Are Websites More Important for Mid Majors?

Websites and Digital Community are equally valuable for everyone, right? I mean isn't that the common perception? Everyone can equally benefit from having a solid presence online. I believe it's actually only half the story. While everyone can benefit, the real gains come from the smaller programs.

I came across the Tweet below, from Darren Rovell. Richmond Athletics had seen a traffic spike of 32%... and their Admissions site had an increase of 48% due to the athletics program making the spotlight that is the NCAA Tournament...

So let's go deeper.

Using the website Alexa, I dove a little deeper into the monthly traffic for this year's Final 4 teams.

First up, VCU. (Who would have seen this?) Web traffic to VCU Athletics.com is up 210% this month and 170% over the past 3 months. Wow.

Next, Butler. I couldn't find Butler Sports.com numbers so I pulled the Butler.edu up... 60% increase this month, 21% over 3 months.

Up next Kentucky (UKAthletics.com). Traffic this month is up 45% while the 3 year number is down 9%...

Finally, U Conn (UConnHuskies.com). These numbers are up 3% for the past month and 38% over 3 months.

Take that in for a minute...

The two big schools (UConn and Kentucky) had 1 month increases of 3% and 45% while the two mid-majors (Butler and VCU) had 1 month increases of 60% and 210%.

Feels like a big gap. A really big gap. And it makes sense.

There's an element of surprise and a frenzy of excitement when a mid-major school makes it that doesn't accompany a big guy. And they need to be able to seize that emotion. VCU responded in a big way after the incredible game today (shown below or here)...

Which no doubt will make an impact on an exponentially large number of individuals -- relative to other times of year. When a big moment happens, a spike in energy (and traffic) follows. Smaller programs don't have a sustained level of traffic to count on -- meaning to hit that window of time is so much more critical in a smaller program. And having a digital and social media strategy to do just that can pay huge dividends both in their athletics program and in the traffic to the academics site.

That's it for now -- Enjoy the Final 4!

Andy