On January 1, 2010, I posted my Funeral Futurist Predictions for 2010. In that article I introduced to you a new kind of competitor for funeral homes, that I dubbed: Online Call Poachers (see the original excerpt at the bottom of the article). In a nutshell, “Online Call Poachers” are websites that put themselves in between someone looking for a funeral home and the funeral home themselves.

Since the time of my first warning, more potential call poachers have come onto the scene. And what boggles my mind is that some of them become darlings of the industry. They get press and endorsements from associations, consultants and online media.

“Hello People!! Don’t you see what they are doing?”

Let me explain their business model…

They create a website that offers helpful information to the general public about death, grief, funerals and funeral homes. The information could be in the form of FAQs, Videos, Price Quotes, Funeral Home Ratings or being a Funeral Home directory. Now, not all of these information / directory sites are bad – it’s the next step that’s important to note…

How do they make their money?

If they are just selling advertising – that’s ok. It could be Banner Ads or Google Adsense and if the site is good, it will make enough money to stick around, and if it sucks it won’t be around (in the eyes of Google) very long. Google doesn’t like directory sites anymore. Over the last couple of years, Google has devalued online directories as they – Google – want to the be the directory and want your funeral home to be one of their directory listings – that is why they gave you Google Places.

However, if the site becomes a CPA (cost per action) site – then the Rangers and Game Wardens should be alerted. You see, CPA is where the big money is – not in selling banner ads. How this works is that the website gets paid when an action is taken, such as filling out a form requesting funeral costs. This is a “textbook strategy” taught by online marketing gurus.

Who pays them? You do or your competitor, or both depending on the model. They will either sell the lead to the highest bidder or have you and your competitors pay to have your prices listed with them.

Then it is up to consumer to choose and if that is the case they will probably choose a funeral home based on price since you are two handshakes away from being able to explain the value of the services you offer.

The bigger problem that I foresee is their exit strategy… because I doubt they are in it for the long haul.

What they have done is studied the demographics and worked the numbers – the backroom conversation goes something like this… Since there are X number of people are going to die in the next 10 to 20 years and if we just get X% of the market we’ll make a ton of dough! NOTE: Venture capitalists don’t invest in startups unless there is the “ton of dough” potential!

So this is what really worries me…

In the short term, these call poachers will drive up the costs of your online advertising whether it is banner ads or pay per click.

And in the long term, since it is more than likely that the “ton of dough” won’t happen (because both you and I know how hard it is to win that call); they are going to pack it in and they will have an online property that they will try to unload at a discounted price but there are only a few potential buyers – maybe funeral corporations or larger suppliers – and the smaller funeral homes helped fund it.

So my critics will now say that this article is self serving, that I would rather have you do business with me instead of them – well, duh!  But here’s my angle…

I would rather help you create your own online property where the only handshake is between you and your potential client family – no middleman.

The other difference is that you and me – we’re different – we’re not like them – we’re lifers – we’re in it for the long haul! And if something ever happened to me, you still own that online property that we created.

So my advice to you is just BEWARE – ask yourself how are they making their money now and in the future. The only thing that you have control over is what hangs on your own domain name – make sure that you are in control!

If you are interested in “cutting out the middleman” and building your own online market domination program, send me an email and I will let you know what to do next!

Also, I would love to hear your comments about my Call Poachers article – positive or negative, just leave your comment below…

…Hepp

Original Comments about Online Call Poachers: January 1, 2010

Online Call Poachers. You probably haven’t heard of this term, but I couldn’t come up with a better way to name this “new player” into funeral service. These are information and resource websites about funeral service. They provide helpful information to consumers, answering questions, and maybe even providing a directory of funeral homes. These were once thought of as helpful directory sites but as they continue to add more information to their websites, they will become “funeral information juggernauts” that will rank at the top of Google and the other search engines for funeral related terms – even local terms.

Some of these sites may charge for featured listings in their directories, but what will be inevitable is that they will start receiving first calls (as people hit the Internet for information upon learning of the death of their loved one). At that point, they hold in their hand a Call that could get passed on to whoever they want to give it to – in some cases the highest bidder. They will become the online equivalent of the minister or hospice worker who can steer a family to one funeral home over another.

I am not saying that all directories and resource websites will do this but some will. This form of Lead Capture – or what I call in our industry “Call Poachers” – is actually an Internet Marketing Strategy that I have seen be taught and used in other industries where these marketers become conduit for leads and then direct them to the highest bidder. For some funeral homes, they be happy paying the “finders fee” to these companies, while others may want to control the “virtual real estate” in their market by being the go-to source for funeral information in their area.

Other Funeral Related Posts

• Best Practices for Funeral Directors to use Facebook
• Case Study – Online Video for Funeral & Cemetery Promotion
• Mistakes Made with Price Shoppers – I hope you don’t make them – Free Teleseminar
• Radio Interview: Funeral Industry & Social Media
• Free Funeral Website Report

Click to Download 2012 Calendar

If you think that I have missed any special days, please let me know – leave a comment below.

