PERAN CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT SEBAGAI MEDIATOR SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING DAN CONTENT MARKETING TERHADAP BRAND AWARENESS

Abstrak

Media sosial menjadi alat penting dalam strategi pemasaran digital, termasuk di sektor pendidikan seperti Telkom University Purwokerto. Studi ini menganalisis pengaruh social media marketing dan content marketing terhadap brand awareness dengan customer engagement sebagai mediator. Menggunakan pendekatan kuantitatif dan teknik purposive sampling, sebanyak 155 mahasiswa angkatan 2024 pengikut akun Instagram @smbtelkom.purwokerto dijadikan responden. Data dianalisis dengan Partial Least Squares (PLS) melalui SmartPLS 4. Hasil menunjukkan social media marketing mempunyai pengaruh signifikan terhadap brand awareness dan customer engagement. Sementara itu, content marketing hanya mempunyai pengaruh terhadap customer engagement. Customer engagement memediasi pengaruh content marketing terhadap brand awareness, namun tidak pada social media marketing. Berbeda dari studi sebelumnya yang dominan di sektor komersial, penelitian ini memberikan kontribusi dalam konteks pendidikan. Implikasinya adalah pentingnya optimalisasi konten dan interaksi digital. Keterbatasan penelitian ini terletak pada fokus platform Instagram dan jumlah responden, sehingga disarankan penelitian selanjutnya mencakup platform lain dan menambahkan variabel seperti brand trust atau e-WOM.

Social media is becoming an important tool in digital marketing strategies, including in the education sector such as Telkom University Purwokerto. This study analyzes the effect of social media marketing and content marketing on brand awareness with customer engagement as a mediator. Using a quantitative approach and purposive sampling technique, 155 students of class 2024 followers of the Instagram account @smbtelkom.purwokerto were used as respondents. The data were analyzed with Partial Least Squares (PLS) through SmartPLS 4. The results show that social media marketing has a significant influence on brand awareness and customer engagement. Meanwhile, content marketing only has an influence on customer engagement. Customer engagement mediates the effect of content marketing to brand awareness, but not social media marketing. Different from previous studies that are dominant in the commercial sector, this research contributes in the context of education. The implication is the importance of content optimization and digital interaction. The limitations of this study lie in the focus of the Instagram platform and the number of respondents, so it is recommended that future research include other platforms and add variables such as brand trust or e-WOM.