Webinar Notes: Funeral Homes & the New Internet - Web 2.0

Funeral Home & Cemetery Resources from the June 19, 2007 Webinar.

Helpful Resources:
Funeral Futurist eNewsletter
Death Care Web Tutorials
Upcoming Webinars

Definition of Web 2.0 from Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0

Time Person of the Year: You
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1569514,00.html

Social Networks:
MySpace
Facebook
LinkedIn
Friendster
Flickr
MeetUp
My Death Space

YouTube Videos:
Viewing the Deceased Video on YouTube
Viewing the Deceased Video with transcript on Funeral Futurist
Viewing the Deceased Video on Your Funeral Chapel
Other Funeral Futurist Videos on YouTube
Jewish Funeral Practices 101

Definition of Blog from Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog

Sample Blogs:
From The Hep: http://www.fromthehep.com/
Your Funeral Chapel: http://yourfuneralchapel.blogspot.com/
Funeral Words: http://www.funeralwords.com/

Free Blog Site: http://www.blogger.com

Definition of Podcast from Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcast

Google Tools: http://www.google.com/options/
Google Calendar: http://www.google.com/calendar
Docs & Spreadsheets: http://docs.google.com/
iGoogle: http://www.google.com/ig
Google Alerts: http://www.google.com/alerts


Questions Asked During Webinar:

Q. Are there privacy laws that funeral homes should be aware of when considering uploading video memorials / funeral services to YouTube?

A. I would refer to you YouTube's Policy & Copyright Guidelines:
http://www.google.com/support/youtube/bin/topic.py?topic=10550
Also consult the provider of your music for your memorial videos and consider consulting your attorney.

Q. Are these Google tools free of charge or are there fees?

A. As of right now (June 19, 2007) all of the tools mentioned are free from Google. Google does have Enterprise solutions (for large companies) that have costs associated with them. Google monetizes many of its offerings with advertising, so in the future you may see ads associated with these tools and ads incorporated with some YouTube videos.

Q. You mentioned that Google then gives you a higher rating on search engines if you have something on their site (or YouTube). So, do you get a better search result even when searching Robin Heppell or just the video title?

A. It is hard to answer that since my name is in many sites, but conducting a search on Google for Robin Heppell today puts the YouTube video in 9th position with a lot of my sites as well as CANA, ICCFA and LinkedIn in the 1 - 8 positions. Regarding the title, when I search the complete title, "Why View Someone who has Died" the YouTube page is 1st and my page is 2nd. I actually prefer this since Google shows the image of the video, I would hazard a guess that if someone was interested in the question, they would probably watch the video for sure and may then look at other results. Then I would have established a greater connection with the person through the video and then they could connect to my site from the YouTube page. The goal is to have my message first, not just having my website first. As a "Search Engine" note, this blog will eventually rank high for the title of the video Why View Someone who has Died since it has been noted and in bold.

Q. Will Google Calendar synchronize with Outlook?

A. Yes, apparently there are some solutions. I am not promoting either one of these as they are for information only. Remote Calendars and Companion Link
This is one of this summer's projects so feel free to contact me to see what I have decided on.

Free Webinar for Funeral Directors - The New Internet - How will it Affect your Funeral Home

Robin Heppell, Funeral Futurist, will be presenting the first webinar for the Funeral Gurus!

The New Internet - How will it Affect your Funeral Home

This session will identify the new technologies that make up Web 2.0 and how these services may affect funeral homes when helping families especially those who have experienced a death of the younger person - Generation X or Y. An example of Web 2.0 services are MySpace, Blogs, YouTube, Facebook, and podcasts to name a few. This presentation will show how they work and how they can be used during the funeral process.

To Register Click Here

ICCFA Presentation:Marketing to your Community through the Internet

Las Vegas, Nevada - ICCFA 2007 Convention at Mandalay Bay

Presentation Resources for
Marketing to your Community through the Internet

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Original Handouts:
Marketing to Your Community Through the Internet - Handouts

PowerPoint Presentation (.pdf format):
Marketing to Your Community Through the Internet - Presentation.

