Five ways to engage your clients through Social Media

January 18th, 2012

If you’re thinking about using social media networks like Facebook or Twitter to reach our to your clients, but haven’t known where to start, here are 5 easy ways to start building your presence:

  1. Decide to start

    For your social media efforts to have a real impact on your business, you need to be committed to them. Simply setting up a Facebook page and then forgetting about it will not help you to develop a better relationship with your clients. You need to commit to being present and engaging with your followers. This is what will keep them coming back, and telling their friends.

  2. Build your network with people you already know first

    It can be daunting to think about how to gain new “likes” on a page that currently doesn’t have any. The best way to start is by reaching out to people you already know. If you have past clients or colleagues who you know are on Facebook, send them an invitation to like your page.If you can’t find anyone online, ask them in person. Marketing your Facebook page outside of Facebook is a great way to get people interested. It’s okay to promote yourself!

  3. Be real

    Don’t be afraid to let your Facebook page have a personality. Talk to your followers the way you would talk to your friends (while still keeping it professional, obviously).  People follow brands on Facebook because they want to interact with the people behind the brand. They want to make a connection with you. If you make your page too sterile, they’ll stop coming back. Answer client questions, share pictures and videos, give advice, inform clients of local events. But most important, don’t be afraid to be yourself!

  4. Recognize and reward

    People love recognition. When your followers start participating on your wall, be sure to reward them for their activity. It can be as simple as replying to a post, or you can take it as far as offering them a gift certificate to a local business to thank them for their activity, depending on the level of participation involved.

  5. Monitor

    Facebook offers “Insights” to help you keep an eye on how your page is growing. You should be monitoring this once a week or so to get information such as the average age of your followers, the ratio of men to woman, and, most importantly, the reach and virality of your page posts. This metric will help you understand which of your posts are the most popular with your followers, so you can adjust future posting habits to include more of that post type.

These are the basics for building a solid social media foundation on Facebook. Keep in mind, there are other social media channels to explore, such as YouTube, Twitter, and Google+. While you don’t need to be on all of these networks all the time, it’s important to know that they exist, and do provide additional opportunities for you to reach people.

If you’d like help in setting up or managing your Social Media presence, please contact Melissa Neff at 877-244-9322 ext 100 or melissa@beyondindigo.com.

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Funeral Directors vs. Grievers: How each views the world

January 11th, 2012

Older couple with laptopAfter speaking to hundreds of funeral directors in 2011, our Founder/CEO Kelly Baltzell, MA pinpointed several differences between funeral professionals and members of grieving families.

Funeral directors tend to be check-the-box, face-to-face people. They like to cross out items on checklists and be “done.” Even though they may have a website, they don’t take it one step deeper to see who’s visiting it or what kind of results they’re getting. Many funeral home owners also still advertise in the Yellow Pages, even though only 5-10% of them actually use the Yellow Pages to find information.

Grieving individuals, on the other hand, seek online obituaries/memorials, grief support information, and message boards. They have smart phones, make constant online searches, and use social media. Sites like our very own Grieving.com and Facebook.com/mygriefsupport bring them a significant amount of comfort and healing.

Many funeral professionals think that their clients aren’t online and that people over the age of 40 don’t use the Internet. They also use social media sparingly and haven’t warmed up to the concept of Facebook. This data sheet from the Pew Research Center shows for certain that people of all ages use the Internet.

Families and grieving individuals love Facebook because they find great healing from connecting with family members, friends, coworkers, and businesses.

Funeral professionals must make the most of their online presences if they want to form meaningful connections with families. What does your Internet presence say about your business? Time to find out and take action in 2012. Contact Kelly at 877-244-9322, ext. 1 or kelly@beyondindigo.com for a free consultation.

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3 Simple Rules for Internet Marketing

December 14th, 2011

The old saying goes that if you build it, they will come. We’ve found that saying doesn’t apply to online marketing. When it comes to the Internet, not only do you have to build it, you have to be sure it is built correctly. What’s more, you have to market it!

Here are a few simple rules that will help you on your way to online marketing success:

1. Content is King.

This phrase has been said so often that it’s become cliché, but that’s only because it’s so true! Just like you can count on your dog to actually sniff that fire hydrant, you can count on users to visit websites that have good and interesting content. Nowadays we are swimming in data; the key is to make sure the data your offering to your users is more interesting and compelling than that of your competitors. This is what will keep them coming back.

2. Consistency = Comfort.

We already know that your content needs to be compelling. Another key in online marketing is making sure your content is consistent. Think of McDonald’s. Whether or not you eat there, you know exactly what they offer and what you can expect from them as a brand. This is the type of consistency we as consumers have been trained to respond to. We trust brands that offer us consistency, and we’re more likely to buy from the brands that we trust.