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QR Codes are the Quickest Path from Print to the Web

As I have stated many times… Technology is a tool – it is not the answer – in funeral service – as well as in most service-based, person-to-person industries. QR Codes are no different. They aren’t going to change (or save) the funeral industry, but they are useful tools that you can easily incorporate into your funeral marketing strategy.

That said, you should know how to best use the tools in your funeral marketing toolbox – or else they are just over-hyped and improperly-used clutter that can distract you from your top goals of serving more families and serving all of those families better!

In this article I will identify why and how you should use these black and white, pixilated boxes to help you take a small step closer to those goals.

QR Codes 101 – QR (Quick Response) Codes

QR Codes are barcodes that can be scanned using most smartphones – a QR Code Scanner App would need to be installed (many are available fore free). Once the code is scanned it directs the phone to a website URL, displays a message or opens up a contact (business) card that can be saved to the phone.

Just think of QR Codes as “mobile shortcuts” where a static medium suddenly becomes an interactive one.

Another great thing about using QR Codes is that there is no additional cost to incorporate them in your current and future marketing. Plus you can track the effectiveness of your QR Codes as they can be easily be measured with Google Analytics (wouldn’t you like to know which 50% of your marketing works?).

Here are the 10 Top Ways Funeral Homes can use QR Codes – I have broken them down into 3 categories.

Memorialization:

1. Online Obituaries

• Have the QR code for the online obit visible on that page.
• Use this wording to educate visitors what the QR Code is for:  “QR Code for this Obituary: Use your Smartphone to scan the QR Code to access and save this page to your phone.”
• Example: http://www.mayfieldkiserfuneralhome.com/obits/dalton-grisham/

2. Memorial Folder

• Use the QR Code for the deceased’s online obit and add the image to the printed memorial folder that will take the person to the online obit where they can read the obit, leave a condolence or even watch the video tribute.
• This can be placed on the back of the folder (or somewhere else) discreetly yet still large enough that the code isn’t blurred.  At 150 DPI printing, a 1-inch by 1-inch QR code should still be legible.

User Convenience:

3. Directions to Funeral Home / Cemetery

• Have the QR Code on the Directions page of your website but it should take the visitor to your Google Places (Maps) listing so that they get the directions right on their phone and they can then use their built-in GPS / Map to find where your firm is located.
• Example: http://www.eganfuneralhome.com/bolton/bolton-directions/

4. Directions to Reception or Cemetery

• This is similar to the one above – linking the QR Code to the Google Places listing – but in this instance the QR Code can be printed on the memorial folders or on a map / directions sheet to be handed out after the service.

5. Request a Review  (Testimonial) from Client Family on Google Places

• This is a two-fold, stealth strategy to target the most-likely people to leave a Review on your Google Places page (or Yelp or Foursquare).
• If you provide Client Families with a post-service survey or meet with them in an After Care arrangement, hand them the survey or a sheet that subtly asks them to provide a review.
• People with smartphones are probably more adapt to leaving reviews online and by using a QR Code, you are making it easier for them to do so.

Advertising:

6. Direct Mail (Especially for Preneed Seminar Registration)

• For anything that you have a registration form for such as a Preneed / Estate Planning Seminar, a Clergy Breakfast or even your Holiday Memorial Service, you can include a QR Code to the right of the form so that it can be scanned and the attendee can immediately register on your website via their phone.
• No handwriting out the form, no stuffing envelopes, and no recording the registration manually on your end once it is received.

7. Business Cards

• The receiver of the business card can quickly scan the card and have all the details added to their phone. I would recommend that for funeral homes and cemeteries, the QR Code be placed on the back of the card as probably only 10% of the people that you give it to would know what to do with it.
• Example: This is my new business card and I have mine on the front as the majority of my target market is tech savvy like yourself…

8. Yellow Pages

• A QR Code in ad can direct a person to a landing page created specifically for who are shopping for funeral homes.
• Have a short video with additional info that educates them on what makes you different than your competitors.
• You can showcase your technology offerings more on this page as you know the visitors are going to more tech savvy than most.

9. Print Ads

• Whether it’s newspaper ads, ads in church bulletins, or ads in a community program, you can use QR Codes to drive people to a specific webpage.
• As stated above, make sure that the landing page is relevant to the audience seeing the ad and that it is mobile friendly.  If you advertised in a church bulletin for a Baptist Church, you would want to make sure that the landing page was speaking directly to people of that denomination.
• Also, you wouldn’t want to send them to a pre-planning page with 50 fields on it that would be way more difficult to fill out on a smart phone than it would be to complete on a regular computer.

