Staying Connected During a Coronavirus Outbreak: How Your CMS Can Help

COVID-19, or coronavirus, has been slow to hit college campuses, but it appears that academia is poised to be the next playing field for this public health emergency. Many schools have already cancelled spring break and summer study abroad programs, and now the first cases of the virus have been confirmed at U.S. colleges.

Your school’s crisis plan should include ways to get the word out fast to everyone who might be affected by the disruption on campus. This is where a content management system (CMS) like Omni CMS can help. Whether inclement weather, wildfire, or viruses, your CMS is a super tool that you can wield when dealing with the pending disaster and aftermath of campus crises.

In this post, learn the three Bs of crisis planning:

Be ready.
Be responsive.
Be proactive—not reactive.

With a comprehensive plan in place, your college or university can then transform your CMS into a powerful tool to help you combat an array of campus crises.

The University of Georgia created a coronavirus section on their website using Omni CMS to address concerns about the virus. — The University of Georgia created a coronavirus section on their website using Omni CMS to address concerns.

Be ready.

If the crises of the last 20 years have taught us anything, it’s to have a plan in place before disaster strikes. It might not be possible to anticipate every possible threat—the coronavirus is a good example of an unanticipated crisis—but having a plan in place gives your college or university a starting point for response.

Communications is a key part of a crisis plan. How will you get the word out about pending disaster? What are the tools you’ll need to use and who has access to them? A CMS is invaluable in this aspect because it simplifies the dissemination of information to your school’s various audiences.

Tacoma Community College took a proactive approach by creating a page on their website that features everything students, staff, and faculty need to know about the Novel Coronavirus.
Image courtesy of Tacoma Community College

Be responsive.

Response time is a key indicator of whether your campus can handle a crisis. The sooner you’re able to warn students, faculty, and staff of pending danger, the better your crisis plan. This is especially true if the event is a weather threat such as a tornado. Omni CMS Emergency Alerts is a tool that allows users to update their school’s website quickly with announcements placed prominently on web pages or pushed out to social platforms.

John Cabot University in Rome, Italy announced campus closures with an alert on their home page.
Image courtesy of John Cabot University.

Be proactive—not reactive.

It’s not a question of if, but when… Your college or university might not be facing a crisis at this moment—which is all the more reason to get the tools in place so that when you do, you’ll be ready. With the crisis super tool of a powerful and flexible content management system like Omni CMS in your toolbox, you’ll be ready to meet future challenges head-on.

Is your campus at risk?

Request a demo to learn more about ways to put your CMS to work during a campus crisis.

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COVID-19 Website Content Management

Last updated: February 5, 2021