Random Thoughts and Messages
CD.com Mouse PadProduct ID: 00000001In Stock
7" x 8" Mouse Pad with 1/8" thickness. Amazing full color and highest quality soft surface fabric. A must have for any CD.com member! ... More »
Price$9.95 $6.95
June 2008 Posts »
Archives »
Have you ever asked yourself that question? Have you ever visited your firms website? You need to get familiar with what is on your firms website, and determine whether or not the content on the site is useful or if it is just filling a page. How do you determine whether or now the content is useful?
Funeral Industry: Is Your Website Really Useful?
By: Ryan Thogmartin
Put yourself in the shoes of one of your clients. Lets say you are in charge of handling the arrangements for a loved one who lives out of state. You need to find a funeral home in the town your loved one lived in to handle the arrangements. Your loved one had no ties to any (one) firm, and they did not have anything pre-arranged. You are unfamiliar with the town they lived it and are not even sure there is a funeral home in the town. What might you do first?
You sit down at your computer and you “Google” the town to see if there is a funeral home located there. Sure enough there are three. Two are listed with a web addresses, the other with just a phone number and address. Well, you cross the one without the website off the list, no website must mean their firm is not up-to-date. So, there are now two firms remaining with websites. Firm #1, has just a basic, plain, website, not a lot of info, just a few obits and some contact information. There is a link for condolence books, products (casket/merchandise) with no pictures or prices, just simple text. Not very useful.
Now, you browse over to site #2. The home page is full of pictures of the funeral home, arrangement room, display room, merchandise, and even pictures of their well lit, paved parking lot. The site even has a link for a video tour of the funeral home. You are able to click on the links for product where you see pictures and pricing. With the use of this site you are able to have an idea of all the service options available and know a rough idea of how much the service in a whole would cost. Extremely useful!
Now, from the three funeral homes that came back on the “Google” search which one you would choose?
With the use of the internet for so many people, your website, at anytime, could serve as the first call for people who are searching for a funeral home for their loved one.Now, if someone were going to make their choose in funeral home based on the information they found on your website, would you be comfortable with that?
Spend time designing your website. Make sure the home page is inviting. Make sure ALL the important information (service packages, products, ect.) are on the site and easily accessible.
Most of all, make sure your website is useful.
Here is a example of an awesome funeral home website.
Ryan, the website you chose as an example is great.
Seattle (June 9, 2008) – The baby boom generation is looking at traditional American funerals and saying, “No, thank you.” This society-changing group of 79 million Americans cares more about the specific details of their funerals than any previous generation. They want to make sure their funeral plans are recorded and known. In response to this demand, two baby boomers have created a free, online funeral planning tool called My Funeral.
In the past, most Americans have not planned their funerals, presuming their families will “take care of things” when the time comes. Today, baby boomers want their funerals to reflect the way they lived and what they loved. Sonny Ewell from Rockland, Massachusetts, was the town’s ice cream man for decades. At his funeral, his ice cream truck, with bells ringing and lights flashing, led the procession. Nan Kempner’s New York City memorial included her love of Mozart’s Requiem; guests received a CD recording of this favorite selection as a funeral favor. From large, extravagant funerals to small, potluck gatherings, the rules are changing and My Funeral is part of that change.
My Funeral is a simple, online tool that includes every issue involved in funeral planning: from obvious issues like, “Do I want to be buried or cremated?” to details such as, “I want my nephew Nate to read Psalm 139 verses 7-12.” The My Funeral tool involves seven steps, but users can skip steps or stop at any time and all their completed work will be saved. My Funeral helps people consider their many options, make informed decisions, and pass these decisions onto people who will carry out their wishes.
My Funeral is a feature of www.TheFuneralSite.com, a funeral-planning website.
David Johnson and Anna Copley, partners in TheFuneralSite.com, are available for interviews and backgrounders on the Internet, the funeral industry, and the trend toward personalized funerals.
Contact www.thefuneralsite.com at info@thefuneralsite.com and (253) 854-7021.
