Building a Digital Presence from Scratch
The Challenge
When ETDC Digital Media first engaged with the Home Counties Premier Cricket League (HCPCL), the organisation had no digital footprint whatsoever. No website. No social media accounts. No content. For a cricket league competing for attention in a crowded sporting landscape, this meant zero discoverability, no community engagement, and no way to reach the players, clubs, and fans who cared most about the competition.
The challenge wasn’t simply to create content — it was to build an audience, a brand identity, and a functioning digital ecosystem entirely from the ground up, in a way that felt authentic to the grassroots cricket community it serves.
The Approach
ETDC took a platform-first approach, establishing HCPCL across Instagram, TikTok, Twitter/X, and YouTube, while simultaneously building and launching a fully functional website at hcpcl.co.uk. Rather than spreading effort thinly, the strategy focused on consistent, high-quality content that celebrated the league’s clubs, players, and stories.
Content pillars were built around match results, player spotlights, season reviews, and long-form feature articles — giving fans and clubs a genuine reason to follow and return. Posting frequency more than doubled as the year progressed, and a clear editorial voice was established that felt professional without losing the grassroots warmth that makes club cricket special.
The Results: last 12 Months
The numbers speak to what’s possible when strategy meets consistency:
| 656K Total Impressions +1,015% | 6,752 Total Interactions +85% | 3,529 Total Followers Across 4 platforms | 17.75K Unique Website Visitors +107% |
Social Media
Instagram became the primary engagement engine, generating 597,000 impressions in the last 12 months — a staggering result for a brand-new account. Interactions grew 119%, including 4,936 likes, 70 comments, 49 saves, and 620 shares. The TikTok channel grew by 52% to 562 followers and accumulated nearly 59,000 impressions. Across all platforms, posts published increased by 120%.
The league’s most-viewed post — announcing High Wycombe’s Division One title — generated 16,670 impressions and 282 interactions. A player spotlight on 17-year-old Billy Dodds, who became HCPCL’s youngest-ever top scorer, drew 11,010 impressions and 277 interactions. Division Two Champions post for Slough reached 9,229 impressions with 186 interactions.
Website
The new website at hcpcl.co.uk received 35,320 views, 19,680 visits, and 17,750 unique visitors in its first 12 months. Traffic arrived from Google Search (39%), direct visits (38%), and Instagram referrals (6.5%) — confirming that social content was actively driving real website traffic. Feature articles consistently reached 200–400 individual pageviews, with the most-read piece topping 468 views.
Standout Content
- High Wycombe Division One Champions post: 16,670 impressions, 282 interactions
- Billy Dodds youngest top-scorer spotlight: 11,010 impressions, 254 likes
- Slough Division Two Champions: 9,229 impressions, 138 likes
- ‘Team of the Week’ series drove consistent weekly engagement throughout the season
- Feature articles averaged 200-400 pageviews each, establishing HCPCL as an editorial voice within the league
- Website generated traffic from 87% UK visitors, with strong regional representation across Oxfordshire, Berkshire, and Buckinghamshire
“From zero to a fully established digital community in one year.”