call for students to return to start-up scholarships The trend of socialization, increasing autonomy for universities, reducing the role of governments and governmentfunded schools has gradually shifted to market competition 5.1.2 Vietnam education market Forecasting the growth of Vietnam education market by 2020, the total training scope of university and college will be about 2.2 million students (up 1.8% compared to the school-year 2010-2011) and the number of full-time students is estimated to reach about 560,000 (an increase of about 8.2% compared to 2010) 5.1.3 Learners 4.0 The two most recent generations, who are becoming major customers, are generation Y (also known as the millennium, born from 1980- 19 1994) and generation Z (1995-2012) They both depend heavily on technology and rapidly adapt to technology, so they will mainly use the digital platform to serve their information needs 5.2 Some recommendation to enhance digital marketing adoption for student recruitment at Vietnam educational institutions 5.2.1 Market research and online customer journey Education providers should consider learners as customers and understand their information needs and searching trend: e-learning program, scholarship or financial support, university ranking, communication through third parties with high reputation such as ranking websites / scholarships, mobile search, school-app download Besides, university marketers should also optimize touch points in customer journeys 5.2.2 Optimizing digital marketing attributes for student recruitment 5.2.2.1 Improving digital-based information quality Relevance: the message should be clear, easy-to-understand and personalized content fitting the individual learner needs Accuracy: accurate, correct and consistent information on all online communication channels, reflecting truthfully and unbiased Timeliness: informative, update the latest, regular and timely content Comprehensiveness: full, detailed, rich in content and format, highly convincing, reflecting both advantages and disadvantages Interactivity: Quick and easy interaction, optimize the channels of students, alumni, fanpage community, and employers Useful channels: chatbot, online chat, email or brand message 20 5.2.2.2 Improving source credibility of digital-based information Invest and censor article content with true and reliable information, make sure that messages are attractive, professional, useful for prospective learners 5.2.2.3 Reducing irritation Online communication messages need to be concise with professional design, sound, video in mute mode and allow customization Focus on quality instead of quantity: timely information, authentic content, personalization and uniqueness 5.2.2.4 Improving the perceived ease of use Create a feeling of ease and comfort for users on all platforms of computers, tablets and mobile devices The overall structure of the channels should be easy to understand and not confusing Sign up for enrolment advice or easy admission; Connect easily with other online channels Improve the user experience: exciting, reliable, quality, professional, engaging and engaging users 5.2.2.5 Improving the perceived usefulness Provide more information learners need than traditional channels Additional features to compare enrollment information between educational institutions 5.2.2.6 Integrating digital and traditional marketing most effectively interactive channels: website on mobile, brand messages, email, online calls and publications School marketers should depend on training programs and target segments to select appropriate channels Middle or end-of-course surveys are very necceary for better service 21 5.2.2.7 Customer relationship management Educational institutions need to build up customer database to well manage the relationship Ties with current learners should also be invested more via online channels, for example SMS messages for searching the opening schedule and exam schedule 5.2.3 Improving digital marketing environment for student recruitment Educational institutions need to decide which department in charged of digital marketing strategies In addition, internal marketing resources and outsourcing can be combined Outsourcing a digital marketing agency is suitable for interacting with prospective students through phone calls, enrolling international students, and market research for instant contacting students who register but not enroll, or survey for brand identity, brand health and policies tuition, etc The internal marketing team is appropriate for managing and implementing data-related activities, monitoring communication and recruitment advice, solutions to manage customer relationship Admissions and online interaction with learners such as approaching students to collect information for the first time or coding learners’ needs of enrollment, evaluation of enrollment or matriculation Educational institutions should focus on improving their professional skills for internal digital marketing teams and balancing internal capabilities with outsourced agencies, thereby