Instagram as Part of SMM Innovation in Educational Institutions

Abstract

The use of Instagram as a social media marketing tool in educational institutions is gaining more and more attention. This article explores the relationship between school size and a school's Instagram presence, activity, and engagement. Specifically, the investigation focuses on answering the question of whether larger schools are more likely to have an Instagram account, post more frequently, and generate higher levels of interaction. The paper examines the role of Instagram in social media marketing within educational institutions, focusing on the relationship between school size and a school's presence, activity and engagement on Instagram. The research addresses three main hypotheses. Namely, that schools that have higher pupil numbers are more likely to have an Instagram account, schools with higher pupil numbers are more likely to post on Instagram, and schools with higher pupil numbers experience higher overall interaction (in the form of likes and comments) on their Instagram posts. An empirical quantitative research method was used. Statistical validation was carried out using Pearson's correlation coefficient and data from 444 schools were analysed. The results confirmed significant correlations between the number of pupils and the likelihood of having an Instagram account, frequency of posts and overall interaction. The paper further explores the effect of post frequency on follower numbers, finding a relationship that the more posts the higher the engagement, this does not necessarily lead to higher follower numbers. In addition, the study examines the link between the number of followers and the number of posts published by Reels, revealing a correlation. This suggests that a larger number of followers predicts a larger number of posts by Reels. Nevertheless, this highlights the need for a balanced content strategy.  The above findings provide important insights into effective social media marketing strategies for educational institutions. The value of this study lies in its practical implications for school administrators and marketing professionals aiming to strengthen their institution's social media presence. The study concludes by highlighting the key role of Instagram in educational marketing and offering evidence-based recommendations for optimizing social media strategies to achieve better engagement and visibility.