THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING AND INFLUENCER MARKETING ON NEW STUDENT REGISTRATION DECISIONS WITH BRAND AWARENESS AS A MEDIATING VARIABLE AT UNIVERSITAS BUMI PERSADA LHOKSEUMAWE
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2026-09-23Downloads
Abstract
This study aims to analyze the influence of social media marketing and influencer marketing on new student registration decisions, with brand awareness as a mediating variable at Universitas Bumi Persada Lhokseumawe. The study used a quantitative survey approach. The population consisted of 400 new students of the 2025–2026 academic year, and 162 respondents were selected using proportionate stratified random sampling. Data were collected using a five-point Likert questionnaire and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4. The results show that social media marketing has a positive and significant effect on brand awareness (β = 0.404; t = 4.537; p < 0.001), while influencer marketing also has a positive and significant effect on brand awareness (β = 0.494; t = 5.430; p < 0.001). Brand awareness significantly affects new student registration decisions (β = 0.527; t = 5.394; p < 0.001). Social media marketing (β = 0.195; t = 2.182; p = 0.029) and influencer marketing (β = 0.182; t = 2.149; p = 0.032) also have significant direct effects on registration decisions. Furthermore, brand awareness partially mediates the effects of social media marketing (indirect β = 0.213; t = 3.352; p = 0.001) and influencer marketing (indirect β = 0.260; t = 3.864; p < 0.001) on registration decisions. The R² values are 0.742 for brand awareness and 0.737 for registration decisions, indicating substantial explanatory power.
Keywords:
Social Media Marketing Influencer Marketing Brand Awareness New Student Registration Decision Higher Education.References
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