3. Multiple Platforms Reach Multiple People.

Your clients are spending their time in a lot of different places these days, so it no longer makes sense to place a yellow page ad and think that they’ll come to find you. You need to go and find them in the places where they already are, namely: Facebook. We know it can be a little daunting if you’re not familiar with social media, but when you consider that 93% of adult Americans are on Facebook, it becomes a no-brainer. Your customers are there, and they expect you to be too. Don’t let fear of the unknown prevent your business from reaching potential new clients.

We are here to help you succeed! Call our Sales and Marketing Manager, Melissa Neff at 877.244.9322 x100, or send her an email.

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NFDA 2011 Chicago

October 23rd, 2011

Another year has passed as the annual NFDA convention occurs this week in Chicago. Our great staff, Jeanne and Scott, will be there to meet our current clients and also to meet new ones!
Stop by and learn some of the latest technoogical items and how to earn more money for your funeral home.
Beyond Funerals offers a complete solution for online marketing for your funeral home without all the hype and hyperbole.

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Funeral Customs

September 20th, 2011

I was reading an article online recently about funeral customs. These weren’t the normal customs that we all know today, but some of the oldest known and some not so well known customs.
Neanderthol man was found to have some customs including being buried with antlers and flowers.
Some tribes in Tibet and Africa leave the body to rot in the woods for other animals to devour. Other tribes have been known to ground up the bones of the dead and include those in future meals.
Now, this may all seem very unusual to us. However, the point is that all of us have unique customs and rituals that help us grieve.
When you use your funeral website or funeral marketing program to potential families, this might be an opportunity for you to capitalize.

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Marketing to non-native English Speakers

August 22nd, 2011

Some progressive funeral directors have embraced the idea of marketing to non-native English speakers. Many of these groups haven’t been given priority in the past, but the funeral directors that have gone this route have done well.

How do you reach this potential market? First, you need to study the population trends in your area. What is your most populated ethnicity? What is the second most populated ethnicity?
As you begin to realize, you may have an entirely overlooked market segment! What’s the best way to reach this market? You can try several methods including speaking to local groups, sponsoring at local events and letting them know that they are welcome at your business. Lastly, you will want to add a page or two to your website in the language of the ethnic group that you want to market. For example, you could have a page in Spanish with information about your services and any special accomodations. Keep in mind that many ethnic groups are very loyal. This means that once you provide an outstanding service to one member, you have the remaining members knocking down your door!
Beyond Indigo can build the web pages in just about any language as long as you provide the content. No other website provider offers this type of service. Contact Scott@beyondindigo.com for more information.

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Help with Yelp: How Online Reviews (And Filters) Can Affect Your Business

August 7th, 2011

 

Help with Yelp: How Online Reviews (and Filters) Can Affect Funeral Home Business August 7, 2011 by Trice Atkinson
When it comes to online reputation management for your funeral home business, Yelp is one of the major players the realm of online reviews that you should be monitoring closely. Founded in 2004 as a website devoted to helping online users connect with local businesses, Yelp has grown into one of the most popular review sites on the web. According to information provided on the Yelp site, on average more than 50 million people visit Yelp every month in search of services, and to read and post reviews. While there are a number of other websites that also offer consumers this option, what separates Yelp from the rest of pack is that it employs a fairly stringent review filter. The result is that some reviews that may seem benign and credible will not be displayed and will get filtered out. If a new-to-Yelp business is striving to establish credibility, they may of course get frustrated with reviews that they know are submitted by legitimate customers, but are still being filtered. Fortunately, in these cases consumers can still read filtered reviews by clicking on the gray link indicating the number of filtered reviews (“X Filtered”) at the bottom left of any Yelp business listing. In the event you cannot not see this link, then the business listing does not have any filtered reviews.

How Credible Reviews Make It Through the Yelp FilterLet’s take a closer look at how the filtering process works. As quoted from their site:
“Yelp’s review filter is designed to help protect against fake reviews, including those that might be written by a competitor or a disgruntled former employee. Since it’s not always easy to distinguish the good guys from the bad guys, the system sometimes affects perfectly legitimate reviews, especially those that are written by less established users. Some businesses might fear that they are being singled out among the millions of businesses on Yelp. Rest assured, the review filter is automated to reduce human bias. It affects both positive and negative reviews, and doesn’t have anything to do with whether a business is an advertiser or not.”

Note the word “established” in the above explanation: For those reviewers who have only posted one review on Yelp, and have not been active otherwise on the site (such as those who do not have a profile, photo, or have not “friended” others), they are much more likely to have their reviews filtered. This “filtered” status will usually change once the reviewer becomes more involved and “established” on the site — meaning more credible in the eyes of Yelp. When it comes to making it through the Yelp filter as a reviewer, it’s really just about making efforts to be active on the website, and regularly posting helpful reviews.

