PROMOTION STRATEGIES FOR THE MARKETING OF EDUCATIONAL SERVICES.

PROMOTION STRATEGIES FOR THE MARKETING OF EDUCATIONAL SERVICES (A CASE STUDY OF (ESUT) ENUGU STATE UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY)
 
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1    BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The establishment of business including non-profit organization and educational service requires that the firm make key decision. This decision effects the total marketing programmes of the firm simply put the marketing strategy. However, one vital area of such decision which demand proper attention is the promotional strategies educational institution must initiate promotional policies and programmes to inform persuade, and educate it’s target audience of the existence of the organization and their services. Although creation of demand for a firms product services may be the ultimate objective.
The firms must put in place a set of activities aimed at stimulating demand for the services. This may involve determining the optimal combination of the promotional mix, advertising, sale promotion, personal selling, publicity, public relation, direct marketing and packaging to achieve its promotional objectives.  The optimal blend is a function of the promotional resources, nature of the product just to mention but a few.
Adirika, Ebue and Nnolim (1996:35) see promotion as the component used by the organization to inform, educate, and persuade the market regarding their companies offerings, advertising personal selling, sales promotion, publicity and public relation and the major variable of promotion.
Promotion is a vital ingredient of survival and development without adequate promotion, product may not sold where they sell, their continuality is not in doubt. The art and science of marketing promotion, which comprises of advertising personal selling sales promotion public relation and direct marketing is often associated with glamour and flamboyance.
Infact, most of the budget of some companies is spent on promotion because of the need to service in the competitive marketing environment (Oppo.J. (1972:201) confirm that the promotional tools to serve as supreme vehicle in competition and provide the only way a market researcher can hope to penetrate on established market.  He went further to state that for a company must value the importance of promotion, educational institution engages in promotional activities in order to increase patronage.
With the proliferation of educational institution in Enugu State, there is the need to appraise the promotional strategies used by the educational institution in facing competition in the industry which is becoming keener everyday.
Manufacturers and producers of good and service including tertiary are now aware that promotion does not only inform and persuade but can strive towards profit making through increased sales.  It is in this light of this importance attached to promotions these researcher seeks to look at promotional strategies the marketing of educational services with particular interest on ESUT operation in Enugu Metropolis.
1.2       STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Inadequate customers patronage are often given by entrepreneur as major cause of their failure.  A careful review of their circumstances often reveals abnormal ignorance of need for promotional skill or deliberate neglect of the necessary strategies. Quite often, marketers are very optimistic about sales (patronage) they conceive the wrong motion that their good will sell themselves forgetting that even the best product services still need to be stimulated in order to move out of the stores infact the creation of effective promotional strategies are on essential move towards creating a market.  The above statement applies equally to tertiary institution.  Despite the numerous advantages inherent in effective Dr-miro as a result of proliferations of educational institutions, and the battle to wine customer (students) there is need to take serious look at promotion as one of the survival strategies tools.  Most of the potential students are not aware of educational institution like tertiary institution.  This is as a result of many education al institution in the country and lack of coordinated promotional strategies. In this project the researcher will look at the promotional strategies in the marketing of educational service with particular interest on ESUT – Enugu.
1.3       OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The primary aim of the study is to evaluate the promotional activities in the marketing of educational service in ENugu metropolis with particular interest on ESUT.
1.  To determine the extent to which consumers were of educational in Enugu metropolis
2.  To evaluate the promotional activities in tertiary institution in Enugu metropolis in order to determine the viability
3.  To determine the impact of promotional strategies on consumers interest for educational services
4.  To fined out it promotional activities of educational institution lead to increase desire for their service.
5.  To determine the extent to which promotional activities educational services ahs achieved the institutions promotional objectives.
6.  To determine the impact of promotional activities of consumer (students) on the patronage of institution
7.  To examine the major set back on promotional activities of educational institution
8.  To make appropriate recommendations based on the findings of the study
1.4       RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Based on the problem and objective of this study, the following research question have been formulated.
1.  Does promotional activities of educational institutions lead to increase awareness of the institution to its consumers?
2.  Does promotional law affect negatively on promotional activities of educational services?
3.  Does promotional activity of educational institution lead to increase consumer (students) patronage?
4.  To what extent does promotional activities adopted by these institutions in Enugu metropolis?
1.5       SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY
Odo (1992) stated that significance of a study simply mean how the different users and readers of the project will view the study.  In the light of the above this study will be the great benefit to the operators of higher institution and most importantly (tertiary institutions) as the study will unveil some of the cost effective and efficient promotional game plan that could be adopted the boost or embrance the performance of their operations not only in Enugu metropolis but also within Nigeria.
Promotional consultant have been deprived of exellent performance in their operation because of scarcity and insufficient data and inadequate literature available in this research.  This study went successfully completed and adequately supervise will be a addition to the essential literature needed in promotion and vital areas of marketing communication.  Promotional practitioners and consultant will therefore use it extensively for reference. Above all this study will also be if beneficial to both the researcher and reader understanding in the areas, which could stir up further study.  Based on the pre-group it become indisputable that the need for this study is worthwhile.
1.6       SCOPE OF THE STUDY
This study concentrated on promotional activities of tertiary institution.  However, due to the researchers predisposition and many other limitations, which could not allow this, the scope of this study has been narrow down to ESUT in Enugu metropolis.