Seattle (June 16, 2008) -- TheFuneralSite.com announced today the launch of the Seattle Funeral Guide, the first-ever local online guide for funeral planning. While several companies produce local wedding-planning guides, no one has created a local funeral-planning guide aimed at consumers. “We want to help people plan funerals at home, on their computers”, Anna Copley, cofounder of TheFuneralSite.com, said.
The Seattle Funeral Guide can be found at www.SeattleFuneralGuide.com. It is part of www.TheFuneralSite.com, a national funeral-planning Web site based in Seattle.
“We launched the national Web site last October, since then we’ve realized that most of funeral planning involves local vendors – caterers, musicians, florists. We decided to create a series of local funeral guides starting with Seattle, our hometown.” Copley said.
The Seattle Funeral Guide features an interactive map of all the funeral homes in the Puget Sound region. About half of those funeral homes are “featured” with their own Web pages containing photos and other information. Puget Sound consumers easily can identify funeral homes in their area, compare services and be more informed of their funeral options.
More than 20 categories of vendors are included in the Guide. These local vendors provide funeral-related services such as ash scattering by boat or plane, clergy and celebrants, flowers, dove release, reception sites and venues, and musicians. A unique category is grief support. All vendors in this category are nonprofit organizations that provide free or low-cost counseling for the grieving.
The Guide provides local insight on funeral planning in Western Washington. Articles include Low Cost Funeral Tips for the Puget Sound Area, Green Funerals in the Puget Sound Area, and Gatherings and Scatterings at Mount Rainer National Park. The Guide includes a complete directory of the Washington state laws regulating funeral homes and cemeteries.
Funeral Planning Made Easier for Seattle and Puget Sound Area Residents
Many times, in the funeral homes I deal with, the pre-need sales person is totally unprepared. They themselves sometimes don’t even know it. They go into a clients home and they think they are making arrangements and showing the family everything the firm has to offer. When in all truth the material they have is from years ago.
Is it important that your pre-need sales person have all the latest marketing material? Is it going to make a difference with the family they are meeting with? I mean, the family doesn’t know what other products the funeral home offers or if the sales person is using marketing material that is horrendously out dated. If you have that kind of attitude then you need to re-think the importance of your pre-need position.
What is it that your pre-need sales person was hired to do? They were hired to pre-arrange funeral services for people who are still living. Those pre-need sales, in most cases, give your firm guaranteed business for the coming years. So why would you not want them to have the best material possible to take into the field with them?
What material am I talking about? The most up to date casket guide, the most up to date burial vault material, and any other marketing material your firm has received from the casket/vault sales people that call on you. If you haven’t received any new marketing material, ask for some and get it in the hands of your directors and pre-need sales people. If you provide your pre-need sales people with a laptop, make sure they are using it. Ask your casket/vault sales people to make you a slideshow of all the product they have put in your funeral home. Your pre-need person can load this onto the laptop and away they go.
I encourage you to seriously look at what your pre-need sales person is working with and get them more prepared and stocked with all the current info they need to help expand and grow your business. The business they get today, is the business that will keep your firm around for another generation.
I couldn't agree more - while your Pre-Need families are still alive, they are your No. 1 source of word-of-mouth advertising!
How that first enquiry and subsequent meeting is handled could possibly be more important to your long term business than the actual funerals you conduct. Yes, each and every funeral will represent your company, but often mourners attending will only be focussing on the person they are there to mourn, and the friends and family they are reuniting with, and their own fog of grief.
However, in the stark light of day when considering a Pre-Need arrangement, with $1000's of hard earned savings involved, that's when your families are highly aware of how your company runs it's service. And you'll have to be "better than best" when you Pre-Arrange, because families will be looking to have PROOF that you'll act with integrity when they're gone (presumably they won't be around to check on you!)
And while we're discussing one of your most valuable and precious transactions, here's a bit of shameless advertising. . . why not give a copy of "When We Remember" packed with poetry, music, ideas from other families and comforting grief help?
Customise each book with your company details, include the $29 as part of the overall funeral cost, and give the book for free to each of your Pre-Need families.
Take the focus away from $ and anticipated grief, provide something highly useful that can be actively passed around the community, and enjoy the benefits of your new Pre-Need families telling others "XYZ company organised my Pre-Need funeral, and look at the beautiful free gift they gave me!"