10. Email Signature

• Similar to the business card QR Code, you can direct people to a listing of your contact information or fill out a simple newsletter subscription form.
• This is my email signature…

NOTE: QR Codes Are Not For Headstones! Technology moves fast and granite is forever. Who knows what types are codes will be used in 5 or 10 years, but that memorial will last a lifetime.  If over time, the QR code on a headstone is ever damaged or if the QR Code Generator goes out of business, not only is the code then useless, but it will be useless forever (and even a couple of days longer).

QR Code Best Practices

Landing Pages must have a purpose and be Mobile Friendly:

• Don’t send people to just to your Home Page, engage them with a page that relates to origin of where the Code was found.
• Also, make sure that the page can be easily read on a smartphone – you ‘ve got their interest because they’ve scanned the code – don’t tick them off once they arrive to the destination.

Test Your QR Codes:

• Once you have created your QR Code, test it. Test it on the computer screen,. Print it off and test it. Test with an iPhone, Blackberry and Android – even multiple apps on the same phone – ESPECIALLY if you are using the QR Code in Print Media!

Have multiple ways to access the Destination Page

• Include other ways to access the destination page like including a (short) URL beneath the code
• If the code is online, make it “clickable” for those who don’t have a smartphone handy so they can access the page with a click of the mouse

Include Instructions on how to use the QR Code

• Don’t assume that everyone knows how to use QR Codes, let alone what they even are.

Please remember that QR Codes are NOT game-changers, but they can help accent the services and advertising that you are currently doing.

How to Create QR Codes

There are many free services available to generate QR Codes like Kaywa , QuikQR.com and http://in4.ca (which I own), but I am a big believer in not relying too much on other people’s proprietary systems, so that is why I recommend using Google’s manual method of creating QR Codes (the unfortunate reality is that Google will probably last longer in the future than FuneralFuturist – “say it isn’t so”).

Here is how to instantly create a QR Code:

1. Go to this URL: https://chart.googleapis.com/chart?chs=150×150&cht=qr&chl=

• (For short: http://in4.ca/googleqr)

2. Append the URL that you want the QR code for immediately after the “=” and make sure to use the http://

• Example: https://chart.googleapis.com/chart?chs=150×150&cht=qr&chl=http://funeralmarketdomination.com
• There are other items that you can have QR for such as Text, Telephone Numbers and SMS Numbers
• For all of the information on how to use this URL to create QR Codes, read this article: http://code.google.com/apis/chart/infographics/docs/overview.html

3. After inserting the URL, hit ENTER and the QR Code will update on the page.

• Then right-click over the image and “Save As” or “Save Image As” and then download the PNG file to your computer.
• I suggest renaming the image filename immediately or else you will have a bunch of files on your computer named: chart.png.

4. Your image is ready to add to your print ads or on to your funeral home website pages

If you want a more automated method, go watch these videos where I demonstrate a couple of ways that they can be created.

• QR Codes for Directions: http://youtu.be/ZNn7JZMrMKk
• QR Code & URL Shortener:  http://youtu.be/G1H8OsUedjI
• Tracking QR Codes’ Effectiveness: http://youtu.be/fxrcr-QVDEA

There are other uses for QR Codes outside of Funeral Service but I have elected not to sway from the subject of how you can use them for your funeral home or cemetery.  If you have been using QR Codes in other ways (or even similar ways), please share your thoughts, results and feedback below.

…Hepp

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Watch this video on my Top Ten ways to increase your online floral orders and sales. It’s only 11:05 minutes long.  Plus there is a special invitation for you near the end of the video.

To get instant access to the webinar replay, register here:

Here is the list…

1. Have a system that can track floral orders
2. Make it easy for website visitors order flowers – display ads prominently yet tastefully
3. (Subtly) Promote floral orders via family email
4. Don’t lose profits to phone-in orders
5. Make phone in orders available 24 / 7
6. Offer to Immediate Cremation families
7. Implement a Gift Card program
8. Integrate with Social Media like Facebook
9. List under amenities or concierge service pages on website
10. Get more commission – You should be getting at least 25% – if not, there’s room for improvement

If you are interested in looking at Funeral Home Friendly Floral Order System, pleae attend my Free Webinar that will introduce you to a new Online Funeral Home Floral Order System that allows you to:

• Choose your own florist
• Set your commission rate
• Tracks 100% of orders – including phone orders

To get instant access to the webinar replay, register here:

Other Funeral Related Posts

• Part 5 – Q & A: Relationship Marketing for Funeral Homes
• Newsletter – February 2008
• Utah 100th Convention: Heppell Reveals Next Generation Funeral Technology Secrets
• Funeral Blogging 101 Recap
• Wanted: Entrepreneurial Support

Imagine how well this could work in YOUR funeral home.

I’m betting you could start getting more calls from your competitor with by just applying half of the items that I have shared in this video.

