CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1 Introduction

This chapter presents the research methodology adopted for the investigation of the effect of

digital marketing strategies on customer satisfaction at Wisconsin International University

College, Ghana. The chapter establishes the philosophical basis through the positivist paradigm,

which assumes that reality is measurable and quantifiable. The nature of the research design is

explanatory, coupled with a cross-sectional approach, which suits the investigation of the causal

relationship between variables. This study will adopt a quantitative approach in collecting

primary data from Wisconsin University stakeholders through the use of structured

questionnaires targeting prospective students, current students, alumni, and parents. This chapter

outlines discussions on the target population, methods of sampling, determination of sample size,

instruments of data collection, and methods of data analysis in order to afford the study

methodological strength and replicability. Informed consent, confidentiality, and participants'

rights are also discussed in the chapter for purposes of ensuring the integrity of this research and

the protection of participants' well-being.

3.3 Research Design

This study employs an explanatory study design, which is most appropriate to evaluate cause-

and-effect relationships between variables and hypothesis testing based on theory (Saunders et al.

2009). Explanatory design is best suited for the study because it aims at empirically testing the

effect of digital marketing strategies-social media marketing, content marketing, and email

marketing-on customer satisfaction, and how these strategies independently influence levels of

satisfaction. The research also employs a cross-sectional design in that data is collected at one
point in time from a population of Wisconsin University stakeholders in an effort to capture the

then-existing state of the relationships between the study variables.

Explanatory cross-sectional design is applied because it can establish a single-point cause-and-

effect relationship with the inclusion of statistical hypothesis testing and theoretical model

testing. The design is ideal in cases where research is meant to explain the patterns and

mechanisms but not necessarily account for organizational phenomena over time (Bell et al.,

2022). The researcher can, through cross-sectional design, collect stakeholder views on digital

marketing strategies and customer satisfaction for use in drawing strategic recommendations for

institutional decision-making.

This design concurs with the research questions of the study because it permits structured

investigation of whether and how social media marketing, content marketing, and email

marketing influence customer satisfaction. An explanatory design enables the formulation and

testing of statement hypotheses and offers more than descriptive facts in establishing the

relationships of causes. The quantitative data analysis in the study, using data procured through

the application of systematic questionnaires, is able to measure variations in customer

satisfaction outcomes owing to digital marketing strategies, hence satisfying the description of

the research goal.

3.4 Research Approach

This study is quantitative in research methodology; it involves the acquisition and examination

of quantitative data in a structured fashion, with an effort to measure the relationship between

variables quantitatively and test hypotheses. Quantitative research fits this study because one can

measure the effect of digital marketing strategies on customer satisfaction with accuracy. The use
of quantitative research instruments, such as structured questionnaires and statistical tests, shall

allow the research to establish patterns, test hypothetical relationships, and provide findings that

can be generalized to the population of Ghanaian university stakeholders as a whole (Creswell,

2014).

Quantitative method ensures reliability, replicability, and precision in the measurement of study

variables' relationships. The method aligns with the research questions to quantify the direct

impact that social media marketing, content marketing, and email marketing have on customer

satisfaction and determine the statistical significance of these relationships. The research

questions aim to find out about quantifiable empirical facts that are amenable to statistical testing

regarding causality and effect sizes. The quantitative focus will enable the study to take

advantage of sophisticated analytical methods, such as multiple regression and correlation

analysis, in measuring the strength and statistical significance of the relationships between

variables (Hair et al., 2021).

3.5 Population and Sampling

3.5.1 Target Population

The target population in this study includes prospective students, currently enrolled students,

alumni, and parents who are stakeholders of Wisconsin International University College, Ghana.

These stakeholder groups have been selected as the target population because they are the

immediate customers of university education services and represent the group of individuals that

will be most affected by the institution's digital marketing activities. In light of the fact that the

present study has been conducted to explore digital marketing strategies and their implications

for customer satisfaction, stakeholders who possess firsthand experience of the university's social
media presence, content marketing efforts, and email communications are optimally positioned

to provide suitable responses. Wisconsin University operates within a competitive higher

education environment in which digital marketing and customer satisfaction are increasingly

significant for institutional success, and the study hence provides a good context within which to

investigate the research questions.

3.5.2 Sampling Technique

The research adopted non-probability sampling, and purposive sampling was employed in the

selection of the respondents who could provide meaningful and relevant information for research

(Etikan et al., 2016). In this regard, purposive sampling allows the researcher to purposely select

the stakeholders with adequate exposure to the digital marketing strategies of Wisconsin

University on social media platforms, content channels, and email communications. This is a

proper practice, considering that not all stakeholders may have an equal depth of exposure or

sensitization on the digital marketing programs of the university. For instance, the selection

criteria limit the stakeholders who have been selected with enough exposure to at least two of the

three digital marketing strategies under investigation. These are social media marketing, content

marketing, or email marketing.

