Learn 5 Fast steps on how to increase your Google Maps (now Google Places) listing.

Hepp’s Done For You Package!

If you order before August 29, 2010, you will save $200!

Order your Google Places Optimization Package TODAY for only $297 and also receive Your Funeral Home Web Market Analysis 10 page report ($497 value) absolutely FREE – but you need to order today.

DOUBLE GUARANTEE: We will optimize your Google Places listing within 2 Business Days and I guarantee that your rankings will improve in the Google Listings or I will give you 100% of your money back.

If you are on Facebook, you should do this now! This 2:29 video shows you how to claim your Vanity URL for your Facebook page.

Here is the resource list from the seminar, 6 Free Productivity Tools & Tips for Funeral Associations:

• Communications
  • Skype
  • JingProject
• Internet Browsing / Surfing
  • FireFox
• Free Image and Video Software
  • Format Factory
  • Gimp Image Editor
• Information Gathering & Research
  • Google Alerts
  • iGoogle Dashboard
  • Google Reader
• Collaboration
  • Google Docs
• Online File Resources
  • YouConvertIt
  • YouSendIt
• Scheduling
  • WhenIsGood
  • Google Calendar

If you are interested about receiving free articles for your newsletters, please email articles@funeralfuturist.com

If you are interested to co-hosting Online CEU Event, please email onlineceus@funeralfuturist.com

Here is a 9:35 minute video about how you can use Facebook Ads to “Narrow-Cast” – opposite of Broadcast – to connect with specific markets.  Just to let you know, if you are interested getting more training about Facebook Ads at the end of the video I recommend that you register for Ryan Deiss’ Facebook Ad Power program.  Even if you don’t register for his program, you will get some great gems from both my video and his.

www.FuneralFuturist.com/Facebook-Ad-Power

Disclosure: If you register for Ryan’s program through the link above, I will receive a referral fee – but also you will receive free admission to my Funeral Facebook Ads Workshop in March.

Still have questions about Facebook Ads?

Let me know if you have any questions about Facebook Ads, please email them to me at robin@funeralfuturist.com OR leave a comment below…

Thanks.

…Hepp

JUST RELEASED! John Callaghan’s 2010 Edition of his Strategic Marketing Plan

You’ve heard of John Callaghan, haven’t you?

To refresh your memory, he’s one of the industry’s top speakers on funeral home marketing.

In his book, “Strategic Marketing Plan for Funeral Service Professionals” he reveals how funeral homes should market in during tough economic times.

Why am I telling you this?

Recently I convinced John to allow me to grill him during a LIVE 120-minute teleseminar!

It actually went for 2 1/2 hours.

We talked for just over an hour about his book and then we tackled dozens of questions that the attendees submitted.

You can read a partial list of questions below.

Now you can get the Book, Transcripts of the Interview, and the Recordings INSTANTLY – in download format!

89 Pages of Funeral-Specific Marketing Advice

and over 2.5 hours of recordings

(delivered immediately after you purchase below)

$147.00 Now Only $97

Save $50.00

Still Undecided? Have a Free Sample…

Here is the First Chapter of the Book

Click Here for the PDF Sample

Here is a sample of the Interview

$147.00 Now Only $97

Save $50.00

• Partial List of Questions that are answered on the Recordings

  • Could you discuss the use of tasteful humor in funeral home marketing?
  • Telephones, yellow page ads – How do you set yourself apart?
  • How do I market my firm against the “low price firm” in the market place?
  • What are your thoughts on marketing during tough economic times? Is it actually a time when you can get more bang for your buck, attract a wider audience etc?
  • How do we use permission marketing in funeral service, especially with the increasing use of online guest books and internet communications with our customers?
  • With a downtown location and smaller parking area, how do you compete with funeral home not downtown and more parking area?
  • What is the most effective advertising in a small rural community? Should we sponsoring and attending community events, sponsor information seminars, weekly newspaper ads, local magazines etc?
  • Are there new words in the death care language that are more acceptable to the public?
  • What kind of ad and or marketing should a funeral home do in response to a cremation society’s direct mailing piece that they continue to do in our community?
  • When asked why our funeral home was chosen, my family follow up surveys reflect that I receive 0 calls from advertising. How should I interpret this?
  • How do you get the message out to Hospice that there are many more options for a family other than direct cremation?
  • What would the best way to market a second location in the next city with two corporate competitors presently operate there?
  • How do you determine what are the most effective strategies?
  • When conducting market research in my area, what are some good sources for Secondary data or information regarding the opinions and buying preferences of ANY of my target markets?
  • I’m in a small market. How do I attract more calls, when it appears, my competitor has more money for unlimited advertising?
  • How can I get people out of the mindset that cremation means no viewing?
  • I’m losing market share to a new funeral home, How can I combat an upstate with a better location?
  • If we have a web site, what are the best strategies to make certain that someone using a search engine, such as Google, will see our listing at the top of the results list? Are there other techniques that can be used in addition to the “keywords” that are embedded into the pages of the site?
  • What is the best way to counteract, “I want the cheapest funeral?
  • I am an independent operated firm in my town with two other firms who are corporate run, what can I do in ads to beat them as competitors?
  • What medium is the best advertising in a conservative area?

