Every death care professional has a remarkable nugget of information that blows people’s minds… What’s yours? It might be the beautiful customer story that you tell at parties, a piece of amazing research unique to your area of expertise, or an upcoming new product launch that will revolutionize your sector. At Connecting Directors, we’ve realized that these rich stories can benefit our incredible readers in two ways. First, they provide compelling and actionable information that will help you find success in your death care career. Second, these stories can help progressive death care businesses grow by promoting new products and services that are genuinely advancing funeral care and shaping the future. We are excited to launch a new format for advertising on Connecting Directors that utilizes the viral sharing capabilities and passionate community that we’ve been nurturing for the last decade. Sponsored Posts are our most powerful advertising option giving you access to our mailing list of 12,000+, our social media reach, and our 23,000 average monthly funeral professional readers. Want to learn more and instantly reach thousands of death care professionals? Click below to download our Sponsored Post Explainer Presentation. This pdf presentation is easy to share and present to colleagues and explains the statistics you can expect, includes an impressive case-study, and outlines the cost. We are limiting Sponsored Posts to one-per-week so reserve your dates today! The post Use Viral Sharing to Grow Your Business with New Sponsored Post Advertising appeared first on Connecting Directors. Use Viral Sharing to Grow Your Business with New Sponsored Post Advertising published first on YouTube via Tumblr Use Viral Sharing to Grow Your Business with New Sponsored Post Advertising
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Social Media and Your Pre-need Strategy | A Campfire Chat with Dean Lambert and Ryan Thogmartin10/24/2018 Dean Lambert (Homesteaders Life Company) and Ryan Thogmartin (DISRUPT Media), teamed up for a campfire chat at NFDA 2018 to discuss why social media should be a major part of your pre-need sales strategy. Watch and listen to this tag team discussion. About Ryan Thogmartin: Ryan Thogmartin is a deathcare entrepreneur and the CEO of DISRUPT Media and creator of ConnectingDirectors.com. | Follower of Christ | Husband | Father | Entrepreneur | Host of #DISRUPTu! and #FUNERALnationtv | Lover of Skittles About DISRUPT Media: Most deathcare companies struggle with Facebook marketing. We provide a process for creating personalized Facebook content that will drive community engagement and measurable leads ensuring growth and profitability. Schedule a demo: https://www.disruptmedia.co The post Social Media and Your Pre-need Strategy | A Campfire Chat with Dean Lambert and Ryan Thogmartin appeared first on Connecting Directors. Social Media and Your Pre-need Strategy | A Campfire Chat with Dean Lambert and Ryan Thogmartin published first on YouTube via Tumblr Social Media and Your Pre-need Strategy | A Campfire Chat with Dean Lambert and Ryan Thogmartin Orlando, FL – Foundation Partners Group, a leading provider of innovative funeral and cemetery experiences and products, has announced the acquisition of Lienkaemper Funeral Chapels and Thomason Funeral Home and Crematory. The acquisition of this firm expands Foundation Partner’s network in southern Idaho and eastern Oregon from five to nine locations. “Gary and Debby Trick have created a wonderful culture based on the values we promote as a company,” stated Bob Bukala, President and CEO of Foundation Partners Group. “Their commitment to their community and their employees is reflected in the growth they have experienced since purchasing the businesses more than 10 years ago. We’re fortunate to be able to add them to the Foundation Partners family.” “When Debby and I decided it was time to slow down a bit, we wanted to ensure that our staff was taken care of,” stated Gary Trick. “We did our homework and determined that Foundation Partners Group possesses a great sense of caring throughout the organization and goes out of their way to take care of employees – just like they are family.” “With Foundation Partners Group, we can continue to run the firms as we have in the past, but with the ability to take advantage of their many innovative resources,” added Debby Trick. “We have found that Foundation Partners is not a faceless corporation; they are a privately-held company where the leadership team is accessible and personable.” “Gary and Debby’s story of returning to their hometown where they grew up and serving the families in their community showcases what is good about the funeral profession,” stated Jason Widing, Vice President of Business Development at Foundation Partners Group. “They epitomize the type of operation with which we strive to partner. We are indeed fortunate to now have them as part of the Foundation Partners family.” About Foundation Partners Group: Foundation Partners Group (FPG) is a leading provider of innovative funeral and cemetery experiences and products. As one of the largest privately-owned funeral and cemetery operators, FPG owns and operates funeral homes, cremation centers and cemeteries in 17 states, and is actively seeking to expand its locations throughout the U.S. With headquarters in Orlando, Florida, FPG is committed to revolutionizing the funeral profession through their innovative ShareLife® customer experience-centered approach and harnessing the power of