Although probability sampling would be preferred most of the time for generalisability, in this

study, purposive sampling is applied to gather quality data and relevancy by gaining access to

informed participants who can provide valuable information about digital marketing

effectiveness and customer satisfaction. Purposive sampling provides the researcher with an

opportunity to include those individuals who would be capable of giving informed opinions

concerning customer satisfaction due to digital marketing strategies and their own experiences

with the university. Being economically and practically viable is particularly important when
time and accessibility constraints render random sampling impossible. According to Saunders et

al. (2009), purposive sampling should be resorted to when research aims to obtain information

from knowledgeable respondents with an assurance that gathered data are valid and correspond

to research objectives.

3.5.3 Sample Size

The sample size in this research follows the recommendation by Hair et al. (2021), who suggest

that a minimum of 150 participants should be used when sufficient statistical power is to be

achieved in quantitative studies where techniques for multivariate analysis are employed. Three

hundred (300) stakeholders of Wisconsin University constitute the sample that will provide

adequate statistical power for the regression and correlation analyses to be applied to test the

relationships postulated between digital marketing strategies and customer satisfaction. This

number constitutes a larger sample size than the minimum while it maximizes the reliability of

results and minimizes the level of sampling error.

The sample size of 150 is statistically significant, considering the large stakeholder base that

Wisconsin University has, and ensures a good representation across the different categories

targeted in this study: prospective students, current students, alumni, and parents. The statistical

power will, therefore, be sufficient to detect relationships that are existent between the variables

and support the use of complex analytical techniques like multiple regression analysis and

correlation testing. The sample size balances practicality with the statistical requirements in such

a way that the research will be in a position to come up with reliable and generalizable findings

while remaining reasonable with regard to the processes of data collection and analysis.

3.6 Data Collection Methods

The study relies on primary sources of data in the collection of firsthand information from

Wisconsin University stakeholders on their experiences with digital marketing strategies and

perceptions of customer satisfaction. The basis of collecting primary data in this research relies

on the fact that one gets to collect recent, accurate, and pertinent data responding to hypotheses

and questions being put forward in the study by Creswell (2014). Through the collection of data

from actual stakeholders who are exposed to such digital marketing practices, the study can

attain real and raw data on how they perceive and experience things, which are crucial in

establishing the interaction of the study variables.

3.6.2 Instruments Used

The primary data collection instrument is a specially prepared formal questionnaire. A

questionnaire is appropriate for quantitative research as it facilitates systematic collection of data

from large groups of respondents in an organized manner. The scale consists of closed-ended

questions with Likert-type scores ranging from "strongly disagree" to "strongly agree" and

measurement of stakeholders' experiences and attitudes makes the data amenable to statistical

analysis. Standardized format ensures consistent response and hypotheses become testable since

there is quantifiable data on all the variables under study.

The questionnaire was selected because it is cost-effective, efficient, and can be utilized to

investigate correlations between several variables simultaneously. The questionnaire was

developed from available items in the literature on social media marketing, content marketing,

email marketing, and customer satisfaction to ensure content validity and reliability. The survey

is available in electronic and paper form as a means of making it more accessible to different
groups of stakeholders and accommodating different preferences. This format also guarantees

confidentiality and protection of anonymity, which encourages genuine and unbiased opinions

from respondents.

3.6.3 Instrument Description

The survey questionnaire has been designed with five broad sections that allow the collection of

relevant data in a systematic way. The first section collects demographic data like age, gender,

education level, stakeholder category (prospective student, current student, alumnus/alumna, or

parent), and duration of interaction with Wisconsin University. The remaining four sections

cover the study variables: social media marketing, content marketing, email marketing, and

customer satisfaction. All variables were measured as a number of items rated on a five-point

Likert scale ranging from "strongly disagree" (1) to "strongly agree" (5). All the scales were

adapted from earlier validated instruments used earlier to preserve the content validity and

reliability of the measures (Hair et al., 2021).

The social media marketing measures tap perceptions of the quality of platform engagement,

relevance of content, interaction frequency, responsiveness, and community building on

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube. The content marketing measures tap

perceptions of the quality of the content, relevance, consistency, usefulness, and engagement of

the blog posts, videos, webinars, newsletters, and success stories. E-mail marketing measures tap

perceptions of the personalization of email, relevance of content, communication frequency,

timeliness, and usefulness. Customer satisfaction measures tap overall satisfaction with

university communications, perceived service quality, expectation fulfillment, and loyalty

intentions. The structure of this questionnaire is convenient for quantitative analysis and allows
an in-depth scrutiny of relationships between variables, along with a guarantee of consistency

and objectivity of measurement.