Sounds simple, but it works, and has been proven in UK and Australia. Measurable marketing, useful and treasured resource, very cost effective (how many "free" books could you give fror each new Pre-Need arrangement that would be generated by your strategy?) and a real win-win for your families and your business.
Just a thought! Best wishes, Melissa Abraham
A unique new offering for the Funeral Industry has been announced. Bellefleurs Studio, a leading provider of canvas glicee products to the marketplace, is providing a memorial portrait tribute program tailored to the needs of the funeral director.
“Not every family is lucky enough to have a professional formal portrait of their loved one to display at a funeral or memorial service” says Deborah Pietrangelo, owner of Bellefleurs Studio of Riviera Beach, Florida. “What we provide is the unique ability to produce a quality product whether from a great photo or, if the family has nothing else, a snapshot. We remove the background, make the picture the best it can be and return it in 24 to 48 hours, ready to display in a real gold-leaf frame with linen liner. In some cases, we digitally paint the image. Take a look at our website at www.memorialportraits.info for some dramatic before-and-after examples. The best part of my job is the phone calls we get from customers who are delighted and amazed at the results.” A sample kit containing a real 16x20 canvas sample in a gold leaf frame is available free to funeral directors by calling 561-296-7554 or by emailing Bellefleurs Studio at info@memorialportraits.info. All materials are archival and rated to last 70 to 100 years.
Brookfield, Wis. – Registration is now open for the National Funeral Directors Association’s (NFDA) Leadership Conference. This annual conference, held this year at the Stanford Court Marriott in San Francisco, Calif., August 3-6, is the only event of its kind to offer current and aspiring funeral service leaders the opportunity to explore issues and share experiences with colleagues from around the country. After meeting with friends and peers who have similar roles and responsibilities, attendees are sure to walk away with new, ready-to-implement ideas to better assist them both as funeral directors and association volunteers.
Conference attendees will gain insight into the future of associations and funeral service during a two-part workshop presented by Jeff De Cagna, chief strategist and founder of Principled Innovation, LLC. De Cagna will use a “World Café” approach, a method of face-to-face collaborative learning and strategic conversation, that will encourage attendees to explore emerging trends and discover solutions for a more profitable and successful future.
In part one, Association Stewardship Café, De Cagna will facilitate discussions among attendees about the challenges and opportunities their associations face. He will teach them to think creatively about how to anticipate “what’s next,” embrace the possible and build a platform for their future growth.
In part two, Funeral Service Stewardship Café, attendees will address the changing face of funeral service and how to best utilize associations so funeral directors can better serve families and ensure the growth of their businesses.
Additional programs at this year’s conference include:
· Form 990: What Every Association Board Member and Executive Must Know – The Internal Revenue Service’s Form 990 has undergone significant changes and now requires nonprofits to make changes in 2008 to avoid scrutiny or audit in 2009. Attendees will learn helpful tips to minimize scrutiny of their association and get their questions answered by a nonprofit tax expert.
· Breakout by Office – This popular session will allow association officers (i.e., president, vice president, executive director, etc.) to discuss issues specific to their role and give them an opportunity to share ideas on association success.
Past attendee, Jon Deitloff, CFSP, of Jackson Lytle & Williams Funeral Home in Springfield, Ohio, has found the programs featured at NFDA’s Leadership Conference invaluable. “I feel the real magic happens during the breakout session. There really is nothing more beneficial than identifying with others who are facing similar challenges and getting direction on how to solve these issues.”
In addition to participating in valuable educational programs, conference attendees will get the opportunity to experience the beauty and diverse offerings of San Francisco by taking part in the many optional activities the Leadership Conference has to offer. From golfing to shopping, the wide selection of tours and activities will offer something for everyone. Optional activities include:
· Cypress Lawn Tour
· Sail San Francisco Bay Tour
· Alcatraz/Fisherman’s Wharf Tour
· Sonoma Wine Experience Tour
· Walking Tour of Chinatown
· Sausalito Shopping and Muir Woods Tour
The registration fee for NFDA members is $385; non-NFDA member registration is $480. The registration fee includes the welcome reception, continental breakfast, presentations, handouts and continuing education credits. Guests may register for $130. Prices increase after June 16, 2008. For more information or to register, visit www.nfda.org/leadership.php or call 800-228-6332.
