Designing a marketing strategy with a consumer behavior approach at STIDKI Ar Rahmah Surabaya

Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Dakwah dan Komunikasi Islam (STIDKI) Ar Rahmah Surabaya has experienced a significant decrease in the number of participants in the test stage in new student admissions since 2015, so this has caused losses because the opportunity to get qualified prospective students is getting smaller, while the costs incurred are not small. This research seeks to find solutions in order to maintain the number of applicants or increase the number of PMB test participants by designing effective marketing strategies with a consumer behavior approach. The research was conducted using a qualitative method, by interviewing applicants who did not take the test and students to obtain primary data and analyzing new student admission documents as a secondary data source. From the data obtained, focus group discussions were conducted with members of STIDKI management who were directly involved in new student admissions, and the results were that STIDKI Ar Rahmah would focus on various efforts to (1) become a favorite campus for Al-Quran memorizers, (2) increase the role of lecturers in institutional cooperation and utilize Al-Quran lecturers who have international qualifications, (3) involve students in marketing to schools, especially their home schools, and (4) apply registration fees during new student admissions.