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Funeral One Website Review

October 21, 2009 By Robin Heppell 5 Comments

After the webinar the FuneralOne’s Joe Joachim held at the beginning of September, I was bombarded with requests about my opinion of the their new funeral website platform. Now usually I would answer those requests in private, but Joe (or his team) started to promote the webinar on my Facebook Fan Page. So since they started the dialog on my turf and coupled with all of the requests for my opinion, I felt that this would be the best way to handle it.

Note: I have a lot of respect for Joe and they have always introduced new solutions on the technology side, but in this instance, I think they have taken the tech too far.  Also, this video isn’t an analysis of the operations of the Schoedinger family, just the website that was created for them by FuneralOne.

This page contained an embedded video. Click here to view it.

If you want more information about funeral home website design, visit www.FuneralWebsiteSecrets.com and learn what the 7 Costly Mistakes Other Funeral Home Owners Make When Hiring a Web Development Firm.

Please comment or rate this video here: Funeral Home Web Site Design Review

Filed Under: Agree with Hep?, Social Media Tagged With: design, Funeral, marketing, tips, website, youtube

Best Practices for Funeral Directors to use Facebook

May 26, 2009 By Robin Heppell 1 Comment

Best Practices for Funeral Directors to use Facebook social media marketing google exposure articles When I was young and visiting my Grandparents at the family funeral home – EganFuneralHome.com in Bolton, Ontario – I would spend a lot of time with him walking into town, going to the post office and running other errands.  I was always amazed about how many people knew him and that he knew them.  His success – just like other past generation Funeral Directors – could be attributed to being a helpful member of community, whether professionally or in other activities. They knew, they liked him, and when they needed his services, they could trust him.

Since life is different nowadays and there are a lot less people in the “social hubs” than there was 50 years ago, it doesn’t mean that you have to go to the same places that Gramps hung out – he was where the people were.  You should apply the same philosophy – Go To Where The People in Your Community Are!

Now, I’m not saying quit all of the groups that you are currently involved with – but you should take some quick inventory on your time invested vs. the exposure and reach that you get.

If you think that I am just pushing this Facebook stuff on you because I am a bit of a techie – you’re wrong.  I’m trying to tell you that it is probably one of the biggest networks in your town and you need to be there!

Do you know how many people in your market are on Facebook? Would you be surprised that I could tell you exactly how many to the individual, gender, age? It’s easy to find out – and also you can advertise so directly it would blow you away!

But before we get into my Funeral – Facebook Formula, you have to make sure that you have the basic foundation of Facebook Profiles and Pages.  So we are going to build off of the 7 Mistakes Funeral Directors make with Facebook article, I want to outline what the Best Practices are for Funeral Directors for using Facebook.

The purpose of this “Best Practices” is to cut through all of the noise and give you the straight goods and short-cut the learning process for you as I teach you to nurture your online relationships to build your community, increase your credibility and visibility because people want to do business with people that they Know, Like, and Trust – Facebook can help you achieve that!

I don’t want Facebook to be a new time-waster although I must warn you: if you are new to Facebook, it is easy to get sucked in, connecting with old friends, checking photos, playing games, taking quizzes, etc. Anyway, after the initial rush wears off, it will be back to business – relationship building business that is!

This Best Practices is really going to get you up and running, but when you want to kick it into hi-gear, you should check out my Funeral – Facebook Formula seminar <– Click for more information

Before we get into the Nuts & Bolts, we need to know the difference between Profiles and Pages.

Facebook Profile Pros

You can have one-on-one interaction You create a feeling of a more personal connection You gain “perceived” credibility with more Friends Your Friends can message you (pro from their perspective) You can be Tagged in photos and videos and appear automatically (sometimes good)

Facebook Profile Cons

You need to have mutual agreement for friending People must be Facebook members and logged in to view You can’t message all friends  at once or you could get banned You are limited to 5,000 friends You could get inundated with messages in your Inbox You can be Tagged in photos and videos and appear automatically (sometimes bad)

Facebook Fan Page Pros

You can have an unlimited number of fans You have the ability to message an entire group Your page can be accessed by the public (no Facebook login required + it can be indexed by Google (see naming below) Your Page appears in homepage stream which is a great way to remind your Friends about updates and new content People have opted in to hear updates about your business, unlike your profile

Facebook Fan Page Cons

It is sometimes hard to get people to become Fans The term “Fan†is a little weird, especially when applied to a Funeral Home Doesn’t feel like a personal connection You don’t have the same personal relationship as you only post as the “Business” not as yourself

Best Practices for Funeral Directors to use Facebook social media marketing google exposure articles Ok, now that we know some of the differences, let’s build both a Profile and a Page – leveraging the Pros to our advantage.