Supplemented Presentation Handouts:
Marketing to Your Community Through the Internet - Supplemented Handouts

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Order the Video of the Presentation on DVD
If you missed the presentation you can order a DVD recording of the presentation.

Excerpt of DVD
(Quality here has been reduced for Internet viewing)
ICCFA Special price of $35.00 (regular $49.00)

To order by phone or fax click here

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Tutorials on Internet Tools & Strategies
If you would like additional information and tutorials on how to apply some of the strategies covered in the presentation, there are 3 video CDs available:

Death Care Web 1.0

• Checking & selecting domain names
• Using additional domain names
• Email address considerations
• Using viral marketing to maximize web traffic
• Creating & using email signatures
• Using Google Toolbar & Google Alerts
• Using a Anti-Spam checker

Death Care Web 2.0

• Creating a Google Account
• Creating a Blog for your firm
• Creating Posts for your Blog
• Personalize your Google Home Page
  
• Creating your YouTube Account
• Creating an Online Store with Amazon

Your Website vs. Your Competitors’ – A Case Study

• Reviewing Website Codes (Metatags)
• Checking Google rankings vs. competition
• Checking Back Links
• Applying strategies based on analysis

You will receive approx. 1 hour / CD of leading edge tips & tricks, interpreted for Death Care Professionals – applicable instruction that you can’t find anywhere else!

Sample Tutorial - Registering with LinkedIn

All CDs regular price: $49 ICCFA special: $35.
Order all three CDs for $75

To Order by phone or fax click here

Shipping included in North America. All fees are in US Funds.
Orders will be shipped immediately following release.

Funeral Futurist Explains the Many Ways of Reaching your Community via the Internet at ICCFA 2007

Las Vegas, Nevada - ICCFA 2007 Convention at Mandalay Bay

Over 150 delegates attended the Funeral Futurist's presentation on Marketing to your Community through the Internet. In his opening remarks, Heppell stated that Internet usage is rising faster than the cremation rate. The cremation rate in North America is approximately 35% - now double that to 70% and that is the number of Internet users in North America.

He stressed that Internet marketing is more the just website promotion and covered such topics as:

• Considerations in setting up a Web site
• The elements of an effective Web site
• Email collection methods
  
• Electronic newsletters and mailers
• Viral marketing
  

Heppell revealed the results of his pre-convention eNewsletter campaign, which include many of the audience members, as well as informing them about the pros and cons of html vs. text newsletters.

His gem of the presentation was to do with Viral Marketing - using others to spread information. Heppell explained that after every arrangement he makes, and after uploading the obituary to the funeral home website, he sends the following email to all of the family members who provided their email addresses.

Kathleen and James...
I have uploaded the obituary notice to our website at www.YourFuneralChapel.com. You can go to it directly by clicking here. Feel free to forward these links to friends and family as we have found that it is an easy way to let a lot of people know about services times - especially on such short notice. Let me know if you need help with anything else.
...Rob (744-3595)

He then informed them, "This email would get sent to extended family and friends - probably the same people who would send flowers - so hopefully your website has the ability to receive orders!"

Heppell closed the presentation with a sneak peak into how Web 2.0 will affect Funeral Service. Web 2.0 includes blogs, podcasts, YouTube, MySpace, Flickr, Wikipedia, LinkedIn, and even the use of Google's tools such as its Calendar. (click image for video clip)

At the end of the presentation, Steve Moeller of Floral Haven Funeral Home Chapel, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, was selected as the winner of the 30GB iPod drawing of those who responded to the pre-convention survey.

Following the presentation, Robin thanked the delegates and extended a special thanks to Linda Budzinski, Karen Gray, and all of the staff and board members of the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association for an excellent convention!

Note: If you missed the presentation, want a copy of the presentation or handouts, or if you are interested in tutorials on how to apply the strategies discussed in the presentation - click here:
ICCFA Presentation, Handouts, Tutorials & DVD.