The Meaningful Funeral Issue 18 | Spring 2021

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Crowdfunding campaigns without the risk! With Frazer-powered websites, your families can host crowdfunding campaigns for memorial funds, medical expenses, charity donations, funeral expenses, and more. The best part? Your funeral home is in charge, traffic stays on your website, and you get paid up front.

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ISSUE 18

Table of Contents

Ways Funeral 07 10Directors Can Make the Most of 2021

To thrive in 2021 and make the most of virtual funeral planning, we’ve come up with a few tips.

Winter Weather 10 5Tips for Your Funeral Home

Winter weather can be unpredictable, so it’s important that you stay prepared.

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F E AT U R E A R T I C L E

Alternative Burial Methods Learn about some of the most prevalent alternative burial methods seen today.


Unique Ways to 21 9Memorialize

to Talk to Baby 35 How Boomers About Funeral Planning

a Loved One

Since Baby Boomers are your current target audience, let’s talk about how to approach the preplanning conversation.

Your funeral home can use this list as a guide to providing your client families with meaningful keepsakes.

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Different Types of Funeral Payment Options Explained There are several payment options that you can offer to make things easier for everyone involved.

28 Employee Features

Meet two members of our Frazer family — Shannon and Ryan — and learn about their roles at Frazer and their hobbies.

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QUIZ

Test Your Knowledge About Funeral Home Marketing Take this quiz to see how much you know about funeral home marketing.

Asked 38 Frequently Questions About

Funeral Technology Solutions We understand that the ins and outs of how funeral technology works can be a little confusing at first.

to Help 43 How Families Choose

the Perfect Funeral Flowers Not only do flowers personalize a funeral, but they also bring a deeper meaning into remembering a loved one.


Letter from the Editor Dear readers, Welcome to The Meaningful Funeral magazine, an exclusive publication by Frazer Consultants. Our goal with this magazine is to be a resource for your funeral home and to help you learn new skills, keep up with funeral trends, and serve your current client families in more meaningful ways. In this issue, a few topics you will learn about are alternative burial methods, winter weather tips for your funeral home, different types of funeral payment methods, and so much more. With the variety of topics covered, there’s something for everyone! Want to read The Meaningful Funeral on the go? Every issue is available for free on our website, all you have to do is visit frazerconsultants.com/meaningful and click the “magazine” tab. I hope you enjoy reading this issue of The Meaningful Funeral, and I look forward to hearing your feedback. If you have any suggestions for future magazine content, we would love to hear them — just email us at marketing@frazerconsultants.com. And if you really love our content, visit frazerconsultants.com/meaningful and sign up for our newsletter to have fresh content and funeral news delivered to your inbox every week!

M AT T F R A Z E R P R E S I D E N T, F R A Z E R C O N S U LTA N T S


Honor lives on every device. The responsive design of Tribute Walls allows families to honor their loved ones no matter where they are — with photos, messages, virtual candles, flower orders, crowdfunding campaigns, donations, and so much more!

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10 Ways Funeral Directors Can Make the Most of 2021 To thrive in 2021 and make the most of virtual funeral planning, we’ve come up with a few tips. In 2021, we’ll need to continue to embrace technology and other resources to create meaningful virtual funeral experiences. We know that it can all be a little overwhelming, so we’re here to help. We’ve come up with a few simple tips for funeral directors, so your funeral home can use these ideas to have another successful year. 0 1 — C R E AT E R E A L I S T I C G O A L S F O R T H E Y E A R

Funerals at the beginning of the year may look very different than funerals at the end of the year, but that’s okay. No one knows what the future holds, so all we can do is embrace the current situation and know that better days are coming soon. So when creating your goals, keep in mind that you may not have as much extra time and energy as you’d like, and that’s perfectly okay. It may help to create a main goal and smaller goals that work up to it. And it doesn't have to be a huge goal. It can be as simple as creating

more free downloadable resources for families or attending more virtual conferences for continuing education. 0 2 — U S E Y O U R T I M E W I S E LY

Make sure what you spend your time on is what’s most valuable. Ask yourself, is this an appropriate amount of time for this task? Does this need to be done now or can it wait? Is this something that I need to do, or can it be delegated to someone else to save myself time? Our marketing team created time buckets to answer those questions. For this project, each person listed their tasks, how much time they take, and how they track the success of the tasks. Of course, the timeline for tasks can vary, so that’s where the time buckets come in. You can create time buckets for different time ranges, such as Bucket 1 = 0-1 hours, Bucket 2 = 2-3 hours, and so on and assign the appropriate bucket to your tasks. Doing this helped our team better understand where our time is being spent and what changes could be made.

