Studentpreneurs’ Usage of WhatsApp Status for Business Promotion: A Study of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Undergraduates

Abstract

WhatsApp has become an advertising channel for small and medium-sized enterprises, facilitating customer retention, word-of-mouth marketing, and informal commerce within digitally networked communities. This study investigates the usage of WhatsApp Status as a business promotion tool among undergraduate studentpreneurs at Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU). Studentpreneur is a combination of student and entrepreneur, which signifies a university student who has skillfully developed and manages a business or trade. This study, guided by the uses and gratifications theory, assesses how studentpreneurs utilise WhatsApp Status to promote their businesses, the types of promotional content shared, and the factors influencing their use of the platform. Employing a quantitative survey design, data were collected from a purposive sample of undergraduate students who are entrepreneurs in the university. A sample size of 391 was drawn from 16,905 population of undergraduates in COOU. Findings indicate that majority of COOU studentpreneurs actively use WhatsApp Status to share promotional content, including product images and videos, customer testimonials, reviews, discounts, behind-the-scenes clips, delivery updates, and giveaway campaigns. Recommendations include incorporating digital marketing training into the university’s entrepreneurship curriculum and providing institutional support for social media-based student businesses.