These 8 People Are Visiting Your Funeral Home Website (And Why You Should Care)

2015-05-19_0941
We’ve said it time and time again ﹘ the world of funerals is changing. You’ve probably seen it yourself… every day, less traditional families are coming into your funeral home looking for something different and more personal. The traditional pitch that you’ve always given? A new, younger audience has already read it on every other funeral home website and are interested in what more you can offer them – either as an at-need family member, or as a supporting family member or friend.

If your website’s not keeping up with the needs of these new audiences or educating them on the true value of a funeral service (and how it can be adapted for them personally), you’re doing yourself a huge disservice – not to mention missing out on a huge opportunity with the people coming to your website. In fact, a underperforming website only encourages your potential families to move on to other funeral home websites that will give them the information that they are looking for.

So how can you be sure that your website is meeting the needs of a new generation? To start, you need to truly understand the many types of people who are visiting your funeral home website.

At-Need Families

One group of people that your website needs to focus on are at-need families. The people who have just lost someone they love, are on a emotional roller coaster, and are confused about all of the decisions they have to make going forward. There is a ton of pressure on these families – they need to plan a funeral that their entire family will respect, but whatever they choose is a forever decision, so they are afraid of making the wrong one.

While many at-need families have similar fears and frustrations, the types of at-need families that will be visiting your website are very different – and the information that you offer them should reflect that.

1. Traditionalists

The older generation of families that will be visiting your website are the familiar traditionalists that all funeral homes know and love. They want a funeral that is not unlike their grandparents’ that they have attended in the past. Instead of looking for creative ways to celebrate their life, they are likely to stick with a classic burial, church service and eulogy that will feel appropriate and traditional.

But the time has come and gone where you can focus all your service and website information solely on traditionalists, because, unfortunately, this group is shrinking fast.

What are they looking for from your website? Contact information for your funeral home, and information that will educate them on whether or not your funeral home’s services and arrangements are worthy of their loved one. They’re also looking for helpful, informative information on your website that will show them that you’re respectable and trustworthy.

Sytsema Funeral Homes uses their website’s About Us page to share helpful information on their history and staff, as well as proven testimonials from satisfied families. This helps to showcase that they are trustworthy, and that they provide high quality services.

 

2. Baby Boomers

Baby boomers are starting to become a large majority of the funeral-planning demographic. And they are very unlike their traditional parents that came before them.

Instead of simply taking your advice on what’s the most valuable funeral option for them (or following in the footsteps of their family), they’re wired to question everything. Instead of being brand loyal like their parents, they’re going to shop multiple places for the their best service options and seek out the advice of their friends and family. They work efficiently, do their research and make the most of every minute. They don’t like to feel like they are wasting their time, and if your website makes it difficult for them to find the information that they need, they will click off quickly to another website.

Your website also needs to showcase the value of your funeral service, through personalized services and an emphasis on celebrating life, because baby boomers are looking for the best value for their dollar.

What are they looking for from your website? Educational resources that show them the value of a funeral, and will give them the motivation and reassurance they need to pay for your service. They also want planning tools that will make the process less overwhelming and will open their eyes to the many possibilities and value that your funeral home provides.

Wilks Funeral Home features an interactive Life Exploration Tool on their website in order to help potential families explore the many service possibilities that are available to them.

 

3. Social Generation

Another group of funeral planners that are quickly on the rise is Generation X – aka., the social, younger generation. These are the MTV, latchkey kids that grew up with both of their parents working, technology as a primary entertainment form, and they put a high value on independence. But perhaps the most important thing to note about Generation X? They’re incredibly tech savvy.

When it comes time for them to plan a funeral, the first thing they are going to do is look for an online option. If your funeral home isn’t coming up in the top search results, it’s unlikely that they are going to seek you out. Instead, they’re going to do as much research as possible to make sure they are finding the best value for their money and a service that is personalized to their loved one. (The last thing they want is a cookie cutter service that’s like everyone else’s.) If your website doesn’t provide them with the information that they are looking for, they are going to find another funeral home website that will.

They’re also looking for streamlined ways to share their sympathy online, and share the stories of their loved one in the social space. Social memorial websites are the perfect outlet for today’s younger generation who want a way to share their stories, as they easily integrate with sites like Facebook and Twitter.

What are they looking for from your website? As much information on your services, your prices and your funeral home as possible. In fact, their dream website would provide them with so much information, that they would only need to contact you when they have chosen their service and would like to arrange it.

Schoedinger Funeral and Cremation Services does a great job of giving their families an online, social outlet to share stories and send sympathy gifts right from their website with Social Memorial Pages. Thanks to effortless social integration, the above obituary was shared over 140 times.

 

Pre-Need Families

Another great opportunity for your funeral home comes from the pre-need families who are visiting your website and looking to arrange their funeral in advance. Unfortunately, this group isn’t always as large as funeral professionals would like it to be. In fact, while 82% of people say that it’s important to put their end-of-life wishes in writing, only 23% of people have actually done it. Why? One reason may be the lack of resources and education out there for the two primary groups of people interested in pre-planning.

