Why Your Funeral Home Should Have a Social Media Policy

Over the last few months I have pointed out multiple times different social posts made by employees and owners of funeral homes that were extremely unprofessional and could be viewed as a negative toward the funeral homes reputation.

Because these types of posts are becoming more common I have started putting together information about social media policy and governance documents for funeral homes.

Social media policy isn’t something new. In fact most companies with employee guidelines have been adding in social media policy for a number of years.

As social media finally begins to penetrate the funeral profession social media policy needs to become routine for funeral homes to protect themselves and their online presence.

We are currently working with a social media policy professional to create a blanket social media policy and governance document that can be used by any funeral home. Because of the personal nature of social media there are many legal things that can and can’t be included in a policy document, so working with someone who is aware of social media law is a must. Funeral directors will have the opportunity to acquire a social media policy and governance document that can be tailored to their funeral home location in an upcoming SoFund.us fundraising campaign.

Below is a great article from SocialMediaToday.com on why you need a social media policy.

Social Media Ethics: Why You Should Have a Policy – by Steve James

As we all know too well, most interactions and communication is done online using a wide variety of social networks. What may not be taken into consideration is the role ethics plays with online sharing and communication, or that there needs to be a place for ethics in social media.

There has been a transformation in communication because of social media.  Here are some changes that have taken place:

• People have now become both the producer and consumer of information.
• News can be shared instantly online before it even reaches the television.
• The judgment of communication is both positively and negatively affected.
  • It is up to the reader to decide whether or not the information is true and credible. The reader must look at the context, channel, and author of the information.
• Because more people communicate online, the value of face-to-face communication is lost. This has multiple affects on the way a message is received and interpreted.
• People have the ability to filter out and choose the types of messages they want to receive and those they want nothing to do with.

Why do ethical principles need to be applied to social media?

Social media allows anyone to share basically anything online.  Within a business, it is their responsibility to build a positive identity for their brand. If policies are not put into place, employees could be free to share anything to anyone. The business needs to find the audience with whom they want to share information. Here are some guidelines a business should follow when communicating online:

• Share information that will give your brand a positive image.
  • People want credible information, so give them that. This will build trust for your business, which can help increase leads and customers.
• When sharing, be aware of others’ perspectives and opinions. Be open to what others have to say.
  • When you respond, be fair in what you say to create a social wellbeing for your business and customer relationships.
• Be aware of who can see your information, what is being shared, and what is being said and shared about your business.
  • If something negative is being shared, analyze it for credibility. If it is credible, respond to it in a positive fashion to show that you care about what is said concerning your business, and that some type of action is being taken to improve.
• Overall, a business should create a positive, credible online presence for both their own benefit and for the benefit of their customers. Think about the business brand and identity that you want to share and build upon.

What should be included in a social media policy?

The action of an employee’s online presence reflects on the business. When creating a policy, the behavior expectation of the employees needs to be addressed. What is expected of a business online, and even offline, should be mentioned to create an identity. Here are some other elements to include in a social media policy:

• The purpose for social media in the business
• Provide evidence of responsibility with sharing
• Provide some business information for credibility and authenticity
• Understand the audience with whom you are communicating
• Provide credit to the right people or businesses
• Protect confidentiality of the business
• Provide value for the consumers and the business
• Find a balance between social media and other work

Social media should be a part of a business and business should not entirely be social media. Communicating online is different from communicating in person or printed messages. Be aware of all the different aspects of social media – who sees your message, who is sharing messages and what are they sharing. Take responsibility for any online behaviors – positive and negative – and understand the logic behind having an online presence.

Do you have a social media code of ethics at your business? Have is proven effective and useful?

If you are interested in more information on creating a social media policy document for your funeral home and training for your staff on what is acceptable to post on social media channels (related to your social media policy) please email: ryan @ disruptmg.com