3.7 Data Analysis Techniques

Quantitative data from the current study will be analyzed quantitatively using descriptive and

inferential statistical analysis. Descriptive statistics comprising means, standard deviations,

frequencies, and percentages will be used to describe the demographic information of the

respondents and give an overview of the responses to the variables under study. Using inferential

statistics, multiple regression analysis and correlation analysis will be applied in testing

hypothesized associations between social media marketing, content marketing, email marketing,

and customer satisfaction. The analytical techniques are relevant for establishing the direction,

magnitude, and statistical significance of the relationships between the variables, controlling for

other variables in the model (Hair et al., 2021).

Statistical analysis will be performed using SPSS version 26.0. The justification for using SPSS

is that it is a very familiar and highly valid social science research package software that

comprises user-friendly interfaces, sound statistical competency, and capable of processing huge

datasets with high efficiency. SPSS is highly used in regression analysis, Cronbach's Alpha

reliability tests, correlation analysis, and other tests of statistical significance (Bell et al., 2022).

Using SPSS will ensure that computations are correctly computed and outputs interpreted

correctly; thus, the validity and reliability of the conclusions are ensured.

The methods of analysis are highly supported by their alignment with the explanatory research

strategy and the quantitative orientation of finding and measuring relationships between

variables. Multiple regression analysis is most appropriate, since besides identifying the direction
and magnitude of relationships, it measures each independent variable's relative contribution to

the dependent one. This will be complemented by correlation analysis, which studies the strength

and direction of bivariate relationships between digital marketing strategies and customer

satisfaction. These kinds of analysis procedures give strong empirical evidence for data-based

and theory-informed inferences on this study's research questions.

3.8 Ethical Considerations

This study is informed by the highest level of ethical standards in safeguarding participant

welfare, dignity, and rights in conducting this study. Ethical clearance will be sought from the

relevant institution's review board or ethics committee of Wisconsin International University

College before the collection of data. This clearance is formal confirmation that the research

design, methods, and tools conform to standard ethical standards of human subject research

(Saunders et al., 2009). The process of ethical clearance ensures that the participants are not

exposed to any harm and that the research is undertaken in good faith and honestly.

Informed consent will be secured before enrolling participants into the study. Respondents will

be informed in clear terms about the aim of the research, the role they will play, the voluntary

nature of participation, and participant rights. All participants will be asked for written or

electronic consent prior to completing the questionnaire as evidence that they agree and are

willing to participate. The assurance of anonymity and confidentiality will be ensured through

the collection of data without any identifiable information such as names, student ID numbers, or

direct personal contacts. Data collected will be stored securely and used for research purposes

alone, without risking its misapplication or unauthorized access by third parties (Bell et al.,

2022).
For that, the participants will be clearly told in words that they can withdraw from the study at

any time without penalty or adverse consequences. This right will be indicated on the informed

consent form and also mentioned at the beginning of the questionnaire. Providing them with such

freedom at any point in the research process considers the ethical principles of autonomy,

voluntary consent, and well-being of the participants, as maintained by Creswell (2014). In this

way, such full-scale ethical precautions will make sure that the research adheres to the highest

level of ethical research practice and rights of the participants during the inquiry.

3.9 Chapter Summary

Chapter three details the research strategy employed in the study on the impact of digital

marketing strategies on customer satisfaction at Wisconsin International University College,

Ghana. In this study, the positivist philosophy guides the investigation, which, as pointed out,

emphasizes objective measurement and hypothesis testing. Explanatory and cross-sectional

research design is used to give a quantitative treatment to the study of the causal relationships

that exist between variables through the utilization of structured questionnaires in data collection.

The target population consists of Wisconsin University stakeholders, such as prospective and

currently enrolled students, alumni, and parents who have experience with the institution's digital

marketing initiatives, sampled using purposive sampling procedures. A sample of 300

respondents is sufficiently large to allow reliable statistical inferences and to enable rigorous

multivariate analysis. Data were collected through the administration of a structured

questionnaire that includes Likert-scale measures and demographic and variable-specific

questions targeting social media marketing, content marketing, email marketing, and customer

satisfaction dimensions.
The data analysis will be done through the use of descriptive statistics and such inferential

techniques as multiple regression and correlation analysis using SPSS in testing variable

relationships. Ethical issues shall be strictly observed to protect the participants through

informed consent, ensuring confidentiality, and the right to voluntary participation. The research

design provides a good platform to resolve the stated research problems and test the hypotheses

with scientific objectivity and moral standards. The strategy ensures that whatever conclusion is

made will be accurate, valid, and fit for the purpose intended by providing evidence-based

recommendations on digital marketing strategies in Ghanaian higher education institutions.

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