NFDA has arranged for a special room rate of $235 plus tax for single or double occupancy at the Stanford Court Hotel. Attendees should visit www.nfda.org/leadership.php or www.stanfordcourt.com to make their reservations. Hotel reservations must be made by June 20, 2008.
NFDA is the world’s leading funeral service association, serving 19,500 individual members who represent more than 10,000 funeral homes in the United States and internationally. From its headquarters in Brookfield, Wis., and its Advocacy office in Washington, D.C., NFDA informs, educates and advocates to help members enhance the quality of service they provide to families. For more information, visit www.nfda.org.
The World Wide Web can be an invaluable source of consumer information. If so inclined, users can purchase a car, sell a house or even plan a funeral online. That's right, plan a funeral. Technology has changed the ways of the funeral industry, making burial planning interactive. Trimble Funeral Home launched its first Web site in 2000 with obituaries and minimal information.
Fast forward eight years, and www.trimblefuneralhomes.com is now a one-stop-shop for funeral planning.
“We can actually say we have three locations: one in Moline, one in Coal Valley and one on the Web,” company president Eric Trimble recently said.
The interactive site provides grief support, chatrooms, tribute opportunities, burial choices, pricing, a product showroom and a media center where viewers can see videos on veterans' benefits, casket personalization, cremation and church services, to name a few -- all guided by a virtual host.
“Someone who has lost a child could go on the site and possibly talk with someone else who has lost a child, as well as an awful lot of other interactive ways people can get involved and get a lot of educational information,” Mr. Trimble said.
Mourners can leave condolences or light a virtual candle for the deceased. Trimble's even is equipped to broadcast a visitation or funeral service via webcast if requested.
“Webcasting isn't very popular right now, but that might change soon," Mr. Trimble said. "We haven't had requests for it, but we can do it.”
Keeping up with technology is as important in the funeral industry as in any other consumer-driven business, he said. Fifth-generation funeral director Reid Trimble handles most of the funeral home's technology.
“We've always felt like, if there's a technology out there that enables us to better serve our families, we should look into and take advantage of it if we can,” he said. “What families want from their funeral home is changing, and we are embracing that change in order to offer everything families want.”
The Trimble family bought the funeral home in 1945. Times have changed tremendously, and they would be doing their clients a disservice if they didn't change with them, the Trimbles agreed.
“Technology allows us to care for the larger community by providing information, choices, options and personalization of funerals -- because a funeral isn't just a funeral anymore,” Eric Trimble said.
“Yours is going to be different from mine. Mine is going to be different from his. And it should be that way," Mr. Trimble said. "Now we have the ability to explain and show everything we do, give people choices and let them sit at home and study ahead of time.
“When people start thinking about funerals, they may not want to immediately just call the funeral home,." he said. "But at two in the morning, when they can't sleep, there it is; there's our funeral home (on the Internet).”
Article and Photo By: Brandy Donaldson, bdonaldson@qconline.com, Quad-City Dispatch
I had to post this article once I read it. This is the kind of forward thinking that needs to be present at every firm.
With the way people use they internet to research and find information, your website may often be the first call.
Make sure your website is up to par!!
Brookfield, Wis. – The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) released the results of its biennial Member General Price List (GPL) Survey today. The report provides a comprehensive picture of the diversity of costs associated with a funeral, providing data that breaks down services by geographic region, size of firm, and type of service provided.
Perhaps the most frequently requested piece of information produced by the survey is the national average cost of a funeral. NFDA calculates the median cost of a funeral by totaling the cost of the following items: the funeral home’s non-declinable basic services fee; removal/transfer of remains to funeral home; embalming; other preparation of the body; a metal casket; use of the funeral home and staff for viewing; use of the funeral home and staff for a funeral service; use of a hearse; use of a service car/van; and a basic memorial printed package (e.g., memorial cards, register book, etc.).
