Marketing

Posted by Richard Rawlinson

While many undertakers’ websites offer useful information for those planning funerals, they’re understandably not impartial, being the marketing platforms of commercial companies. Compare and contrast, for example, these words from both mainstream undertakers and specialists in their given niche (simple funerals, woodland burials etc).

A full-service, family-run chain says this of direct cremation:

Direct cremation may be the least expensive but we’d advise that it’s not for everyone. There is no ceremony at the crematorium. The funeral takes place at a time and date to suit us. This pared-down service is designed for people who want minimum fuss and who may wish to have a larger ceremony at a later date.  As funeral directors, we are conscious that the evolution of traditional funeral rites reflects our need as human beings to bid farewell to a life with a degree of ceremony and communality which helps us to bear our loss.    

A direct cremation specialist says:

Using my service removes so much of the stress from an extremely difficult time, and provides the family with their loved one’s ashes, complete in solid wood casket, for whatever style of farewell they may then wish, and at a time and location of their choice.

A traditional undertaker says this about embalming:

Embalming is a temporary preservation process which is required where the deceased is to be buried overseas. It is also advisable in the following circumstances: where there is to be viewing; when there is going to be a delay between the date of death and the funeral; in times of exceptionally hot weather. Whether or not embalming is appropriate in any particular case is a matter upon which we would be pleased to offer you advice.     

Green undertaker scarcely mention embalming at all, except perhaps as an aside:

[Woodland burials] offer an ecological alternative to traditional burials and are sometimes but by no means always less expensive. The land is managed with the environment in mind and the land is reverted back to woodland or meadows. Instead of a traditional headstone, sometimes a tree is planted with a plaque and environmentally friendly coffins made from materials such as bamboo, wicker or cardboard are used. The body is not embalmed with harmful chemicals.

A large funeral director says this of humanist funerals (a slight bias towards the less exclusively-atheist civil celebrants perhaps?).

The term ‘humanist funeral’ is often used to describe a non-religious funeral, or one which may have religious elements, but is not led by a religious leader. In fact, a Humanist funeral is essentially atheist rather than agnostic or multi-faith. When the congregated mourners are of many faiths or the deceased was an agnostic, the most fitting approach may be to use a civil, non-religious or secular celebrant. These celebrants are open to the inclusion of readings, prayers, hymns and music which derive from any spiritual or religious traditions relevant to the deceased and the congregation. 

Meanwhile, an undertaker somewhat renowned for its religious funerals seems keen to make clear its diversity:

As a company, we represent no single culture, race, religion or nationality and will assist you in whatever requirements you have. Should you need help in finding a religious or non-religious celebrant to conduct the funeral or advise you regarding a religion that may not be your own, we will gladly help. We warmly welcome people from all cultures and all religions or none. 

An email arrived here recently from a person who has been struck by the way undertakers dress their windows. ‘Dreadful’ is one of the adjectives she used, ‘depressing’ another. She’d like to set up a small business and put them right.

Whether or not undertakers’ windows are on the whole dressed badly is a matter of perception. An assortment of tombstones, the window sticker of a trade association, a vase of faded artificial flowers and a fan of pamphlets selling Golden Fleece funeral plans – is that okay or is it dreadful and depressing? In truth, you rarely see much in most undertakers’ windows to raise the spirits of yer average potential customer, nor evidence of the exercise of much imagination, aesthetic intelligence or marketing acumen.

Did I say customer? I meant client, of course. Funeral Directors are professionals. They term themselves Funeral Directors to distance themselves from the unlettered, scurrilous undertakers of yore. The modern use of the word undertaker denotes an artisan funeral director, an altogether different fish, one we can dissect another day. Artisan, of course, doesn’t mean what it used to mean, either; it’s gone (socially) upmarket like artisan toast.

What other professional operates out of a shop? I mean, I was going to say, lawyers announce their presence with nobbut a discreet brass plaque, but actually, come to think of it, a lot of them now have something of a shopfront. As do banks, and banking is a profession, right? What are estate agents?

Does it matter? You can tie yourself in knots arguing one way or the other about whether undertaking is a trade or a profession and it’s only status anxiety that causes undertakers to fret about it. Journalists don’t. (They’re trade.)

Undertakers aren’t there to flog you stuff, so you wouldn’t expect their windows to follow the retail model. Nor is there anything they can put in them to tempt people to avail themselves of their services before they absolutely need them — it’s only sad necessity that draws them over the threshold.

Nevertheless, a window is a potent marketing tool – and as they say, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. It’s a place where you can transmit key messages about your professionalism which will bear fruit when people find themselves bereaved.

What messages should a shop window transmit? Answer: what people want to hear, of course. Here are some.

The attribute that bereaved people rate most highly is empathy. Kindness if you prefer.

They want to know that you are a member of the human race and not one of those weird sotto voce types from planet BlackMac.

They want to know that you possess specialist skills and expertise of a high order.

They want to know that you have a vocation; that you are motivated by altruism (not greed and an ambition to sell out to FSP as fast as you can).

They want to know you are honest and open in your commercial dealings.

They want to know you have organisational skills.

They want evidence that your qualities are endorsed by someone on the side of the consumer.

You’ll tell me which ones I’ve missed.

How you get all or even some of those messages into a window display I haven’t a clue. But if I were an undertaker I’d be working on it. If you can create in people a warm regard long before they need you, you can probably halve your advertising spend.