relationship and partnership. For more information, visit the Foundation Partners Group website at www.foundationpartners.com. The post Foundation Partners Group Adds Lienkaemper-Thomason Funeral Homes appeared first on Connecting Directors. Foundation Partners Group Adds Lienkaemper-Thomason Funeral Homes published first on YouTube via Tumblr Foundation Partners Group Adds Lienkaemper-Thomason Funeral Homes Family satisfaction is at the heart of any successful funeral home. Happy customers = a thriving funeral business. It’s a really simple idea, and yet it can be easy to overlook the details of family satisfaction. When things get busy, things can easily go into auto pilot in the family satisfaction department. As easy it […] The post 7 Easy Ways to Increase Family Satisfaction At Your Funeral Home appeared first on funeralOne Blog. 7 Easy Ways to Increase Family Satisfaction At Your Funeral Home published first on YouTube via Tumblr 7 Easy Ways to Increase Family Satisfaction At Your Funeral Home Humans have a 100% mortality rate yet the vast majority of us don’t like to talk about our end of life plans. The upcoming Before I Die New Mexico Festival is working to change this by helping people think and talk about death and dying. If you’re not sure how to get your affairs in […] via Tumblr Get Your End-of-Life Affairs in Order We get the chance to go one-on-one with, David McComb, owner of Inman Shipping Worldwide, thought leader and industry veteran, to discuss all things Inman and the future of funeral service. The post Changes Happening at Inman Shipping Worldwide appeared first on Connecting Directors. Changes Happening at Inman Shipping Worldwide published first on YouTube via Tumblr Changes Happening at Inman Shipping Worldwide Last week, the Competition and Markets Authority published the findings of the consumer research undertaken as part of their Funeral Markets Study. It makes interesting reading. The research was commissioned from Research Works and Ipsos MORI as part of the attempt to understand the behaviour, experiences and decision-making of people who had recently engaged the services of a funeral director. We read through all the findings and felt that there were some important points that should be highlighted. We quote directly from the research: ‘Levels of knowledge of the funerals marketplace were generally very low in this sample. Consumer knowledge about how to arrange a funeral was broad and relatively vague, but finding out more did not appeal, other than finding a funeral director to take on the task of making the arrangements when required.’ ‘When they first started thinking about the funeral arrangements, most respondents thought that funerals were expensive.’ ‘Broadly, the expense of funerals was accepted and not scrutinised at the point of need, as long as it fit with respondents’ ‘ballpark’ estimates. However, reflecting back on the funerals they organised, a small group of respondents questioned why funerals were so expensive and to what extent this cost was justified.’ ‘Most respondents did not compare two or more funeral directors to help them decide which funeral director to use.’ ‘… a large group of respondents felt under time pressure to organise the funeral as quickly as possible, minimising the time or will they had for comparing funeral directors. A large group also reported emotional distress as one of the factors for not shopping around, as they felt that would have added more burden at an already difficult time. The research also found that cultural sensitivities around funerals may make some uncomfortable to shop around based on price, as this may be perceived in negative terms (e.g. as putting a ‘price tag’ on the deceased or not caring enough for them).’ There’s lots more to read if you want a more detailed understanding of the findings of the research, but on the whole, it appears that: Most people don’t want to think about arranging a funeral until they must. Most people expect funerals to be expensive (well done life insurance companies and funeral plan providers, the media regurgitation of the astronomical figures attributed to the cost of dying and all those relentless adverts on day time TV seem to be working well…). Most people don’t challenge the funeral cost that they are presented with. Most people don’t compare two or more funeral directors before engaging one. Most people are unaware that there can be considerable variations in the prices charged by different funeral directors. Most people are unaware of ways in which funeral costs can be managed or reduced. Many people feel pressurised to organise a funeral quickly. All respondents wanted a local funeral director. Most people would not change the funeral director once they had chosen them, even if problems arose in the service they received. Pretty much what we at the GFG have been saying for years. There’s little appetite among the public to think about funerals in detail, funerals are expected to be costly and the idea of shopping around between funeral directors is viewed as something rather not nice. Bereaved people on the whole are uninformed, unwilling or unable to become informed for a multitude of reasons – and, even for those who want to be, unable to easily find the information that would enable them to be better informed. We expect that when the CMA publishes its final report later this year, these findings will form part of the conclusions, and will add weight to the growing momentum towards some form of regulation of the funeral