It’s tempting to dedicate the last few weeks of December to New Year’s Resolutions and lining up your goals for the New Year ahead. But there’s one essential step that you can’t skip out on between wrapping up 2017 and kicking off 2018 with a bang…

Before you start creating your January productivity checklists and mapping out your goals for 2018, don’t forget about the importance of reflection.

One of our favorite exercises to do every year between Christmas and New Years is a retrospective on the last year. We set aside a couple of hours to look back on everything that we have experienced over the last 12 months — What were the biggest trends of the year? What feedback did we hear from families and funeral professionals? What are our biggest areas for improvement?

(Want to perform this exercise for yourself personally? Check out our Personal Retrospective Template we share on our Tools You Can’t Live Without Trello Board. Click here to access it.)

It’s only once you reflect back on the year as a whole and take in everything that happened that you can begin to map out your future in 2018. To help you get started, we want to hear YOUR biggest takeaways from 2017, and see how they match up against the rest of the funeral profession. (Plus, follow our tips below to help plan the most successful 2018 possible.)

A look back on 2017…

What was your primary goal for the year?

Tip for 2018: To make sure that you are achieving the goals that you set out for yourself and staying on top of the tasks that go into each goal, try adopting different key business tools that work for you – such as a task management program or brainstorming app. We have listed some our favorites on our Tools You Can’t Live Without Trello board. Click here to check them out.

What was the biggest funeral trend you saw?

Tip for 2018: Struggling to decide which trends you should embrace at your funeral home and which are just passing fads? Try breaking down the value that each trend offers. For instance, don’t just add an eCommerce store onto your funeral website simply to have one. Add the right eCommerce store, that will help connect your families to local florist, simplify the support process, and even add additional revenue to your funeral home’s bottom line. This will bring both you and the families you serve long-term value.

To learn more about what features you should look for from a sympathy flower and gifts eCommerce store, click here to talk to one of our website success specialists.

What was the most requested funeral song?

Tip for 2018: Meaningful and personal songs are still one of the most popular ways for families to personalize their loved one’s services. Help your families choose a song that celebrates this loved one and honors them in the right tone with this handy infographic → What Song Should You Play At A Funeral?

What was your most highly requested “funeral theme?”

Tip for 2018: Centering a loved one’s funeral service around a theme — such as a hobby they had, a sport they played, or even their career path — is another great way to add personalized elements into a funeral. One of our favorite ways to incorporate themes into a service is through a Tribute video. Our Life Tributes software has over several themes to celebrate everyone from a beloved grandma or avid fisherman, to a hunter or loving father.

To try out these themes for yourself, click here to sign up for a FREE 30 day trial of our Life Tributes software.

What was your favorite way to personalize funerals?

Tip for 2018: Thanks to websites like Pinterest, there are an endless number of easy, fast and even do-it-yourself ways to personalize a funeral service. To get inspired in the New Year, check out some of our favorite ideas below:

• 10 Personalization Ideas That Will Help You Create A Pinterest-Worthy Funeral Celebration
• 4 Completely Amazing Funeral Personalization Ideas To Embrace In 2017
• 8 MORE Wedding Personalization Ideas Funeral Pros Should Steal

What was your favorite marketing tool?

Tip for 2018: Digital marketing is more important than ever if you want to reach today’s families when they need your services… and your website is the single most important tool you have at your disposal. With a successful funeral home website, you can reach families who are searching for local funeral services, provide people with support and resources that teach them the value of what you do, and even help family and friends show their support after a loss.

To learn more about how to make your funeral home website work for you in 2018, click here to talk to one of our website success specialists.

Rilee Chastain

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