My two main predictions can also be taken as warnings. They are strategies being played out on the internet right now and will only become more of a factor in 2010 – not that they will harm your business dramatically in 2010 but they will start to slowly erode it (if you let them).

1. Virtual Funeral Homes. These are not completely virtual businesses but are physical funeral homes that are creating a virtual presence covering a larger geographically area or even “testing the waters” in a larger or new trade area. We have seen Cremation Societies reach beyond their traditional trade area and you will other websites catering to a larger area, but being headquartered in their established bricks and mortar funeral home. Some may see this as a warning while other may see it as an opportunity.

2. Online Call Poachers. You probably haven’t heard of this term, but I couldn’t come up with a better way to name this “new player” into funeral service. These are information and resource websites about funeral service. They provide helpful information to consumers, answering questions, and maybe even providing a directory of funeral homes. These were once thought of as helpful directory sites but as they continue to add more information to their websites, they will become “funeral information juggernauts” that will rank at the top of Google and the other search engines for funeral related terms – even local terms.

Some of these sites may charge for featured listings in there directories, but what will be inevitable is that they will start receiving first calls (as people hit the Internet for information upon learning of the death of their loved one). At that point, they hold in their hand a Call that could get passed on to whoever they want to give it to – in some cases the highest bidder. They will become the online equivalent of the minister or hospice worker who can steer a family to one funeral home over another.

I am not saying that all directories and resource websites will do this but some will. This form of Lead Capture – or what I call in our industry “Call Poachers” – is actually an Internet Marketing Strategy that I have seen be taught and used in other industries where these marketers become conduit for leads and then direct them to the highest bidder. For some funeral homes, they be happy paying the “finders fee” to these companies, while others may want to control the “virtual real estate” in their market by being the go-to source for funeral information in their area.

I hate to have a negative tone while looking into a bright future, but I just want to make you aware of what is happen in the “virtual” world around you.

What are your thoughts? Please share your comments below…

You may have received an email from Mike Kubasak today his Price Shopper program. In the holiday spirit, I thought that I should share with you a SECRET TIP that you can use the next time you get a Price Shopper that will INSTANTLY build RAPPORT and CREDIBILITY with the caller – even if they want to *Think About It* – because the more COMFORTABLE they feel with you the more likely they will choose your funeral home over your competitor.

This STRATEGY can be done at the beginning or the end of the call – make sure you read both scenarios…

At the Beginning of the Phone Call as you introduce yourself…

“Hello, my name is Robin. I understand you want information about funeral costs. I will be happy to provide that information for you.  Do you have a pen and some paper handy? Ok, first just jot down this number: 250-686-4576.  It is my cell phone number and I wanted you to have it just in case we get cut off or if you need to contact me later for more information you can reach me directly, once again it’s 250-686-4576.”

At the End of the Phone Call if they are not making a decision right now…

Robin says: “I understand that you are just gathering information right now and I just want to let you know that if you have any other questions, you may call me at anytime. Here is my cell phone number – 250-686-4576 – if questions come up when you are discussing things with the rest of the family. Once again it’s 250-686-4576.”

So the SECRET TIP is giving the caller your CELL PHONE NUMBER.

What does giving your cell phone number accomplish?

It helps BUILD RAPPORT and TRUST (Mike has a complete section on rapport building in his Price Shopper Secrets program).

You see, you can’t just say “TRUST ME” you have to “EARN TRUST” and by offering to give the caller your cell phone number – something that most people only give to their closest friends – you are DEMONSTRATING TRUST!

Now you might be thinking, I really don’t feel comfortable giving my cell phone to a stranger? But I am guessing that over the last couple of years there has been an occasion or two where you have given your cell number to a client family and maybe you give it to them on a regular basis.  So why not treat the price caller like a client family – isn’t that the GOAL anyway – to have them as a CLIENT FAMILY?

Let me know your successes with the Price Shopper Cell Phone Tip.  It’s free to try and if it doesn’t work then stop offering it but you will be amazed how the tone of the conservation will change after applying this Trust Building Strategy.

If you want more Price Shopper Secrets take Mike up on his CRAZY OFFER below. I helped Mike put the course together and it is packed with tips and strategies that you can share with your entire staff and also use for FUTURE TRAINING and STAFF MEETINGS.

Plus, he has a 100% Results-Based GUARANTEE- so if you don’t win more pricing calls, you don’t pay!

You can order it here: http://www.priceshoppersecrets.com/cell/

I wish you all the best for 2010 – especially more calls!