Trawling through a stack of local papers of a weary Friday afternoon, the GFG’s gannet-eyed media monitoring team came across some advertorial in the Ipswich Star which gladdened their eyes. It was half a page of advertorial celebrating the first birthday of GM Taylor, Independent Funeral Director.

They very much liked its directness and transparency. One said, “This is exactly how undertakers ought to define their relationship with their clients.” Another murmured, “Coffins on the internet… prices in the window…” A third hazarded, “Ken West would probably like this one.” Here is some of the text:

“There is no law that states a family must use a funeral director and a lot can be done by the family if they wish to do so. We can do as much or as little as the family request us to do – if a family wishes to buy a coffin from the internet and only use our chapel of rest, for example, we are only too happy to assist. Or, if a family requires us to only collect the deceased, again we are only too pleased to assist and we will adjust our prices accordingly.

“We have a price structure that lets a family know the breakdown of our professional services. We also advertise all our prices on our website, and in our shop window.”

You can read the whole piece here:  GM Taylor advertorial

The window of the Individual Funeral Company, Oxford. 

Proprietor Lucy Jane tells us: ‘Almost everything in the window was donated by my cousins Lewis & Chay Coulbert and was used by them in Afghanistan. They also gave me lots of pictures. The large one in the front of the window is Lewis while he was in the Grenadier Guards with the Queen.’

Have you seen a really good Remembrance Day window? Snap it and send it in, please! 

Undertakers aren’t noted for versatility when it comes to window-dressing, and they’re not to be blamed for this. If you’re in the death business there’re all sorts of things you simply can’t put on display.  

Not that this in any way excuses an assortment of dusty headstones and urns dotted by dead flies and flanked by faded plastic flowers. There’s no excuse for not trying. 

Remembrance Day, though, gives undertakers’ windows a rare topicality and licenses a riot of colour. All at once, our undertakers can ride the public mood and fill their windows with of all manner of patriotic commemorabilia. 

That time of year is with us once more and, as you can see above, Park Funeral Directors in Barry, Wales, have already put on a pretty good show. 

We welcome any other pics of outstanding undertakers’ windows. Please send yours to charles@goodfuneralguide.co.uk

Now that most funeral directors have a website it’s a good time to review the way they receive visitors on their home page. It’s a darn difficult one to get right and no mistaking. After all, no one wants to buy a funeral. So how do you allay fears, define and differentiate yourself,  inspire warmth and trust? How do you address needs and wishes when you’ve only got a five seconds to hook them?

Here are some draft tips for FDs. I hope you will hone them with your customary no-holds-barred comments – and add some of your own.

Go easy on the ancestors

It’s cool to show your roots but they don’t actually make you any better than lots of first-generation businesses. Make genealogy relevant — and for goodness’ sake make sense. Avoid:

As a 5th generation independent family run concern, our success depends on your satisfaction.

Don’t make a bad thing worse

The last thing they want to hear is this: 

When you suffer bereavement, a funeral for a member of your family is the most difficult day of your life.

Park the cars

Funeral shoppers are looking for nice people, not people with nice cars. To most of them, all hearses look the same. 

Hide your status anxiety

Leading a funeral procession is a role you play. The first person they want to see in a photo is the real you.  Lighten up on the black and the fancy clobber — you don’t need to big yourself up. 

We like this photo   

But we concede that these two look terrific              

Cut the flowery twaddle

Don’t alienate yourself by talking like a bygone age. Write as people speak now.

As professional and compassionate funeral directors, we are conscious of the responsibility, trust and confidence bestowed upon us.

On initial contact we will ask for preliminary details, whereupon if the deceased has died at home, in hospital or in a private buy liquid tadalafil online nursing home we will advise the conveyance of the deceased to our private chapel.

We incorporate the profound values of honesty, trust and professionalism, offering an exclusive service for families and their loved ones.

Kill your jargon

Hygienic treatment and attendances to the deceased are considered to be very important by our company.

Do away with ‘disbursements’ and ‘floral tributes’. While you’re about it, try and avoid ‘caring’ and ‘dignified’, too, if you can. They’re a bit worn.

Talk to your reader, not about yourself

It is a rare privilege to be a funeral director, to stand in a sensitive position at a crucial time in the midst of your family

Proud to be an independant?

Then get your text professionally proofread.

If you can’t get the spelling, grammar and punctuation right on your own website, what does that say about your ability to arrange a funeral?

No one can be cremated untill the caurse of death is definitely known. There are two cremation certificates (forms B&C). Each must be signed by two different doctor’s.

PS it’s –dent.

Normal people know nothing about industry politics

If you want to diss the big beasts, make an intelligible case.

Continuity and a personal caring service are things that tend to be overlooked within larger conglomerates.

Talk price, talk up value

There’s no point in being a funeral director if you cannot define the value of a funeral. What good’s it going to do them?

Put their best interests first

Show your readers you’re on their side. Advise them to shop around, get at least three quotes and go with the FD they click with best. Invite them to ring you for a no-strings chat if they want. Make yourself likeable. 

All examples above from real websites.

And the GFG award (provisional) for the website which fires off most key messages quickest in the most palatable form is awarded to our sternest critic, Kingfisher Funeral Services of St Neot’s.