Profile Set Up – Phase 1 (1 hour):

Select an appropriate photo: one that best connects you to your audience Upload Contacts from Email Accounts / Outlook: (I skip the “Invite Others To Facebook”) Complete the Profile information: make it as complete as possible but keep within your comfort level. Complete Education and Work Profile Information: this makes it easier for your old contacts to find you List all of your websites under contact information Create Memorable Web Address Upload Contacts from Email Accounts / Outlook

Profile Set Up – Phase 2 (1 to 2 hours + ongoing):

Search Friends’ Friends List Search Groups and Fan Pages for possible contacts: You don’t even have to join the group – just see who the members are. But join if you think that it would be valuable Search Your Competitor’s Friends: click on the View Friends link and add any friends that you think would be appropriate to friend

Notes: When entering a website address (URL) make sure that you use the “http://” before the www… as that will make the link clickable.

Fan Page Set Up – Phase 1

Choose the Category > Local > Event Planning Service OR Professional Service Choosing the Right Name – Place Important Keywords together with your company’s name such as ‘Your Town’ Funeral Homes (unless that is a competitor’s name) | Your Funeral Chapel (see McCall’s example) Upload your logo or an appropriate photo – make sure that it is recognizable and if possible, have some personality Complete the Edit Information Upload Photos and Tag yourself or staff members if appropriate Upload Videos – How To and FAQ videos would be preferred over commercials – again you are trying to build a relationship, not to sell anything (don’t exclude commercials – just limit them) Add Links to helpful information from your website Suggest To Friends – Be selective to who you invite at the beginning until you really have your page “super-charged”

Please remember, Facebook Pages and How Funeral Homes Can Use Facebook are a Work in Progress, these are some general best practices (for now). Here are some examples of Facebook Pages that you can use as a guide to creating your Page:

http://companies.to/mccallbros http://companies.to/rmdfuneralhome http://companies.to/maquoketaareaobituaries http://companies.to/johnsonconsulting http://companies.to/funeralfuturist

There are others that I would have like to list but they haven’t used the “Memorable Page” application.

If you are interested in learning how to USE Facebook for your funeral business, I know you will get a lot out of my Funeral Home – Facebook Formula seminar that is going to be held Thursday, May 28. Replays will be available if you can’t make it.  This seminar is going to be the first of my monthly training course called: FuneralFuturistU – Internet Marketing for Funeral Professionals.  For more information and registration details visit: www.FuneralFacebookFormula.com.

Filed Under: Articles, Gain Greater Exposure, Google, Marketing, Social Media Tagged With: best practices, facebook, Funeral, social networks

Preneed Dog Pound: Pit Bulls and Golden Retrievers

March 19, 2009 By Robin Heppell 2 Comments

Preneed Dog Pound: Pit Bulls and Golden Retrievers loyalty agree with hep In my time of the world of preneed, I have observed two types of sales reps:

Pit Bulls Golden Retrievers

Pit Bulls are reps who work more leads (to the bone) and get more sales. These are usually professional sales people that have come into the funeral industry from other sales positions.

Golden Retrievers though are more nurturing and from what I have witnessed, have a higher average funeral value.  I think it is because these people have a deeper belief in funeral service – but they usually don’t “close” as many sales. Usually “Funeral Director to Preneed” converts are Golden Retrievers.

Instead of just dividing up your leads – “one for you and one for you” – you can start to segment the lead sources. Those leads that are from direct mail or from a direct response inquiry – where we have had to change their way of thinking – you can sic the ‘Pit Bull’ on them.

The people who have already made the decision that prearranging is a good idea will most likely be a phone inquiry or a walk in. These leads just need to be nurtured,  not sold, so they should be directed to the Golden Retriever.

