How many of us wish we could be in two places at once!  We have our schedule planned out, and then suddenly we are accosted by an obligation that just can’t wait.

In the funeral home business, you know that this happens far more frequently than you care to admit.  People’s lives are unpredictable, and, being in the people business, you are expected to accommodate at the drop of a hat.  This results in high stress levels for you and unfortunately an occasional unhappy client.

As director, you are the “face” of your funeral home.  You are the point of public contact.  In everything you do, you express the mission and personality of your funeral home; but if you spend too much time on public relations, other critical aspects of your work will suffer, and that is unacceptable.

What if there were a way to automate your PR?  What if you actually COULD be in two places at the same time?  With online videos, you can personally talk to your future clients, give them a virtual tour of your facilities and services, demonstrate creative approaches to funerals, and even follow up with grieving families after the fact.

Online videos are one of the most powerful tools available to business owners today.  According to HubSpot, a well-known blogging site, the number of online video viewers was expected to reach 169.3 million by December 2012.  There is no doubt that 2013 will exponentially build on that number as advertisers, educators, and businesses use this tool for promoting products, teaching courses, and providing instructional webinars.  Why not consider using online videos to promote your funeral home and enable you to be in two places at once?  Online videos will free you up to concentrate on the responsibilities that require you to be there in person.

Your online video can be posted on your website, your Facebook page, your LinkedIn page, your squeeze page, and even on YouTube.   These outlets allow you to present your funeral home in a personable and results-oriented way, so that people will first and foremost feel comfortable with you and begin trusting you.  As you share your services and actually show them your funeral home, they will by extension of trusting you, trust that your funeral home will meet their needs.

As you introduce yourself, be relaxed and honest.  Share why you decided to become a funeral director and what you feel you can offer personally to help a grieving family start healing from their loss.  Be as down-to-earth as possible, avoiding using the phrase “the deceased” and other terms that typically unnerve laypeople.   Include one or two in-person testimonials from satisfied clients to help viewers picture themselves coming in and discussing their funeral arrangements with you.

Also, offer creative funeral ideas and concepts to spark the imagination of the viewers for alternative and less traditional services.  By showing how flexible your funeral home is, you will attract a wider range of clientele.

Your online video can serve many more purposes than just promoting your business.  You can do videos offering helpful information such as how to prepare for a funeral.  Or you can showcase varieties of flower arrangements, obituaries and notification cards, as well as tribute scrapbooks, cakes, and murals.  You can give your viewers a glimpse of casket and urn styles and show them a sample “To-Do List.”  As you are filmed speaking in between, you will bring a personalized touch to the video and that will enable laypeople to become comfortable thinking about funeral preparation.  One important note:  Don’t squeeze too much information into a single video.  You don’t want your viewers to get information-overload and delete your video because it is too confusing.  Instead, create several videos each concentrating on one or two aspects of funeral preparation.  Post these on your website and anywhere else that seems appropriate.

Online videos also fill the need for follow-up.   Sending a personalized video that lets a family know that you are thinking about them and praying for them in the aftermath of the funeral can go a long way toward facilitating their healing process.  You don’t have to visit them in person if your schedule is too tight.  When you have a free moment, tape a video that is just for them, mentioning specific things that let them know that this is not a canned video.  Offer a few bits of advice to help them move on, and let them know that you are here if they need someone to talk to.  Send it by email to them in a private link that lets them see it, or post it on their Facebook page.

By taking advantage of online videos, you can manage your time more efficiently and be more effective as a grief counselor and funeral home director.  As you create videos on your own timetable, you will be able to plan a saner schedule for yourself and really be in two places at once!

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