The current pandemic has significantly changed consumer attitudes and behaviours in three key areas of the industry — the buying and shopping process, the necessity of physical presence to support loved ones in their time of need, and the influence of technology on both.
As a result of the above, making sure that your business is ‘online ready’ has become even more vital in this digital age. In this article, we’ll provide you with essential tips on how to improve your website and guidance on insurance protection for your online business activities.
6 practical tips to improve your website
- Check for typos – Although it may seem a relatively minor mistake, typos and spelling mistakes on your website can sound alarm bells for some potential customers. They are looking for you to take care of every detail of their loved one’s funeral so spelling mistakes on your website won’t help to give them confidence in your professionalism as a company. Make sure you thoroughly proof read your website and correct any errors as soon as possible.
- Don’t be too wordy – People don’t read websites in the same way they read books. They tend to scan read at speed and pick out key points rather than reading in full. To help get your message across use sub-headings to break-up your paragraphs. Keep sentences short and no more than 3 sentences in a paragraph.
- Measure your performance – Do you know how many people visited your website last month? Do you know how they found your website? Google Analytics is a free tool which can easily be added to your website to track visits and give you this important information. You’ll get to know your most popular pages and when you have spikes in visits, so you can better understand whether your advertising is working.
- Get feedback – Sometimes we are too close to our work to see potential issues. Have a family member or friend to take a look through your website. Ask them whether they feel it provides the information they would want to know. Does your funeral home come across as professionally as you would like?
- Make it easy to get in touch – How visible is your phone number on your website? Is it clear on every page or do visitors have to navigate through to a contact page to find it? Make it simple for potential customers to contact you by having a prominent contact details in the header or footer of every page. Adding quick contact forms to pages can also help.
- Show your credibility – You probably receive a regular flow of thank you cards from your customers but how many of these testimonials for your business make it on to your website? Ask customers if they’d be happy for you to display a sentence or two from their thank you messages on your website. These are invaluable as they reinforce what you say you can do in your customers’ words. Also add logos from trade associations and details of your insurance cover to provide further reassurance for customers.
Protecting the reputation of your online business
With the rise of social media and global connectivity, incidents that have the potential to cause damage to a company’s reputation have increased exponentially. As more and more people participate in social media, the intricate detail of a single incident can now reach a far larger audience - thus impacting a business’s brand and reputation.
To help protect your reputation, the SEIB Funeral Directors' Business Premises policy includes the following safeguards as standard:
Libel and Slander
Cover for up to £250,000 in any one period of insurance for legal fees in defending your business against a libel or slander claim, as well as the cost of any subsequent compensation payments to the claimant.
An example of the type of incident this cover is designed for, could be an action taken against you following a social media mistake that is seen as being libel, slander or a copyright infringement by a third party.
Public relations crisis & media helpline service
In the event of a public relations crisis arising out of a libel or slander insured claim, (or any other insured incident), the SEIB Funeral Directors' Business Premises policy includes cover up to a £25,000 limit for any one claim and in any one period, for the costs of engaging marketing and public relations specialists to help minimise the risk of damage to your reputation. Cover includes access to a dedicated public relations crisis and media assistance helpline service. This can be used to seek immediate expert advice in the event of a public relations crisis.
We would also recommend that you consider Cyber Insurance which can be used to safeguard clients in the event of sensitive customer data being hacked or leaked. Having specific Cyber Insurance in place to mitigate the risk of a cyber-attack can make a big difference in reducing the financial impact. Conventional business insurance policies may not cover many of the losses associated with cyber risks, such as having access to expert IT, legal, forensic and media relations advice and support when an incident occurs.
Keen to learn more?
For more information and guidance on your online activities please visit the blog section on our website where you will find our guide on how to Stay Social during Covid-19 along with 7 Search engine optimisation tips to help you get started.
About SEIB
SEIB have been arranging tailored insurance for the funeral industry for over 40 years, giving them expert insight and understanding of the risks faced by such a unique industry. To find out more about our specialist insurance protection, including requesting a quotation for Cyber Insurance, please call SEIB on 0345 450 0648 or visit www.seib.co.uk