I have noticed that the walk-ins and the inquiries were more people in that near need situation where they are in that category of twenty four to six months to live. Maybe they have just got the word from the doctor. You want to look after them and nurture them along the way. They don’t need to be sold on the idea of having a funeral pre-arranged because they know it is going to happen in short term. These people need that ‘Golden Retriever’ to take care of them.

Reflect on your preneed business. Check your stats. Do your preneeds that come from direct mail have a longer “shelf-life” than inquiries or walk-ins?

So Why Is This Distinction Important?

The other thing to be aware of is that more people are going to the Internet for information.  You have probably seen over the last year that you are getting more inquiries about pre-arrangements over the Internet – right?

Those people are not coming in because they received some “message” (via direct mail persuasion) to enter or change their mind about the importance of pre-arranging a funeral. I believe that they are in that near-need area.

I call these leads Virtual Walk-Ins. Either they have decided that they want to pre-arrange because they are planners and they want to get this looked after OR they have gotten the word from the doctor and they need to get this done.

As those inquiries come in through your website, who are you doing to give them to?

Are you going to give them to the Pit Bull so that you make sure that that sale is made or are you going to give them to the Golden Retriever who will look after that person when they need to be looked after the most (and hopefully have a higher funeral value)?

Who will be looking after your virtual walk-ins?

…Hepp

What are your thoughts? Do you think that leads via the Internet will need to be handled differently than a direct mail lead?  Please share your comments below.

Filed Under: Agree with Hep?, Build Loyalty Tagged With: Funeral, near-need, preneed, virtual walk-in

Funeral Industry Stimulus Package by Johnson Consulting

March 9, 2009 By Robin Heppell Leave a Comment

Funeral Industry Stimulus Package by Johnson Consulting reduce costs check it out Jake Johnson of the Johnson Consulting Group just told me about a great package of tools and resources that they are giving away to the funeral industry.

Jake said the reason why they are doing this is to make sure funeral firms like yours are equipped with some of the latest tools and information about the financial side of the business – especially during these economic times.

The Johnson Consulting Stimulus Package consists of:

Funeral Industry Specific Chart of Accounts Johnson’s Client Satisfaction Survey Best Practices for Funeral Home Payment Policies – Interview Funeral Home Financing – Video Case Study Interview – Funeral Home Gets Financing Against the Odds

All that you have to do is enroll in Johnson Consulting’s Stimulus Package to get instant access to these valuable and timely resources.

Filed Under: Check it Out!, Reduce Operating Costs Tagged With: financing, funding, Funeral, interview, package, Stimulus, survey

Free Funeral Website Report

December 31, 2008 By Robin Heppell 5 Comments

Free Funeral Website Report social media marketing exposure check it out loyalty Let me ask you a question… Does your web company have your best interests in heart?

As you know, I have been in the funeral home website game for a long time – over 10 years. And in the last few years I have stepped back from the sales side and focused on teaching you about how to build your web presence beyond your website – like with YouTube, Facebook, etc. – mainly because the web site companies weren’t helping their clients beyond the confines of their product offerings (your current website).

Lately I have received some questions from funeral professionals like you asking me about their websites. They think that they are getting ripped-offed… and after looking in to it, I agree!

So lets do a quick test…ok? And we will see if your web site company has your best interests at heart?

Here’s the Quick Test:

On your site…on your homepage (or worse – all pages), is there a link back to their website? It’s usually at the bottom of the page.

If you have answered: YES – then they fail the test!

Your benefit to having links to their site: NOTHING – do your clients really need to know who you do business with? Actually these backlinks could be HURTING you!

Your Web Co’s benefit: backlinks are one of the most important factors that Google uses to rank websites. So what this means is that not only are they getting free advertising on your site, but you are giving them a boost in the search results – off of your back – that’s not cool!

Ideally, those links at the bottom of the page should point to pages within your site.

If you want to learn the truth about funeral home websites and find out the 4 other secrets funeral home website companies don’t want you to know, plus other myths, scams, and misconceptions…

Download the Special Industry Report: The Funeral Home Manager’s Guide to Websites: Myths, Misconceptions and Secrets at: Funeral Website Secrets

I wrote this for funeral professionals like you so that you would finally know the truth about funeral home websites.