…Hepp

I get a lot of questions from funeral home owners about how they should advertise their funeral homes. The main reason why these questions come my way is that they are dissatisfied with the results they get from their current advertising. Most of the time the reason why they are not getting the results that they want is that they are advertising like they are a huge, national company (because those are the ads that we see everyday).

Nike estimates that it has spent $ 1 Billion on creating its brand. When small businesses like small to medium sized, family-owned funeral homes advertise – who don’t have a Nike-sized marketing budget – it is better for you to focus on building and nurturing relationships, than to try to build an inanimate brand.

When someone dies, the family is going to think of people who can help them – not just a logo.

Since marketing companies in Funeral Service generally help large funeral homes “brand” their businesses, there is a lack of information and advice on what is the best way for smaller funeral homes (500 calls and under) to market their businesses. Because of this, in 2010 I am going to help these small to medium sized, family-owned funeral homes market their businesses in the most effective way possible.

To do this, I am going to use real examples from funeral homes and identify the good points and also make suggestions on how the marketing can be improved.  This is where the contest comes in…

I will be giving away:

• 1 of 10 copies of Bill Glazer’s best selling book “OUTRAGEOUS Advertising”
• 2 tickets to Bill Glazer’s Outrageous Academy & Workshop event in Orlando in January (See Details Below)
• Bonus: For the 1st 30 entries, you will receive a free, 30 minute, private, one-on-one consultation with me to discuss any funeral-related topic you choose.

To Enter the Funeral Home Advertising Contest, submit 1 advertising example from each of the following categories:

• Yellow page ad (scanned and added as an attachment)
• Print ad – from church bulletin or newspaper (scanned and added as an attachment)
• Website (include your URL to your funeral home’s website)
• Optional: Other online advertising – Facebook Fan Page Facebook ad, Google Adwords PPC ad, banner ad for online newspaper (please scan or recreate if PPC of Facebook ad and then add as an attachment)

ENTER FUNERAL HOME ADVERTISING CONTEST HERE
(if email link doesn’t work, email your submission to robin@funeralfuturist.com with the subject: Funeral Home Advertising Contest)

Conditions: This contest is eligible for family-owned funeral homes only. By submitting your advertising samples you are giving me permission to use them in my upcoming courses and training materials. Prize winners will be selected randomly. The submission deadline is December 24, 2009.  Submissions received after the 24th will not be eligible for prizes. This contest is void where prohibited by law. The winner of the 2 tickets to the OUTRAGEOUS Academy & Workshop is responsible for their own travel, lodging, and other expenses.

“The OUTRAGEOUS Academy & Workshop” – January 15-17, 2010 – Orlando, FL

• BILL GLAZER teaching a FULL DAY OUTRAGEOUS Workshop
• BOB PARSONS (from Go Daddy) showing his OUTRAGEOUS TV Ads that made Go Daddy the #1 domain register worldwide
• YANIK SILVER “How To Create an OUTRAGEOUSLY, Ridiculous Advantage in Your Market Place to Truly Dominate Your Customers Wallets and Mindshare “
• DR. GREG NIELSEN “The Reclusive ‘Backwoods Doctor’ Shares His Most OUTRAGEOUS Marketing Secrets Regardless Of The Business Your In”
• PAUL HARTUNIAN “OUTRAGEOUS Publicity = OUTRAGEOUS Sales = An OUTRAGEOUS Life “
• SCOTT STRATTEN “OUTRAGEOUS Viral Marketing”
• MIKE CAPUZZI “OUTRAGEOUS Copywriting Cosmetics for OUTRAGEOUSLY Profitable Response”
• Special Guest Appearance: DAN KENNEDY presenting “The 10 Most OUTRAGEOUS Marketing Strategies I’ve Ever Used”

I will be presenting at the Kates-Boylston’s 4th Annual Funeral Service Business Plan Conference being held Nov. 19-20 in Clearwater Beach, Fla.

Here is a 15:53 minute video where I pull back the curtain and show you my planning and brainstorming process when I create a presentation. This video also details what you will learn during my presentation.

If you haven’t heard of the “Business Plan” conference it is guaranteed to boost your operating profit. Along with the other speakers, I intend on helping you develop a strategic plan that’s actionable, concise and achievable. You’ll come with ideas, and leave with a plan.

Along with all the learning, there will also be plenty of time for networking and fun. On Nov. 18, from 6 to 8 p.m. (just after you’ve checked in and had a bit of time to unwind), you’ll enjoy a tour of one of Anderson-McQueen’s locations – Bill and John are leaders in innovation (and implementation) is funeral service. While there, you’ll enjoy light refreshments and time with fellow attendees. There will also be cocktail hours along with breakfasts and lunches. This is one event you won’t want to miss.

Use the order form below to register, and if you tell them “Hepp says $50 off” then you will receive $50 off of the registration fee. I hope to see you Florida!