industry. The conclusions of the CMA research are re-printed below: “The research suggests that the funerals market does not seem to work as well as it might when: Consumers lack experience of arranging funerals. Those with experience of arranging funerals are much more likely to scrutinise how many services they ask the funeral director to provide, and the cost of individual elements, as well as overall cost levels. The funeral is being paid for from the deceased’s estate and they have specified their wishes. The person arranging the funeral may not perceive themselves as ‘owning’ the purchase, so their main concern is with ensuring the deceased’s wishes are followed and they are not as motivated to scrutinise the cost. Consumers feel under pressure to move the deceased person’s body from the place where they have died (e.g. their home, care home) and subsequently make a decision about a funeral director very quickly, typically based on very little information about funeral directors available in an area. Consumers attempt to find cost information online. There is a perceived lack of cost information available on funeral director websites and consumers appear unlikely to use other sources of information (such as price comparison websites). Consumers are located in a rural environment, where the choice of local funeral director is assumed and prices are not discussed until after the event.” Both funeral industry trade associations also published their responses to the research last week – the National Association of Funeral Directors welcomed the results of the research in a press release here. (It’s an impressive exercise in skimming over issues raised by the research, focusing approvingly instead on the points that people ‘overwhelmingly want to follow the wishes of the person who died’, and that funeral directors were chosen on ‘locality and previous experience’.) A more considered and comprehensive response from the National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors acknowledged some of the concerns raised by the findings and highlighted two issues in particular: the CMA’s claim that trade associations do not offer consumer protection and concerns over transparency of ownership. Funeral Markets Study – research findings published first on YouTube via Tumblr Funeral Markets Study – research findings Watch the boys extended live show from the NFDA Expo in Salt Lake City. Stay tuned for their NFDA post show this week with insights and observations. The post We Go LIVE from NFDA 2018 | Funeral Nation 127 appeared first on Connecting Directors. We Go LIVE from NFDA 2018 | Funeral Nation 127 published first on YouTube via Tumblr We Go LIVE from NFDA 2018 | Funeral Nation 127 R.I.P. Resources Inc. announced today the selection of the Travel Plan by Inman as their new travel plan provider for RIPRETURN. You might assume that with a company named “R.I.P. Resources” that they’re in the funeral profession. Well, not exactly. RIP helps funeral homes to grow their business by standing out from their competitors or as their brandscript indicates: ‘Be The Funeral Home People Choose Most.’ Scott Misick, Co-Founder of RIP Resources, “With standard services and merchandise options found at almost all funeral homes, combined with marketing messages that seldom connect with people — the consumer audience is confused. Using the most proven to work StoryBrand framework along with service options focused on survivors and executors; there’s a paradigm-shifting approach to connecting with people that gives you the competitive advantage to help families understand the value in choosing your funeral home.” “The Travel Plan by Inman is the superior choice. Their entire team and the superior service they deliver complements our offerings to the funeral professional,” said Constance Misick, Co-Founder of RIP Resources, “we’re extremely pleased with the opportunity to work with the oldest and largest international repatriation company established.” “We are looking forward to working with the RIP Resources team,” states Dave McComb, Inman Shipping Worldwide CEO. The services they offer will greatly benefit the funeral professional.” The Travel Plan by Inman offers peace of mind in knowing loved ones will not have to worry about details or cost should they die away from home. A one-time fee covers the cost of bringing a loved one home for ceremony if they die more than 100 miles from home. This coverage is good for anywhere in the world. Costs could range anywhere from $1,500 – $15,000. For more information on R.I.P. Resources Contact: Constance Misick at: [email protected] Scott Misick at: [email protected] RIP’s Service Network: For more information of the Travel Plan by Inman: Contact Lori Davis (260) 247-2202 or lori.davis@shipinman. The post R.I.P. Resources Selects the Travel Plan by Inman as Their Travel Plan Provider appeared first on Connecting Directors. R.I.P. Resources Selects the Travel Plan by Inman as Their Travel Plan Provider published first on YouTube via Tumblr R.I.P. Resources Selects the Travel Plan by Inman as Their Travel Plan Provider The second annual Before I Die New Mexico Festival is just 10 days away! News coverage is starting to appear. Watch today’s interview about the Festival on KRQE-TV: I’m especially looking forward to the Dia de los Muertos party in a cemetery on October 31. We’ll be serving beer and wine that features the muerto […] via Tumblr The Latest Before I Die NM Festival Schedule |
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