Employing social media in building academic brands of the UAE’s universities: A comparative analysis

This paper studied the United Arab Emirates universities’ social media branding strategies based on an investigation of their performances on Twitter. Content analysis was conducted to examine universities’ tweet topics, image subjects, languages, and engagement features. The effectiveness of strategies is investigated by analyzing audience engagement metrics. We also compared social media strategies between private and public universities. Results indicated a discrepancy between universities’ branding efforts, audience preferences on social media, and different strategies between public and private universities. The study offered insights into how academic institutions can optimize the use of social media platforms in building their reputation amid intense competition locally and globally.