save marketing costs and reduce the role of outsourced agencies 5.2.3 Changing KPI of digital marketing for student recruitment Digital marketing activities for student recruitment should not be measured by virtual indicators but the number of enrolments, potential 22 customers (Leads), conversion rate of learners Besides, "click indicator" should be changed by "thumbstopping" or "Dwell - stop time" to measure article content performance These indicators should be reviewed regularly and adjusted 5.3 Limitation of the study Scope of research; Subjects of the survey can be expanded: training programs, different segments; the customer segments of the educational institutions can be expanded; the sudy still opens up the post-enrolling behaviour that can be addressed by the future research CONCLUSION In theory, the study has proposed the concept of digital education marketing as "the use of digital platforms by educational institutions to establish an integrated, targeted, measurable interactive channels, aiming to attract and retain customers through which build and develop sustainable customer relationships” The research has successfully built and tested TIAMC model to measure the impact of digital marketing for learner recruitment and TOEIF model to identify determinants of digital marketing adoption in educational institutions Thereby, a comprehensive framework (DMA) has been integrated and set up from both perspective of learners and institutions In practice, digital marketing activities for student recruitment of educational institutions in the world were analyzed, then some lessons for Vietnamese educational institutions were drawn The thesis has measured the impact of digital marketing attributes including 05 factors, of which perceived usefulness, digital-based 23 information quality, source credibility have the strongest influence on student recruitment Furthermore, the findings points out that potential learners tend to register for admission when they find more useful information and interesting experiences on social media than on the website 06 determinants of digital marketing adoption for student recruitment at educational institutions were identified and successfully verified, of which the most important is internal resources The difference between educational institutions in outsourcing digital marketing activities as well as trade partner support was also recognized Qualitative research explored the views of certain risks such as business licenses and database It can be said that this study provides many useful information for stakeholders, especially proposals to all level management of educational institutions to improve the effectiveness of digital marketing to attract learners and enhance education marketing adoption for student recruitment in the context of education 4.0 and the pressure of higher education autonomy Finally, the above theoretical and practical contributions are entirely relevant to education sector in general and higher education in particular, as well as a number of other research areas about consumer behavior, buying behaviour and e-commerce./ PUBLISHED PAPER AND JOURNAL ARTICLES OF AUTHORSHIP Determinants of digital marketing adoption in Vietnam educational institutions (2019), External Economics Review, No 116, 4/2019, ISSN 1859 – 4050 Some solutions for applying digital marketing tools at educational institutions (2019), Vietnam Trade and Industry Review, Issue 3, 2019, ISSN: 0866-7756 The implementation of online marketing tools at higher education institutions in some developed countries (2018), Vietnam Trade and Industry Review, Issue 16, ISSN: 0866-7756 The impact of social networking on media crisis management by Vietnamese joint stock commercial banks (2017), Vietnam Trade and Industry Review, Issue 13, 2017, ISSN: 0866-7756 Adoption of digital marketing in U.S universities and implications for higher education institutions in Vietnam (2017), Conference of Foreign Trade University 2017, ISBN: 978-604-73-5139-8 Impacts of social media marketing on brand loyalty (2018), Conference of Foreign Trade University 2018, ISBN: 978-604-736008-6 Integration of Cloud computing and logistics services providers of Vietnam (2018), Conference of Foreign Trade University 2018, ISBN: 978-604-73-5525-9 E-export: Opportunities and Threats (2018), Vietnam Logistics Review, Issue 131, ISSN: 2354-0796 E-hailing application (2016), Vietnam Logistics Review, Issue 99100, ISSN: 2354-0796 ... applying digital marketing in educational institutions in Vietnam to attract potential learners 8 - Proposing some recommendations to enhance the adoption of digital marketing to attract potential... Vietnamese universities" (Bui Thanh Thuy, 2012) or "Higher education marketing tools of local universities in Vietnam" (Le Quang Hieu, 2015), and "Application of educational marketing in Vietnamese... focus on the unsolved question of the attributes that attract potential learners of digital marketing Secondly, the research question on impacts of digital marketing in student recruitment from