Abstract

As higher education continues to face declining enrollment and financial pressures from decreased funding, colleges and universities must find innovative ways to differentiate themselves from competing institutions through niche marketing initiatives in an effort to continue meeting the needs and wants of the shifting population of students. Niche marketing is a strategy that can be used in continuing higher education. This qualitative, phenomenological study developed existing research and addressed a gap in the literature as it relates to niche marketing in higher education. The research objective of this study was to illustrate the perceived value of niche marketing in light of the shifting trends in marketing, the increased competition colleges and universities face, and the need to isolate the uniqueness of a university. This study further identified individuals who lead marketing efforts, exploring their perspectives on niche marketing initiatives at their respective institutions and the perceived effectiveness of such initiatives on increasing student enrollment.

摘要

随着高等教育继续面临入学率下降和资金减少带来的财务压力，学院和大学必须找到创新的方法，通过利基营销计划将自己与竞争机构区分开来，以努力继续满足不断变化的学生群体的需求和愿望。利基营销是一种可用于继续高等教育的策略。这项定性的现象学研究发展了现有研究，并解决了与高等教育利基市场营销相关的文献中的空白。本研究的研究目的是根据市场营销趋势的变化、高校面临的日益激烈的竞争以及隔离大学独特性的需要来说明利基市场营销的感知价值。