I have had one funeral director ask me why am I giving this information out now?

Well, some of the website companies in our industry are beginning to act like old, stodgy, non-proactive funeral directors (not progressive funeral professionals like you) – so I felt it necessary to clear the air.

Then he said, “Are you trying to get back into selling funeral home websites?”

Well, the truth be known – I never left – I just kept a low profile working with some private clients, and now I am going to make that part of my offerings more public…but it’s not going to be for everyone.

You see, I look at websites from a marketing and relationship building perspective – not solely from the technology side. These sites are not for everyone – if a funeral home owner is looking for a cheap website – don’t ask me, there are a lot of low-end offerings out there – or free ones from casket companies.

My sites are going to be focused on 3 things:

communicating with your community (building relationships / loyalty) your firm becoming an “Authority” in Google’s eyes and eventually your website becoming a profit center for your firm

Anyway, enough about my websites, there will be many examples in the future, and plus I am still going to continue to share my strategies and case studies on my website. So make sure that you read the Special Industry Report on Funeral Websites at Funeral Website Secrets

I would love your thoughts on the report, so if you could do me a small favor and leave your comments below – thanks!

All of the best for 2009!

…Hepp

PS: Check out the complete report card in the Report and see if your website company is doing everything they can for you! Download the Funeral Home Web Site Guide here

Filed Under: Build Loyalty, Check it Out!, Gain Greater Exposure, Marketing, Social Media Tagged With: consumer awareness guide, Funeral, funeral home websites, funeral industry report, internet marketing

Case Study – Online Video for Funeral & Cemetery Promotion

March 17, 2008 By Robin Heppell 2 Comments

Case Study Online Video for Funeral & Cemetery Promotion newsletter 2008 04 exposure case studies In preparation for my presentation at the ICCFA Annual Convention in San Diego, I am conducting a live Case Study on how to use online videos to promote your services and your website. I have selected three terms to rank for – two are geo-targeted, one for a funeral home and one for a cemetery – both in my home town. The third is for a more general term for my new service, Preneed Referrals. I have created images for the search terms so that the text doesn’t get picked up by the search terms and skew the results.

Case Study Online Video for Funeral & Cemetery Promotion newsletter 2008 04 exposure case studies

Sites uploaded to:
Blip TV ( http://funeralfuturist.blip.tv/#754976 ) Google Video ( http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8453242887987587827&pr=goog-sl ) Photobucket ( http://s249.photobucket.com/albums/gg226/funeralfuturist/…_Burial_Plots_01.flv ) Revver ( http://revver.com/video/747419/affiliate/129762/burial-plots-in-victoria-bc/ ) Yahoo! ( http://video.yahoo.com/watch/2218788/6998019 ) YouTube ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sb6orXJpaiA )

Date

Search Engine Results in:

Search Engine Results in:

Search Engine Results in:

Case Study Online Video for Funeral & Cemetery Promotion newsletter 2008 04 exposure case studies

Case Study Online Video for Funeral & Cemetery Promotion newsletter 2008 04 exposure case studies

Case Study Online Video for Funeral & Cemetery Promotion newsletter 2008 04 exposure case studies

March 16, 2008

none none 12

Videos Uploaded via Traffic Geyser on March 16, 2008 at 12:30 pm

March 17, 2008

1, 3 1* 12

March 20, 2008

1, 2

1*

6

March 23, 2008

1, 2, 3

1*

6

May 5, 2008

1, 2, 3, 5, 7

1*, 7

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

* denotes graphical image of the video

Case Study Online Video for Funeral & Cemetery Promotion newsletter 2008 04 exposure case studies

Sites uploaded to:
Blip TV (http://funeralfuturist.blip.tv/#755038 ) Google Video ( http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1347444027292295636&pr=goog-sl ) Photobucket ( http://s249.photobucket.com/albums/gg226/funeralfuturist/…_Funeral_Planning_McCall_Bros.flv ) Revver ( http://revver.com/video/747358/affiliate/129762/funeral-planning-in-victoria-bc/ ) Yahoo! ( http://video.yahoo.com/watch/2218838/6998114 ) YouTube ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7ftmBkjvEo )

Date

Search Engine Results in:

Search Engine Results in:

Search Engine Results in:

Case Study Online Video for Funeral & Cemetery Promotion newsletter 2008 04 exposure case studies

Case Study Online Video for Funeral & Cemetery Promotion newsletter 2008 04 exposure case studies

Case Study Online Video for Funeral & Cemetery Promotion newsletter 2008 04 exposure case studies

March 16, 2008

1, 2

2, 4

1, 2

Videos Uploaded via Traffic Geyser on March 16, 2008 at 12:30 pm

March 17, 2008

1, 2, 3, 4

2, 4*, 5

1, 2

March 20, 2008

1, 3, 4, 6

2, 4*, 5

1, 2

March 23, 2008

1, 2, 3, 7, 9, 10

2, 4*, 5

1, 2

May 5, 2008

1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 9, 10

2*, 3, 4, 7, 9

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8

* denotes graphical image of the video

Case Study Online Video for Funeral & Cemetery Promotion newsletter 2008 04 exposure case studies

Sites uploaded to:
Blip TV ( http://funeralfuturist.blip.tv/#755085 ) Google Video ( http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2304289479575871154&pr=goog-sl ) Photobucket ( http://s249.photobucket.com/albums/gg226/funeralfuturist/…Preneed_Leads.flv ) Revver ( http://revver.com/video/747432/affiliate/129762/preneed-leads-at-preneed-referrals/ ) Yahoo! ( http://video.yahoo.com/watch/2218881/6998213 ) YouTube ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHZj_njMpr4 )

Date

Search Engine Results in:

Search Engine Results in:

Search Engine Results in:

Case Study Online Video for Funeral & Cemetery Promotion newsletter 2008 04 exposure case studies

Case Study Online Video for Funeral & Cemetery Promotion newsletter 2008 04 exposure case studies

Case Study Online Video for Funeral & Cemetery Promotion newsletter 2008 04 exposure case studies

March 16, 2008

none

none

none

Videos Uploaded via Traffic Geyser on March 16, 2008 at 12:30 pm

March 17, 2008

2, 6

4*

none

March 20, 2008

3, 4, 6

4*

4

March 23, 2008

1, 3, 4, 8

4*

4

May 5, 2008

2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10

1, 3*, 4, 8, 9, 10

1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7

* denotes graphical image of the video

Notes and commentary

March 16, 2008: Within 6 hours Revver videos were ranking very high in Google and Blip TV was in the middle of the pack for P.L. on the 1st page:

B.P. in Vic: # 1 Revver F.P. in Vic: # 1 Revver P .L.: # 3 Revver; # 6 Blip

March 17, 2008: Yahoo videos appeared on Yahoo near the top. AOL Videos (not sure how they got their hands on the videos) but who cares as they started ranking in the middle of the first page. Still no sign of YouTube & Google Video and the search spiders must sleeping at MSN.

March 20, 2008: Revver fell as quickly as it rose. AOL videos are in their place. Interesting that the destination website pages are climbing in MSN but not the videos. I guess they accept the link power from the descriptions in the videos – Always remember to use http:// with your URL.

March 23, 2008: Still no sign of YouTube, but Google Video is starting to appear. MSN Live Search seems to be hard to crack – good thing that over half the people use Google. Speaking of Google, in all cases, videos gradually climbed up the ranks into the Top 10. I will leave the final date open for awhile and then see how long the videos stayed in the top SERPs.

May 5, 2008: YouTube has not only arrived, but it is at or near the top on the first page on Google. Also, all three search engines filled out over the month especially MSN’s Live Search. All three search terms dominate the first page of Google with at least 50% of the results. In particular, McCall’s has 70% of the “Funeral Planning in Victoria BC” results including #1 through #4.

June 30, 2008: A few results have slipped, but YouTube is dominant.  One thing that I noticed was other Funeral-Related videos that I have uploaded to my accounts were becoming the “Indented Result” which could be the cause for some of the results being pushed down.  Time to upload a second set of related videos – check back soon!

Please ask your questions or leave your comments below about this case study. Is there another topic that you would like me to tackle?

Filed Under: Case Studies, Gain Greater Exposure, Newsletter 2008 04 Tagged With: case, Funeral, google, msn, online, studies, video, yahoo
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