If you find your business is receiving negative reviews on Yelp it is important to remember that reviews can change from negative to positive over time. One of the ways to help this happen is to reach out to those reviewers who were unhappy with the services you provided. An unsatisfied customer might reconsider changing their low rating to a higher one if they feel acknowledged and that the issues they mentioned in their review have been addressed. Yelp reviews are not static, and can morph in status over time. To help overcome the Yelp Review Filter, strategies can include: voting the review useful or funny, sending the reviewer a compliment, letting them know their review is being filtered and encouraging them to fill out their profile, or asking to be added as a friend on Yelp. Making efforts such as these to engage the review and the reviewer will help in getting those filtered reviews to show up on your Yelp business page.

Why Yelp is Important to Your Funeral Business, and Your Families A large percentage of consumers check online reviews when seeking a specific product or service, and often rely on web-based feedback early in their decision-making. However, a much smaller percentage actually post online feedback, and as such, a more vocal minority may have a greater impact on the decisions that your potential customers make. Becoming involved and proactive at online review sites such as Yelp is a crucial part of online reputation management for your funeral business and will pay off in the long run if you are willing to stay on top of it!

Takeaway IdeasCreate or claim the business listing for your funeral business on Yelp (and other online directories/review sites), fill out all applicable fields, and engage with consumer feedback regularly.
Encourage satisfied families to write and post reviews by offering great customer service.
Reach out to your reviewers (that includes both positive and negative).
Check out Yelp (and other online directories/review sites) to see what consumers are saying about your business!

Knowing what to do is the first part of battle. Creating a funeral home marketing plan and engaging your families will provide further positive results.  Take some time now and look online for your funeral home business and see what families are saying about you.

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Looks Do Matter

July 20th, 2011

Creating a visible website can be one of the most important components of your marketing strategy, giving your funeral home an opportunity to utilize the web to branch out to potential families. However, some funeral homes find that their websites still are failing to bring in a noticeable amount of new clients, even when their web traffic is good. What causes this lack of conversion? A recent survey found that your design might be the culprit.

According to the survey conducted earlier this year by OnePoll, 70% of respondents stated that they simply do not trust a poorly designed website. Such data highlights the importance of establishing a presence for your funeral home on the web, but making sure that your website is serving all of the functions that it should.

So what separates the good websites from the bad? Well, its all about looks, functionality, and navigation.

The Look: You might not be able to judge a book by its cover, but you can certainly judge a website by a similar standard. It is important that you ensure your website has a look that the aesthetic expectations of potential clients, and comes off as professional, clean cut, and tasteful.

The Functionality: On of the biggest parts of making your website successful is making sure that all of the “behind-the-scenes” work is functioning correctly. This means your website should not crash, show error messages, or limit the browsing abilities of your client with broken code.

The Navigation: The final part of what makes a good website is making sure you have fully organized all of the content, and helping to direct your potential clients to the places that they would like to go. If your clients do not know where to look, you cannot expect them to stay on your website.

In a perfect business world, it would be great to expect that high-quality service would be enough to keep potential customers interested. In reality, however, it all comes down to how well you are able to sell your funeral home, and making a substantial impact on the client every opportunity you get.

Finally, remember that you are building relationships with people and their families. You are not selling real estate. What this means is that a photo of your funeral home on your front page is bad form. Families don’t care about how your funeral home looks or whether the grass is mowed. They want to know how you can help them.

Our funeral home websites and funeral home marketing programs help our clients reach more families effectively and efficiently.

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Memorialization changes?

May 2nd, 2011

I was reading an article in the latest issue of Funeral Business Advisor and the author was discussing the new changes in the future for memorialization, specifically DVD memorials. She indicated that the younger generations will not want to have a disc to keep track of their loved one. They will want something that is mobile and can be accessed from a phone, Ipad and away from home. This method of memorialization would change years of creating keepsakes for families, but would it increase time to create and still generate sufficient revenue? You certainly wouldn’t have to keep an inventory of blank DVD’s on hand, but you may have to be more tech savvy. There are some companies already offering this solution where the product is created by the FD or family member and can be changed, updated and even sent to other friends and family members. As families become younger and demand increases, this may be an inevitable change.

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New Families and Their Languages

April 26th, 2011

Our country’s population base is changing every day. We all know that the number of people is growing, but are you aware of what ethnicity is growing?
White people constitute 80% of the population, 15% are Hispanic, 13% are African-American, 5% are Asian. This amount is greater than 100% since the US Census Bureau aggregates Hispanic data among all types based on original country of origin. This means that there may be an additional market of non-English speakers in your area that can use your services. If you’ve thought about it and need help with translation of written documents and placing it in your marketing materials or website, give us a call. Some ethnic groups are very loyal and serving just one person in that group could increase your business substantially.
Source: US Census Bureau

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