In fact, with the last strategy, you will be able to pick off calls from your competitors.

If you found this video helpful but you would like to learn more of the How-To steps so that you can build your virtual marketing platform and dominate your market, I would like to invite you to a webinar that I am hosting next week.

Also,please leave your comment below on the blog and let me know your thoughts. Thanks for watching.

CLICK HERE TO GET ACCESS TO THE WEBINAR

Other Funeral Related Posts

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Lately, more and more funeral homes, cemeteries, and funeral associations have been contacting me about helping them to establish their Internet presence and during the course of some of those conversations, they have asked me what is my expertise or experience with helping members of the funeral profession with their online marketing efforts. This includes funeral home websites, SEO, Social Media like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn, plus reputation management and online advertising like Google Adwords.

Instead of just forwarding a CV or resume, and keeping inline with the trends of the online world, I have created an INFOGRAPHIC depicting my expertise in all of these areas in a graphical format.

Please share your comments below – positive or negative – I would love to know your thoughts.

Information graphics or infographics are graphic visual representations of information, data or knowledge. These graphics present complex information quickly and clearly, such as in signs, maps, journalism, technical writing, and education. (Wikipedia)

Front

Back

So, what do you think about the Infographic – please share your comments below…

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I had the opportunity to be interviewed for an upcoming article by writer, Shannon Leahy of Raystorm Communications of Toronto (see detailed information below), and always being one to get the most bang for my buck (or time), I positioned the article interview in the form of a radio interview, recorded it, and uploaded it so that you could listen to it here.

Below are the questions that Shannon asked me and then at the end, she asked me to share what we did as a family to create a personalized service for my Dad, Tom Heppell.

Here are the links that I referred to in the interview:

• Video Tribute for Tom Heppell
• Obituary notice for Tom Heppell

Shannon Leahy’s Questions:

• Can you comment on how the funeral industry is changing because of social media (particularly Facebook and YouTube memorials)?
• Compared to other industries, funeral professionals have been slow to adopt social media. In your opinion, why has the funeral industry been hesitant in offering social media services to their client families?
• In simplest terms, what are the biggest features and benefits of online memorials?
• When you sit down with client families, how do you introduce the topic of online memorials? How do families react when you offer these types of services?

About Shannon Leahy

A professional storyteller and copywriter, Shannon Leahy’s newest passion is educating Canadians about funeral professionals and the client families they serve. After attending funerals that celebrated the lives of some of her favourite people (young and old), Shannon was inspired to know more about the dignified professionals working behind the scenes. Shannon is dedicated to serving end-of-life professionals and grieving families by writing content that educates, inspires and comforts.

Along with writing for FSAC’s Today’s Funeral website, her storytelling and PR work have appeared in newspapers, magazines and been featured on television and radio.

Shannon’s company, Raystorm Communications, is based in Toronto, Canada.

Question for funeral directors…

Do you take risks in planning meaningful, personalized services for your client families?

Please share your thoughts or comments below.

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This is the presentation that I made at Social Media Camp Victoria, 2011 called Creating Your Virtual Marketing Platform. This was given to non-funeral people although I made sure that I maintain the reverence and dignity of the funeral profession.

Video Replay: 39:19 minutes

PowerPoint Presentation via SlideShare

I am stoked to be presenting again at the Social Media Camp in Victoria on Saturday, June 4, 2011 at 11 am.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/robinheppell
Linkedin: http://ca.linkedin.com/in/heppell (robin@funeralfuturist.com)
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/funeralfuturist
Twitter: http://twitter.com/funeralfuturist
Slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/funeralfuturist

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In this video, I show you how to efficiently gather and share information so that you can be seen as the funeral expert in your market.

Part 1 9:25 mins.

Part 2 10:01 mins.

Sites referenced in this video:

• Funeral Futurist Twitter Account
• Funeral Futurist YouTube Account
• Ping.FM
• Hootsuite

Please leave a comment or suggestion below.

…Hepp

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Over the last 3 months, I have been mapping out a One-Of-A-Kind Marketing Live Seminar.  By attending this event, you will learn about and create a custom marketing plan for your funeral home for 2012 and beyond. The reason why this will be a one-of-a-kind event is that incorporates both traditional marketing and online marketing including SEO (Search Engine Optimization) , Pay Per Click (Google AdWords & Facebook Ads), Social Media and Mobile Marketing.

I want to make this live event, the best funeral home marketing event ever – but to be able to do that, I need your help.  Please complete the following survey.  To thank you for completing the survey in full, I will send you a free Starbucks or Tim Hortons gift card.

There is a special section for suppliers in the survey as I want your input too.

Thanks, Hepp.

NOTE: This survey is for Owners and Managers of funeral homes, combinations, supply companies and vendors. (Gift cards will not sent those not in a managerial position and not able to make the decision to attend.)

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