6 forces to funeral dominance online

6 Forces to Funeral

Dominance Online

by Robin Heppell, CFSP

handouts available at: FuneralFuturist.com/dominate

Dominate Your Market

Someone Is Watching Your Market

6 Forces to Funeral Dominance Online

Your Website

Online Obits

SEO

Education Marketing

Social Media

Reputation Management

Online Advertising

The Perfect Stormof Funeral Service

Education

Winning the Kitchen Table

Online Marketing ROI• What is your Number?• How much would you pay for an

extra traditional funeral?• How much would you pay for an

extra cremation call?

Hierarchy of Funeral Marketing

At-needNear-need

Pre-needSome Day

Obituary Promotion

Own the your…

3 Website Traffic Strategies

1. After Arrangement Email2. Email to Church & Groups3. Show how to add Obit to

Facebook

Email: robin@funeralfuturtist.com with Subject: Obit Traffic

1. After Arrangement Email Subject: Obituary for [First Name] [Last Name]

Dear [Family Member],

I have uploaded your [Dad]’s obituary notice to our website at http://www.YourFuneralChapel.com/john-doe

…continued

1. After Arrangement Email Feel free to forward this link to friends and family as we have found that it is an easy way to let a lot of people know about services times - especially on such short notice. Let me know if you need help with anything else.

Sincerely,[Funeral Director]

2. Email to Church & GroupsSubject: Obituary for [First Name] [Last Name]

Dear [Church / Group Name],

We are sorry to advise you that your member, [Deceased's Name] has passed away (or died) and his / her family has asked us to let you and your membership know of [Mr / Mrs Last Name]'s upcoming funeral service.

…continued

2. Email to Church & GroupsThe complete obituary and service details can be found on our website at: http://www.YourFuneralChapel.com/john-doe

Feel free to forward this email and link to your membership as we have found that it is an easy way to let a lot of people know about services times - especially on such short notice. Let me know if you have questions or need help with anything else.

Sincerely, [Funeral Director]

3. Show how to add Obit to FacebookThere are 5 simple steps to add an Obituary Link to Facebook:

1.Go to the page where the obituary is for your loved one or friend

2.Copy the web page URL (address) from the Address Bar in the top of the Browser • Select the address and then Copy it “Ctrl +

C” • This is an example of what the Address

looks like: • http://www.YourFuneralChapel.com/john-doe

…continued

3. Show how to add Obit to Facebook

3.Log into Facebook 4.Paste the link into the Update Status

area where is says, “What’s on your mind?”

5.Select the appropriate picture, add a comment (optional), tag people (optional) and click ”Post"

SEO: Search Engine

Optimization

6 Pillars of SEO for FHs

6 Pillars of SEO for FHsWebsite structureNumber of indexed pagesCitations and reviewsBack links Traffic, engagement & “social signals”Page Load Speed

Education Marketing

Education Marketing

There are a lot of uneducated funeral

shoppers out there…A lot has changed in

funeral service during the last decade.

DIY Education Marketing• Give visitors ability to ask questions• Provide FAQs & QSAs• Pre-Educate them before the

arrangement• Be the Funeral Expert

FAQs & QSAs(10 x 10 Q & A Formula)

• Ask staff what questions they get asked the most• Make list of questions you wish families would ask• Create 4 PPT slides for each• Intro, Question, Answer, More Info

• Record and distribute video• Repurpose as articles / blog posts

Get Out | Build Authority

Social Media

Social Media Strategy

Initial: AutomationInitial: Viral Setup

Initial: Build NetworkWeekly: Content

Daily: Pleasantries

Viral Ready• Share this

obituary• Social sharing

icons• QR code• Email

notification• RSS Feed

Build Your Network

Hepp’s 4 Quarter Strategy• 25%: Personal Updates• 25%: Liking, Commenting on Others• 25%: Disseminating Useful Info• 25%: Indirect Business Promotions

Reputation Management

Reputation Management• Create Google Alerts• Claim & Optimize Your Google + Local listing• Claim Bing Local & Yahoo Local• Register with Yelp and other online directories • Respond to any negative comments• Solicit online reviews

Online Advertising

Ad Budgets are set to prevent firms from spending

too much money on ineffective advertising.

Landing PagesKeep the Scent - Congruent Message

Cremation CostsShopperSearch Cremation CostsYour

Ad Cremation CostsLandingPage

Homesteaders Survey: Recent policy holders - 49% had attended

a funeral in the past 6 months

1,000,000 impressions for

free

Online Market Domination

Online Domination Looks Like This…

< Google AdWords

< SEO Results

< Google Map Listing

How Many More Sunrises…

How Many More Sunrises…

The Future is Bright for those who embrace it

Goal: More Calls & Higher

Averages

Robin Heppell

FuneralFuturist.com

800-810-3595robin@funeralfuturist.c

om

Request Your Free Online Market Analysis

handouts available at: FuneralFuturist.com/dominat

e

by Robin Heppell, CFSP