The national median cost for calendar year 2006 was $6,195. If a vault is included, something which is typically required by a cemetery, that number rises to $7,323. The cost does not take into account cemetery, monument or marker costs, or miscellaneous cash-advance items, such as flowers and obituaries. The cost of a funeral can vary by region; costs can also vary based on a funeral home’s location and the size of the business.
NFDA mailed 3,000 self-administered surveys to member funeral homes in July 2007. Given the response rate of 38 percent, the data is statistically reliable. Respondents were asked to give GPL pricing information for certain funeral products and services as of December 31, 2006.
Note: Members of the media that would like a complimentary copy of the NFDA GPL Survey should contact Jessica Koth (jkoth@nfda.org) or Celine Clark (cclark@nfda.org).
National Average Cost of an Adult Funeral: 2006 vs. 2004
Brookfield, Wis. – NFDA is pleased to co-sponsor, with Matthews Cremation, the Pet Loss Business Development Conference 2008. Held in six cities throughout the United States, this day-long educational forum focuses on how funeral directors can develop appropriate pet loss memorial services within their communities.
According to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, 63 percent of U.S. households have at least one pet. The Pet Loss Business Development Conference will help funeral directors understand the mindset of pet owners with respect to memorialization, how to integrate a pet business within a funeral home, and how to build community awareness and establish a network of clients.
Conference presenters include: Steve Schaal, Matthews Cremation; Bill McQueen, Pet PassagesTM; Tom Flynn, Pet Service Advisors; Dr Kathryn Marocchino, Nikki Foundation; and Mark Klingenberger, Paws & RememberTM.
“NFDA is please to be co-sponsoring the Pet Loss Business Development Conference with Matthews Cremation Division,” NFDA CEO Christine Pepper, CAE, said. “This is an ever-growing market, and this conference presents a great opportunity for our members to learn more about the business potential it represents.”
The conference will be held: July 15, San Mateo, Calif.; July 17, Tempe, Ariz.; July 29, Austin, Texas; July 31, Orlando, Fla.; August 12, Columbus, Ohio; and August 14, Waltham, Mass. The cost is $50 for NFDA members and $75 for nonmembers. More information, including registration details, can be obtained by visiting www.matthewscremation.com/pet08/ or calling 800-327-2831.
Social networking is a phenomena defined by linking people to each other in some way. Connecting Directors, Facebook, are both great examples of social networking. You can use social networking site for many different thing: connecting, sharing,or even promoting. There are many different networking sites out there. Some are better than others.
Connecting Directors has jumped head first into the social media/networking scene. Many social networks let you create a "group" and I have taken advantage of that. Creating a group is a great way to promote "something". For example: I created a Connecting Directors group of Facebook, when someone searches Facebook for "funeral directors" or something with the word "funeral" in it the Connecting Directors group is one of the search results that is available. When the searcher visits the Connecting Directors group they are presented with a link to visit www.connectingdirectors.com. Promoting. Also, Facebook is indexed by all of the major search engines. So this helps with getting ConnectingDirectors.com a higher page rank.
I hope by reading this you can see where this could tie into you funeral home. Wouldn't it be great if you started a Facebook group for your firm. You could ask families that you serve to visit your Facebook page and join, allowing them to leave you a wonderful review/testimonial on your group wall (message board). It might sound silly but anytime you firm name appears on a page that is indexed by a search engine this helps to boost your google rank. Which makes it easier for someone to find your funeral homes webpage during an internet search. I have used facebook as an example because almost everyone knows what Facebook is. There are many other social networks out there that will allow you to invite people to join your group or community. Connecting Directors lets you do that also. I encourage you to invite as many funeral industry people to Connecting Directors as you can!! To invite some by email to join Connecting Directors please click here.
On the left side menu of the home page I have provided links to the social networks that Connecting Directors and myself (Ryan Thogmartin) are involved in. Please visit these FREE networks and join the Connecting Directors group. All of this is in an effort to make Connecting Directors a staple brand of the funeral industry. Our site is growing fast and traffic to the site is rapidly increasing. So keep visiting and keep spreading the word about ConnectingDirectors.com
