A Story On The Importance Of Your Funeral Home Website
January 9th, 2014
Let’s imagine that your funeral home is searching for new ways to grow your business and connect with your community.
So, you do some research and find a well-respected, local advertising agency to work with. Together, you decide to purchase ad space on a billboard right in the middle of a high-traffic area in your community.
Just think about the slew of people who will drive past your massive billboard that features your smiling staff and gorgeous location everyday! You’re convinced that in a matter of days, you will have dozens of new families knocking down your door.
Now, let’s imagine a family in your community is on their way to visit their dying grandmother. They drive by your billboard on the way to the hospital. A week later, their grandmother passes away and they need a funeral home…fast.
Why traditional advertising doesn’t work anymore
If you’re lucky, this family might have noticed your billboard during their commute to the hospital. But chances are, in the midst of their grief and denial, this family passed right on by your ad.
Instead, what’s the first thing this family does to start their search for a funeral home? Naturally, they turn to Google and type in “funeral homes in (your city).” Within minutes, they’re on the phone with your competitor making their funeral arrangements.
Turns out the precious time, money, and excitement you poured into your billboard was wasted.
Why? Because consumers aren’t interested in static, one-way messages. In fact, they’re actively seeking ways to ignore or block them out. With research showing that the average consumer is interrupted with 2,000+ advertisements every day, it’s no wonder this family didn’t dial up your firm when they saw your billboard.
So how can you start effectively attracting today’s families? It’s simple – it all starts with the right website.
What a website does for your business
At the very core, having the right funeral home website can do a lot for your funeral business. It…
… Tells the story of who you are. Along with what you offer, and most importantly, why you’re valuable. However, you only have about 30 seconds to get your story across to website visitors, so you’ll have to tell your story in the most engaging way possible (using these powerful, yet easy tips).
… Provides unique service options. There are many decisions needed when planning a funeral: What kind of service should families have? Should they choose cremation? What type of casket should they select? Do they want to personalize the funeral? Showcase your service options in a unique way so that families have all the information they need on your website to make an educated purchase decision.
… Sparks healing conversations
Your funeral home website can – and should – become a virtual gathering place for all who knew the loved one after the service. A social memorial website is the best way to do that. A social memorial website turns your website into a place for friends and family to gather to share stories, memories, and honor the life lived for generations to come.
… Offers families convenience with eCommerce
Some funeral home website solutions offer an eCommerce sympathy store that allows you to sell flowers and gifts online, right from your website. This gives your community with a convenient way to send their condolences, even if they can’t make it to the service. Best of all, you can earn up to 25% on every order placed on your website.
… Helps you support families after the funeral service
Whether you choose a website solution that offers built-in grief support resources, or you simply want to provide grief resources for your families, your website is the perfect way to continue serving them long after the service.
… Turns visitors into friends, and friends into customers.
By providing families with social proof on your website, you can build trust with them before they ever walk through your doors. Using testimonials, quotes and stats on how long you’ve been around puts their questions, worries and doubts to rest during their difficult (and confusing) search for a funeral home (check out this article to learn how to gather and leverage social proof).
Final thoughts
Your website is important to your business, beyond branding, marketing, or business growth. Your website is important because at the end of the day, it’s there to solve families’ problems. And if you’re in this business, solving families’ problems is your
top priority. If you can help a family during the time they need it most, they’ll remember what you did for them for a lifetime. Remember that when creating (or maintaining) your funeral home’s website.
What other reasons is your funeral home website important to your funeral business? Tell us in the comments below!
To learn more about f1Connect, funeralOne’s all-in-one website platform, click here or give us a call at 800-798-2575, ext. 5.
[…] a great website. […]
[…] close to something, you just don’t see it the same way others do. That also applies to your funeral home’s website. You know what you intend it to do, but when did you last check that it was really working for […]