A well-built website can serve as a critical tool for crisis communication, empowering businesses and communities to quickly update and inform their audience during emergencies.
Websites are useful for a lot of reasons. They’re the 24-7 front door to your business. They’re the way your business is found via search engines and referring websites. They’re a quick way for your audience to understand who you are, what you do, and how to contact you. One reason often gets overlooked: they are critical for crisis communication.
Life happens. Phone lines go down. A global pandemic ensues. Locations close unexpectedly. In those times, you need to communicate what is going on with your audience. Social media helps spread crisis updates fast, but key information can get buried in the noise. Your website stays a clear, central source of truth.
This was never truer than for the City of Rock Valley. In 2022, we launched a new website for the city built on our CMS of choice, Craft. During the initial conversations about this project, the Rock Valley team told a story of how a destructive flood in 2014 hit their town and how their website could be challenging to update, especially in a timely manner. This meant they could not effectively communicate critical updates to their community members and was one of the reasons they were pursuing a new website. They even stated at our initial meetings that they hoped they would never need it for crisis communication again, but were thankful we were providing them with a solution to prevent a similar situation in the future.
Fast forward to June of 2024, when heavy rainfall dumped four inches of rain in less than ninety minutes and additional rain throughout the next few days in the Rock Valley region. This caused the river to crest and flood the town with feet of water. Businesses and homes were flooded, and some residents were rescued from the roof of their homes.
The City of Rock Valley team needed to communicate their emergency response plan to their citizens, the press, and area volunteers looking to help with the clean-up efforts. This time, they were able to turn to their website to quickly get information to the public. Here’s the City of Rock Valley team in their own words:
Our town flooded again and having a reliable, easy to use, and just overall good website has been a life saver. I remember stating in the planning process that we hoped we would never have to use it for communication in another flood, but wanted to make sure it would be set up so that it could be easily used for that if needed and I am so glad we worked with you guys! Thank you!
-City of Rock Valley
That response reminds us why communication and a good website are essential. While we would never want anything wrong to happen that creates a need for crisis communication, we are proud to purposefully create websites that empower regular marketers to freely update them immediately.
One of my favorite parts of our website process is Content Management System (CMS) training. This is when we show clients how to update and create new website content. It is so fun to show how flexible the CMS is and how much control website authors can have over the content of their site. Many clients express how locked into templates they are with their current website and are amazed by the composable approach we take to websites.
That’s because our websites utilize a flexible system of interchangeable “blocks” to build nearly infinite possibilities of a page's appearance. Think of it like building with LEGO bricks—you have a variety of pieces that can be combined in countless ways. Even our most basic websites feature over twenty different types of blocks, some of which can be configured with different background colors and layouts. This composable approach allows you to create unique, tailored pages that match your exact needs without requiring technical expertise. No matter what you’re trying to express or conceptualize on your webpage, we have a block that can display the content in a functional, designed way. Whether you’re showcasing products, sharing news, or communicating during a crisis, you have the tools to present your content effectively and beautifully.
Gone are the days when any change on the website needed a developer. Our people-centered approach ensures that we are not gatekeepers to keeping a website updated (unless assistance is desired). Whether it’s a change in services, the addition of team members, a need to freshen up content, or a crisis that needs to be communicated with a Click Rain website, our clients are empowered to make the update.
While we never wish for a need for crisis communication, we understand the importance of having a website that can keep up with the pace of your business. Partner with a website provider who isn’t a gatekeeper but can provide a website that empowers you and your team. If your website is outdated or simply needs to be more flexible, we have a solution.
Colee brings a refined aptitude for analysis to the content department, which enables her to identify unique avenues for client websites and marketing campaigns.
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