OPTIMIZING THE MARKETING MIX - AN ESSENTIAL ELEMENT IN DEVELOPING COMPETITIVE STRATEGIES IN THE FIELD OF HIGHER EDUCATION

The reason why marketing strategies were implemented in the field of academic activities, where intangible goods are being provided, was the similarity between these and the field of service provision. Higher education aims at preparing specialists in all fields of activity so as they can successfully meet the increasingly sophisticated labor and thus universities contribute significantly to the achievement of this desideratum and to the enrichment of knowledge in order to ensure social development. In this context, the present study emphasizes the 7 elements of the academic marketing mix by using a series of concrete examples. Given the fact that the main purpose of the implementation of the marketing strategies in the academic environment is that of facilitating the orientation of higher education institutions towards the market, after the elaboration of this paper, we have concluded that the academic marketing mix in higher education services is a concept which needs to be developed so as to ensure the academic success on a competitive market and to develop strategies to attract quality students, in this way higher education institutions being able to fulfill their mission to prepare specialists in all fields, thus providing education and contributing to the scientific development through their research.