4. Self Arrangers

Self arrangers are a rarity ﹘ the people who are taking on the often daunting task of pre-planning their own funeral. This could because they don’t want to burden their children or other family members with scraping together funeral plans during a difficult time, or maybe they have very specific requests for their service and want to make sure that their wishes are honored. Whatever reason it may be, these self-arrangers are looking for a way to make their end-of-life wishes a reality, while also planning a service that their family will love – after all, they are the ones that will be attending it.

What are they looking for from your website? Educational tools that will help them learn about their different service choices, and will help them put their funeral ideas into action.

Malcore Funeral Home & Crematory offers helpful pre-planning resources right on their website that walk families through common pre-planning questions, and offers a helpful checklist that will take them through the getting-started steps.

 

5. Immediate Family

Another large demographic of pre-planners that are coming to your website are immediate family members (spouse, children, etc.) of someone who will likely be passing away soon. This could be someone who is already in hospice, or a similar situation where funeral planning is only a short task away. While the person whose funeral is being planned may have input on the funeral, it is likely the family will also have to make a lot of the difficult decisions on behalf of them. Therefore, the pressure is on to make sure they are planning a funeral that their loved one would be comfortable and happy with.

What are they looking for from your website? Information on pre-planning and all of the different elements that go into a funeral service. Even though the death may be expected, that doesn’t make the process any easier, so they may also be looking for grieving and educational resources during this difficult time.

Mealy Funeral Home offers an easy-to-navigate pre-planning form right on their website, so families can begin the process of pre-planning right in their own home.

 

Supporters

Another important group of people that will be seeking out your funeral home website are supporting friends and family of those who may be arranging or pre-arranging funerals. While these people are typically upset over a loss, they are also often focused on supporting the immediate family in whatever way possible – they are looking for tools that tell them how to do that on your website.

6. Immediate Family and Friends

The biggest, and often most involved, group of supporters comes in the form of immediate family and friends. This could be uncles, cousins, best friends, etc. Above all, this group of supporters wants to show the immediate grieving family that they care and want to show them support in whatever way possible. (They just might not know what’s appropriate.) Because of the close nature of their relationship with the deceased, they also may be wondering if they should have a role in the service, or if they are expected to send gifts.Some may even be looking for more powerful sympathy options, if those alone may not feel big enough to represent their relationship with the family.

What are they looking for from your website? Information on the funeral service date, time and location so they can come to the funeral. They also want resources that will educate them on how they can show sympathy and support, and their appropriate role in the funeral.

Emerald Hills Funeral Home & Memorial Park features a ‘Find An Obituary’ section right on the homepage of their website, making it easier than ever friends and family to locate their loved one’s upcoming service, or search for a service that may have already happened.

 

7. Long Distance Family and Friends

It is very common for baby boomers and younger generations to have moved away from their hometowns. It’s often the case that they live very far away from where the funeral is taking place and they might not be able to make it to the service. Instead, these family and friends are trying to find the next best thing to being there. Can they send a gift or flowers to show their sympathy? How can they support the family when they are not there in person? They don’t want to forget the times that they have spent with their loved ones, but they really aren’t sure what to do.

What are they looking for from your website? Information on where the service will be taking place and what time, so they can send gifts that will arrive in time for the funeral. They’re also looking for support resources that help them understand how they can help their loved ones from far away during this difficult time.

R. Galer Funeral Home’s integration of The Sympathy Store allows families to locate and send beautiful sympathy gifts all without leaving their website. f1Connect’s Sympathy Store also pulls in the funeral home address and service information on the check-out page, so families don’t have to worry about filling in these many details.


8. Acquaintances

While many acquaintances may know the deceased directly, a large amount of acquaintances may be minimally affected by the loss, but feel like they need to attend the funeral service out of obligation. (Think distant family members or old friends that may have lost touch over the years.) These people feel like the have to show their support in some way, but they don’t necessarily want to be a part of the funeral service. Therefore, they’re looking for ways to show they care without a lot of effort.

What are they looking for from your website? A quick, simple way to show support or send sympathy gifts. (After all, extended acquaintances are often the last to find out about a loss, so they are looking for fast solutions.)

Longfellow Finnegan Riddle Funeral Home uses The Sympathy Store to offer acquaintances beautiful and appropriate sympathy gifts that can be hand delivered same-day to the funeral home. The store also includes a Florist Choice Bouquet, for those friends and family who are not quite sure what’s appropriate to send.

Once you truly understand the different types of people who are visiting your website, it becomes much easier to connect with them by providing the information they are looking for. However, if you do not have time to create a website that features each one of these essential elements, be sure to check out f1Connect. Our web platform was built both with at-need families and supporting friends and family in mind, and ensures that each person that comes to your website is finding the information they are looking for.

Want to learn more? Check out funeralOne’s all-in-one website platform, f1Connect, by clicking here or calling us at (313) 437-8460 ext. 5!

Joe Joachim

funeralOne

More Posts - Website

Follow Me:
TwitterFacebook

Leave a Reply

Note: You can use basic XHTML in your comments.