The Social Media Marketing Gap Between Public and Private Universities: Evidence from the Spanish Higher Education System

This study examines the use of social networks as a digital marketing and communication tool by Spanish higher education institutions, focusing on differences between public and private universities. Specifically, we have three objectives: (1) Identify differences between Public and Private university users with respect to how they use social media and how successful they have been using this platform; (2) Understand the relationship between the number of students enrolled at each university and how social network sites perform based upon the ownership of the institution (Public vs. Private); (3) Determine whether publication frequency is associated with social media performance differently in public and private institutions. To accomplish these objectives, a quantitative, descriptive-correlational approach was used to look at the entire population of Spanish universities (total n = 86; 58% Public, 42% Private). Data were collected from official university Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (X), and YouTube accounts for a continuous 13-week period, along with official statistics regarding the number of students enrolled in their respective institutions. Results show that public universities demonstrate stronger social media performance when absolute indicators are considered, including followers, publications, and user interactions across most platforms. However, when these indicators are adjusted for student population size, private universities consistently outperform public institutions. Therefore, private universities employ more effective social media strategies than public ones, particularly on Instagram. The research contributes to the literature by correcting for institutional size bias and offers practical implications for university managers seeking to optimize digital marketing strategies.