Measuring University Brand Strategy Alignment in the Social Media Era: Developing and Validating a Social Media–Brand Strategy Fit Scale

Abstract

Objective: To develop and validate a Social Media Practices (SMP) scale for measuring Social Media–Brand Strategy Fit in higher education institutions (HEIs), which provides a psychometrically validated instrument needed to assess strategic alignment between the brand goals of the institution and its digital execution.

Approach/Methodology/Design: A mixed-methods scale development procedure that integrated deductive item generation, expert review and pilot testing. Quantitative validation used a survey of 300 key informants from 10 public universities in Azerbaijan. Subsequently, data were analyzed with Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM).

Findings: SMP is validated as a formative second order construct, with five reflective dimensions. The sequential mediation pathway (SMP → Engagement Quality → Brand Credibility → Brand Trust→CBBE) was significant. The relationship between SMP and engagement was moderated by ICT infrastructure, the Trust–CBBE link was moderated by geographic location.

Conclusions: The validated SMP scale serves as a diagnostic tool for university brand audits and underscores the salient role of infrastructure in emerging-market branding. The implications for the Azerbaijan 2030 strategy are considered.