About the Episode
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About the Episode:
On this episode of Breaking Silos, I sat down with Joel Goodman, Principal and CEO of Bravery Media, to talk about how campuses can use their website and a website redesign to break down silos. Joel, a former higher ed marketer, has been helping colleges and universities rethink how they use their most significant marketing tool for over a decade with Bravery.
How can a project like a website redesign create natural synergies between departments looking to improve collaboration, and how can conversations about how we use our website and for whom break down silos and increase understanding?
Check our Bravery’s work at https://bravery.co/ and see how your institution's speed compares to the industry with Bravery’s tool, SpeedyU.
Key Takeaways
- Websites Are the Hub of Higher Ed Marketing: A university’s website is its most critical marketing tool, yet many fail to prioritize usability and conversion-focused design.
- Breaking Silos Drives Success: Cross-department collaboration—especially between marketing and IT—is essential to build effective and efficient web experiences.
- Usability Is Non-Negotiable: Speed, accessibility, and intuitive navigation are key drivers of student engagement and conversion rates.
- Engagement Starts with Listening: Including stakeholders early in the process fosters trust, reduces resistance, and uncovers valuable insights.
- Benchmark Your Progress: Tools like Speedy U from Bravery Media can help institutions assess website performance and identify areas for improvement.
Episode Summary
What’s Wrong with Higher Ed Websites?Joel Goodman argues that ego and institutional politics often derail higher ed website projects. Too many stakeholders impose their preferences on web teams, sidelining marketing experts and turning websites into unwieldy, ineffective tools. Institutions must refocus on the website's purpose—serving prospective students, donors, and alumni—not the desires of internal departments.
How Can Marketers Lead Cross-Functional Collaboration?Joel emphasizes the importance of proactive relationship-building. By engaging stakeholders from IT, academic departments, and student affairs early in the process, marketers can foster understanding and reduce resistance. Including input doesn’t mean relinquishing control; it’s about balancing respect with professional expertise.
For example, in one of Joel’s early roles, he worked to rebuild trust with a strained IT department, which smoothed operations and laid the groundwork for future collaboration. This same philosophy drives Bravery Media’s approach today.
Why Is Speed Crucial for Higher Ed Websites?Joel highlights the alarming impact of slow websites: if your site takes more than four seconds to load, you could lose half of your audience. In today’s competitive enrollment landscape, institutions can’t afford these inefficiencies. Bravery Media’s Speedy U tool ranks higher ed websites by speed and accessibility, encouraging institutions to prioritize these critical factors.
What’s the Most Important Aspect of a Higher Ed Website?Joel’s answer is clear: usability. Prospective students come to your website with specific questions: Do you offer my program? How much will it cost? Can I afford it? When these questions are buried under bloated design or unclear navigation, institutions miss conversion opportunities.
Lessons from Other Industries and InstitutionsWhile higher ed has unique challenges, Joel suggests drawing inspiration from institutions like Notre Dame and the simplicity of user-focused e-commerce practices. However, he warns against directly copying competitors’ websites without considering the unique needs of your audience.
Connect With Our Host:
Shane Baglini
About The Enrollify Podcast Network: Breaking Silos is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!
Some of our favorites include Visionary Voices: The College President’s Playbook and The Application with Allison Turcio.
Enrollify is produced by Element451 — the next-generation AI student engagement platform helping institutions create meaningful and personalized interactions with students. Learn more at element451.com.
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