University integrations are becoming increasingly common as institutions respond to financial pressures, shifting demographics and the evolving demands of higher education.
Navigating this process is highly complex, involving more than just structural or financial dimensions—from accreditation and academic alignment to student services, governance and, critically, marketing and communications.
In this multifaceted environment, a well-defined digital strategy is essential to success. It enables the seamless systems integration, supports consistent and transparent communication, and ensures continuity in the student and faculty experience. Ultimately, digital tools and infrastructure are not just support mechanisms but central to driving successful and sustainable integration.
Here are our top five insights for developing an effective digital strategy during a multicampus university integration.
Lead with Purpose Through an Agile Digital Strategy
When our institution integrated, it began with a clear purpose: to connect students with an education that puts their goals within reach. While that purpose guided us from the start, expressing it fully through our digital presence took time.
Early efforts focused on launching a functioning institution and providing access to essential systems, services and information. We often had to make branding decisions quickly, in real time, without the benefit of hindsight. We weren’t simply marketing a new university but shaping its identity as we lived it.
That required a highly agile digital strategy. We made continuous adjustments, refining tone of voice, visual language, homepage content and campaign messaging based on what we learned about ourselves and how audiences responded. It was an iterative process that evolved alongside our institutional identity.
As patterns emerged, our brand values began to influence not just what we said but how and where we said it. Our digital voice became clearer, shaped by the purpose we had set at the beginning.
Purpose isn’t a one-time statement; it’s a compass. During an integration, it is the most reliable tool for aligning people, priorities and platforms.
Use Digital Storytelling to Build Community
Digital storytelling was an essential strategy for building community across multiple campuses.
Weekly digital newsletters, web content, podcasts and social media allowed us to communicate our purpose and impact, facilitating connection. These digital channels engaged students, alumni and partners to create a unified sense of belonging. These community voices helped shape a collective narrative that reflected a unified university experience.
We maintained campus-specific social channels to preserve local engagement while launching university-branded accounts to spotlight university-wide initiatives and reach prospective students. User-generated content added authenticity and strengthened community bonds.
We transitioned our alumni magazines online, allowing us to highlight both university-wide stories and campus-specific articles to ensure legacy relevance.
Digital storytelling helped us humanize integration and build a more connected university community by amplifying our community members’ voices and celebrating shared success.
Let Data Drive Strategy
One of the most significant transformations during our integration wasn’t just visual or structural but strategic. We shifted from relying on surface-level metrics to a more comprehensive, mission-aligned view of performance.
Aligning our data systems took time. We had to connect insights across platforms, teams and objectives. Today, those connections allow us to operate more efficiently. Rather than spending more, we spend smarter, with guidance from analytics that reflects user behavior.
We track student engagement across the whole journey, from initial ad impressions to site engagement, inquiry forms, application starts and ultimately enrollment. This integration connects web analytics, advertising performance, CRM data and social media insights into a single, actionable view.
This data-driven approach has sharpened our messaging and optimized our media spend. We allocate resources to the channels and audiences that convert and take them away from those that don’t.
Aligning metrics with mission is beneficial for institutions in transition. It’s transformative. When data informs strategy and that data reflects your core purpose, efficiency becomes an inherent advantage.
Prioritize a Unified Website Early
If we could go back and do something differently, we would have moved to a single unified website earlier in the integration process. While much of the content depended on factors such as accreditation requirements, program offerings, tuition and fees and organizational structure, having a unified site sooner would have better supported the process.
During integration, uncertainty was common among students, faculty and staff. After we launched our new website, it served as the central source of information, helping reinforce our new brand identity and messaging.
A single website would reduce the frustration of internal and external stakeholders, including prospective and current students, who are looking for accurate and updated information. Having a single site would also ensure minimal disruption to the enrollment funnel or impact on recruitment and retention efforts.
From an operational standpoint, consolidating websites reduced the time and cost of maintaining multiple platforms. It also enabled our communication and web teams to focus on optimizing one site rather than spreading resources across many.
We recommend that web and IT teams participate in the early planning process to allocate time and resources more effectively, paving the way for a smooth and successful transition from multiple websites to one.
Stay Flexible and Adaptive
University integration is rarely linear, and waiting for perfect conditions can slow progress. Lead purposefully, adapt as you learn and trust your strategy to evolve. Whether in branding, storytelling or analytics, agility turns uncertainty into opportunity and keeps your institution aligned, responsive and resilient.
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