In higher education institutions, a website serves as the digital front door, a critical touchpoint for prospective students, faculty, and the general public. However, many universities and colleges face challenges when managing this pivotal asset, often due to a disconnect between their IT and marketing teams. This gap in communication and collaboration leads to a website that may be technically sound but lacks branding cohesion, user experience optimization, or effective communication.

So, what causes this divide, and how can it be addressed? Let’s explore the underlying issues and solutions for bridging the gap, ensuring a functional, brand-consistent, and user-friendly website.

The Disconnect

1. Differing Priorities and Expertise The marketing team’s primary focus is branding, user engagement, and creating compelling content that attracts and retains prospective students. On the other hand, the IT department emphasizes website infrastructure, security, and performance. These priorities, while equally important, often lead to divergent opinions about the website’s overall vision and strategy.
2. Siloed Organizational Structures In many institutions, IT and marketing departments operate in silos, with minimal overlap in their daily activities. This separation leads to limited understanding of each other’s goals, challenges, and expectations. Without clear communication channels, it’s easy for projects like a website redesign or update to become disjointed, lacking a unified strategy.
3. Lack of Shared Vision Both teams may have different interpretations of the university’s vision. Marketing might push for a bold, innovative website to attract younger audiences, while IT may prioritize a stable, secure platform. Without alignment on what the website should achieve, it’s difficult to create a cohesive, effective digital presence.

Improving Communication and Collaboration

To overcome these barriers, higher education institutions must foster better communication, collaboration, and cohesiveness between their IT and marketing teams. Here’s how:

1. Establishing a Cross-Functional Web Governance Team – Creating a dedicated web governance team is an ideal first step. This team should include representatives from both IT and marketing, as well as key stakeholders like admissions, student services, and communications. The goal is to ensure that all departments have a voice and a shared responsibility in shaping the website’s strategy. Regular meetings will help keep communication flowing and provide a forum for discussing challenges and solutions in real time.
2. Define Clear Roles and Responsibilities – A common point of friction is when roles and responsibilities are unclear, leading to overlaps or gaps in tasks. Clearly define what each team is responsible for:
   • IT Team: Website infrastructure, security, and technical support
   • Marketing Team: Branding, content creation, user experience, and messaging. This structure helps ensure that each team can focus on their strengths while working together toward shared goals
3. Develop a Unified Website Vision Both IT and marketing teams must be aligned on the website’s purpose and objectives. This unified vision should reflect the institution’s brand identity, mission, and user needs. Bringing both teams into the strategic planning process from the start ensures that technical and creative perspectives are considered equally. Developing this vision together can help mitigate future conflicts and build a sense of ownership across departments.
4. Adopt Agile Project Management Implementing agile project management methods can improve collaboration by fostering continuous feedback and iterative development. Rather than tackling a website project in isolated phases, where IT and marketing might only communicate at specific checkpoints, agile encourages more frequent communication and collaboration. Teams can work in short sprints, allowing for ongoing adjustments based on input from both sides.
5. Invest in Communication Tools Using project management tools can facilitate better communication between departments. These platforms make it easier for teams to track progress, flag issues, and collaborate in real time, reducing the likelihood of misunderstandings or delays.

Building a Cohesive and Functional Website

Once the collaboration and communication structure is established, the focus shifts to creating a website that reflects both the technical robustness expected by IT and the branding and user experience goals of marketing. Here are a few key elements to focus on:

1. User-Centered Design The website should be designed with the user in mind, particularly prospective students. Marketing can take the lead on defining user personas, while IT ensures that the design is feasible within the technical infrastructure. Both teams should collaborate to ensure the website is easy to navigate, mobile-friendly, and accessible.
2. Content Management Systems (CMS) That Work for Both Teams Selecting a CMS that is both user-friendly for marketing and flexible for IT is essential. Platforms like WordPress or Drupal are commonly used in higher education because they offer customization options for IT while giving marketing teams the ability to quickly update content without technical expertise.
3. Analytics and Continuous Improvement Both teams should have access to website analytics, enabling them to track performance and user behavior. This data can inform ongoing updates, ensuring that the website remains responsive to both user needs and institutional goals. Regular check-ins between IT and marketing to review performance metrics will help maintain alignment and address any emerging issues.

It is crucial for higher education institutions to build websites that are functional, secure, and brand-cohesive. By fostering a culture of collaboration, establishing a shared vision, and implementing effective communication tools, institutions can create a digital presence that serves both their internal and external audiences effectively. Ultimately, the website should reflect the university’s mission, attract prospective students, and provide a seamless experience for all users. We have assisted our clients in conducting comprehensive audits and assessments of their web ecosystem, focusing on the crucial interplay between people, processes, and technology. By thoroughly evaluating these areas, we help institutions identify inefficiencies and opportunities for improvement, enabling them to optimize their limited resources. Our approach ensures that both IT and marketing teams work in alignment, fostering collaboration that enhances overall website functionality and branding. This holistic strategy results in a win-win scenario, where teams can leverage technology effectively while streamlining workflows and creating a cohesive, engaging digital experience for users.

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