Do you remember when eBook readers first came onto the scene? It was 1998 and, at the time, nobody was even thinking about reading books or magazines on anything but paper.

For you youngins out there who’ve grown up reading books on your iPhone or Kindle, get ready to be flabbergasted… Back in 1998, if you were heading away on a summer vacation and wanted to do some beach reading, you had to pack up every book you wanted to bring in your carry on and bring it with you on your adventures. (And you better hope that a least a few of those novels were paperbacks.)

Then one day the eBook reader was announced — an amazing electronic device that could fit every book you’ve ever read right in your pocket — and what was everyone’s first reaction… Amazement? Excitement? Disbelief? More like hesitation and confusion, to put it nicely.

Many people just couldn’t get past the idea that there might be a better, simpler way. After all, nothing was wrong with the way they had always read books in the past. In fact, most people enjoyed doing it that way! So why change things? Reading books on a tablet or on your phone just seemed weird.

So why are we going on and on about people’s initial hesitation about eBook readers?

Because looking back, it sounds ridiculous. Yet it’s the exact same misguided hesitation that many funeral directors across the profession have when it comes to webcasting funerals.

Webcasting Is Taking Over The Planet

When funeralOne first introduced webcasting as a way for out-of-town family and friends to take part in their loved one’s funeral service, we were met with a lot of hesitation.

“Who on earth would want to watch a funeral service online?”

“That seems like an invasion of privacy… I wouldn’t dare sell my families on something like that!”

“People are going to think webcasting an event like a funeral is creepy, and funerals are creepy enough already!”

But we knew even back then just how powerful and valued a service like funeral webcasting would be… especially for the millions of people across the world who move away from their hometowns and can’t always make it back in time for important life events, such as a funeral. We just needed the profession to catch up.

Fast-forward nearly 10 years and live-streaming and webcasting is the hottest trend out there. Facebook Live, Snapchat, Periscope, Instagram Live… today’s generation no longer wants to wait to see what their friends and family post online after an event’s ended. They want to be right there in the middle of it. They want to watch as their loved ones blow out their birthday candles, not just send a birthday card from out of town. They want to hear their loved ones exchange vows, not look through wedding photos after.

People want to take part in these experiences, share the memories, tell the stories… even when they’re half a world away. And never has that been more possible than with webcasting, but still funeral professionals hesitate about offering these services to their families.

How Families (And Funeral Homes) Can Embrace The Trend

When eBooks were first introduced into mainstream culture, it still took a while for people to embrace this new way of reading and buying books… even when innovative tech leaders were preaching from the rooftops about what a game-changer this kind of technology was.

So why were people so hesitant to embrace this newer, more convenient way of doing things? Because they hadn’t seen for themselves the personal, one-on-one impact it could make in their lives. The truth is, most people aren’t the digital-driven, follow-the-trend, buy-the-latest-piece-of-technology kind of audience. They’re just regular people who are used to the way they’ve always done things… just like your families. And you need to show them the value of new trends and technology from their point of view.

The same goes for funeral webcasting.

Here are just few valuable reasons why everyday people, like your funeral staff and the families you serve, should finally embrace innovative this innovative webcasting technology:

1. Extend the support of friends and family

You don’t need us to tell you just how difficult, numbing and overwhelming a funeral can be for the family of the deceased. You see it every single day at your funeral home.

But you also probably see just how big of an impact the support of each and every person walking into the funeral can have on the family. You see their shoulders relax a little bit more with every encouragement or expression of support, or the look of relief and gratitude when they see just how many people were touched by the life of their loved one.

With webcasting, you can extend that net of support even further for the families that you serve, by inviting friends and relatives from all across the world to join in, extend their support, and simply log online to show how much they were impacted by the life that is being celebrated.

2. Globalize the healing power of funerals

Showing support to a family is not the only reason why people attend funerals. As funeral professionals know all too well, these services offer an invaluable opportunity for healing. Every time a new story is told, a new memory is shared, or a new photo is seen, it helps build a strong connection to the person whose life is being celebrated — which, in turn, helps people heal. So it seems like a shame to only offer this healing power to the people who are in town to attend the funeral service.

With funeral webcasting, there is no limit to how many people can benefit from the healing and memorialization that happens at a funeral service. Whether your families have relatives and friends that live miles, states or even continents away, they can all join in together in the amazing healing that comes from attending a funeral service.

3. Offer families another avenue for celebration and remembrance

Everything happens very quickly in the days after you’ve lost a loved one. The arranging, the planning, the viewing, the service… sometimes it can feel like one fast blur that happened one second and then it was over with. And in the months and years that follow, many families look back and wish that they would have been more present in the moment to truly take in the words that the clergy was saying at their loved one’s service, or to remember the stories that their friends and relatives shared.

Thankfully, with webcasting, it’s possible! With LifeTribute’s webcasting software, families are able to look back on their loved one’s service at anytime to rewatch moments, relisten to stories, or even to better face their grief in a healing, healing way. And with their own private link, you can offer your families the opportunity to watch their loved one’s service in private, or surrounded by a group of supporters. It’s their choice.

4. Share stories that would go unheard

One of the best parts of any funeral service are the stories that come out from friends and family that are in attendance. Even just a funny explanation behind an otherwise static photo or a short anecdote shared from a family member can stay with those in attendance for years after. And that’s part of the reason why funerals are so valuable in the first place!

With funeral webcasting, you can make sure that these meaningful, healing stories don’t just stay in the minds of the people in attendance at your funeral home, but with anyone who was ever touched by the life that is being celebrating. This way, they can be spread and shared, completely uninhibited by the limits of distance or miles.

Is YOUR funeral home ready to embrace the value of funeral webcasting once and for all?! Click here to start a FREE 30-Day trial of our LifeTribute’s software, which includes funeral webcasting services! Why wait any longer?!

Rilee Chastain

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