Easy Ways to Use Technology and Stand Out

Recently I heard someone summarize funeral service marketing strategy in two short phrases.  "If they know, they will go." and "The more who go, the more you grow."  It's an easy goal to remember, and it's a reminder that you have two distinct audiences that you need to connect with: 

1. Families with an immediate need
2. Friends and family who are not arranging the service

"If They Know, They will Go"

Are you doing all that you can to build awareness of your funeral home?  Your website enables you to be found by the more than 60% of consumers who search for service providers online. Once they find you, it's important to make a strong first impression. You only have 20 seconds to capture their attention more fully before most website visitors move on to another site.  Be sure that your main landing page accurately reflects the personality of your funeral home, that the descriptions are well-written, and that you have used quality photography.

"The More Who Go, The More You Grow"

The second audience you need to reach are the friends and family of the deceased who are not planning the service. Your goal should be to encourage friends and family to participate in and/or come to the service. Your website can help you accomplish this with the following tools:

Point out your "Share This" links.  Point out to family members that your Batesville WebLink website enables them to share obituary information with their social network (aka: their friends and family) via email, on Facebook, and many other popular applications using the "Share This" icons.  (The "Share This" icons are the colored blocks shown below above the photo on the obituary page.) 

You want your obituary to be the one circulated first so that everyone knows to visit your website to find the obituary. Linking with email and Facebook is the way to make that happen.

Add Web Video:  Consider incorporating video tributes into your obituaries. Video tributes, such as Batesville's TributeLink, can be created by the family or by your staff.  They are a great way to engage online visitors, encouraging them to spend more time on your website and even suggest that others visit your site to see the video.
 

Join the national obituary network:  Most people visit newspaper websites first to search for obituaries when they don't know which funeral home is handling the service.  Wouldn't you prefer those people to visit your website as well?  Batesville's ObitLink connects your website with North America's largest online obituary network, which includes more than 900+ newspaper websites in the US and Canada. By linking with this network, you are ensuring that visitors looking for information on the service have an opportunity to visit your website and learn more about your firm.
By remembering to connect with both audiences in a deeper way, your business will benefit. 

Contact us to learn more about the features of your WebLink website and to ask about adding TributeLink video tributes or ObitLink online obituary network by calling (877) 287-8661 or visiting www.connectivitysuite.com

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10/27/2009

Batesville Launches its ObitLink Service, Linking Funeral Home Websites with the Largest Online Newspaper Obituary Network in North America
1/18/2010