Being a digital manager responsible for a variety of channels can be one of the most exciting and fascinating jobs around, but it also has its challenges. The digital footprint of most organisations is complex with a lot of moving parts. Having true digital rockstars in your team can make all the difference. Here at Sitemorse we tend to find digital rockstars are those individuals who are very results-focused, are prepared to roll their sleeves up and get things done, but also remain highly tuned and empathetic to the needs of users. 

The Universities sector has a number of specific challenges that require particular attention. Universities and colleges need digital rockstars on the team to help navigate compliance challenges, commercial pressures and operational hurdles. Here’s our view of seven of the key challenges for managing a digital footprint in the sector.  

1. Websites must be accessible

   Along with other public sector bodies, universities are now required to conform to the AA level of the WCAG 2.1 accessibility rules. But there is a long way to go. Our quarterly INDEX based on automated assessment of sector-specific websites shows that only 1.3% of pages pass the AA accessibility level. But there are some strong performers; the University of Derby is one of two universities scoring more than 7 out of 10 for its accessibility. The top scoring site has scored 9/10 for accessibility for the last two quarters.  

   Robert Fowles, Digital Marketing Manager, University of Derby comments “Making sure that our digital content is accessible to everyone is a very important part of our role, and an area which we want to be leading the way with. That being said while retrospectively making content accessible is relatively straightforward, the real challenge is around retraining users so that creating accessible content becomes the new normal – this has to be an embedded activity, not an add-on that can be forgotten.”

   As well as a legal duty, universities also have a moral duty to ensure pages can be accessed by those with disabilities, matching commitments to diversity and inclusion that help to ensure education is open to all.

2. There can be limited budgets and resourcing issues

   Some central web and digital teams can be small and under-resourced but are still required to manage a complex environment. When there is a small central team on a limited budget it can be hard to deliver everything required of you, particularly when stakeholders have high expectations but don’t necessarily appreciate what it takes to deliver great digital experiences. 

   In truth, some larger universities have large marketing budgets where this is simply not an issue; however, we’ve also seen how some digital rockstars are able to deliver consistently great results on a shoestring budget, sometimes better than higher-funded teams on the other side of town.

3. There is a ton of pressure on universities to be very competitive

   The pressure on universities to compete for students has never been greater with considerable effort put into attracting students. For example, international students can prove to be a lucrative source of funding for universities. Websites, social media and apps are required to do some of the heavy lifting to attract students and reflect not only the academic records of the institution, but also what the whole university “experience” will be like. Digital channels need to be attractive, informative and engaging.

4. Students are now highly demanding consumers

   Most students are a very discerning audience with high expectations; they are not easy to impress. Since tuition fees were introduced, universities are under far more scrutiny to provide value for money. Similarly, students now want a much higher standard of “experience” from their university life, with better accommodation, facilities and opportunities. This also extends to digital experiences – students want to be able to access digital services and content that tells them what they need to know, supports their academic life, is relevant and personalised, is fully optimised for mobile devices and looks good. It can take a team of digital rockstars to tick all these boxes!

5. Websites can be sprawling and decentralised

   Sometimes the digital presence of one university in practice can be a sprawling ecosystem of local sites representing different faculties, departments, colleges, affiliated institutions and more. Often local publishing teams who don’t necessarily have digital skills are in charge of these sites. 

   To maintain publishing standards and a consistency of experience across a decentralised site can be very difficult indeed and can impact the user experience. Your central pages may look amazing, but the obscure Department of X in the Faculty of Y pages may look awful. It takes true digital rockstars to be able to establish some governance and keep everybody improving.

6. Academics have strong opinions

   Of course, central digital teams at universities need to work with academics on content, pages and more. As a profession, academics tend to have strong opinions that they feel passionate about. They may also have longer tenure than the stakeholders you would encounter in a different sector. This tends to mean that there are going to be some academics that are going to be absolutely brilliant to work with, and some who are going to be considerably more difficult. Dissenting and stubborn academic stakeholders who are not easily swayed can prove to be an “interesting” part of working in the sector!

7. Users are on the go and also gone

   Students and to a lesser degree academics are generally on the go during the working day. This means they can be more challenging to reach digitally, with the mobile experience particularly important. Another challenge is that most students only spend three years at university so the user base changes dramatically each year, presenting a number of unique challenges to those digital teams who also need to deliver digital services and content to support students through their life at university.

Saluting digital rockstars

If you’re in the digital team at a university and you’re navigating some of these challenges , then you’re probably a digital rockstar. Well done! However, even the best web teams will need a little help, perhaps using automation, independent benchmarking and more. If so, why not explore how Sitemorse can help you?