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0 3 — S TAY O R G A N I Z E D

This is another important one, because you can’t be as productive if you’re not organized. By taking the time to organize your thoughts and files now, you will save time later. Having to search for a form or sift through your notes to find something will only make you stressed and less productive. Afterall, you only have one shot at creating a meaningful funeral for a family’s loved one. So, making sure that you’re organized to do it right should be a top priority. 0 4 — B R A I N S T O R M C R E AT I V E I D E A S

Schedule a creative brainstorm for your staff to share any and all ideas that come to their mind. From ideas for being more efficient in your dayto-day process to creating more personalized funeral experiences, you can explore all the options. Our marketing team does this, and it’s a great way to bounce ideas off each other. Everyone brings a different perspective, so together, a lot of great ideas are born. 0 5 — E M B R AC E T E C H N O LO G Y

This is a big one that applies to 2021 and beyond. When embraced, technology can make things easier for everyone, from funeral directors to the families you serve. For example, with a funeral home website, families can begin the funeral planning process online from the comfort of their home and can even pay the funeral expenses directly on your website. This saves everyone much needed time. 0 6 — S E C U R E YO U R D E V I C E S

Give yourself and your families peace of mind in the new year by securing your devices

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and accounts. Install anti-virus software on your devices, including personal ones if your employees are working from their homes. Create unique passwords for all your accounts and use multi-factor authentication whenever it’s an option. These are just a few ways that you can follow cybersecurity best practices. 0 7 — S H O W Y O U R S TA F F H O W M U C H Y O U A P P R E C I AT E T H E M

By showing your staff that you appreciate them, they’ll perform better and be more motivated. It also can help boost their confidence, happiness, and bring the team together to support one another. To show your appreciation, you can treat them to something special like a massage gift card or simply tell them that they’ve been doing a great job. 0 8 — B E A R E S O U R C E F O R Y O U R FA M I L I E S

By being a resource for your families, you can help them feel at ease and more educated about grief, funeral planning, and memorialization. Your website and social media pages are the perfect places for these resources, such as downloadable guides, blog posts, and more. With these resources, you show that you’re not just a business; you’re passionate people who care about helping families cope with their losses. 09 — PRACTICE SELF-CARE

Self-care is the most important thing that you can do for yourself in 2021 above anything else. No one is as selfless as a funeral director, but to best serve your families, your well-being needs to come first. Try practicing at least one


self-care activity per day. Think of it more as a treat to yourself rather than something else on your to-do list. This way, it’s something to look forward to at the start or end of your day. It can be as simple as taking a few minutes to read a book or talk on the phone with a friend. It’s whatever you need that day, whether it’s taking time for yourself or connecting with loved ones.

would to your client families. If you wouldn’t say it to a client, don’t say it to yourself. Even if things don’t always go your way or you don’t accomplish as much as you think you should have at the end of the day, know that you’re trying and that’s the most important thing. All of us at Frazer are proud of you and thankful for everything that you do. 

1 0 — B E K I N D TO YO U R S E L F

Lastly, please be kind to yourself. You’re doing the best you can, so speak to yourself as you

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5 Winter Weather Tips for Your Funeral Home Winter weather can be unpredictable, so it’s important that your funeral home stays prepared. For those who live in colder climates, we’ve put together a list of helpful tips for your funeral home to keep your staff one step ahead of mother nature. Because neither rain nor snow nor harsh winter storms will keep a funeral director from serving their families, and we’re here to help. 0 1 — S TA R T W I T H A P L A N

Winter weather like snow and ice can create unexpected emergencies. Don’t let your staff be caught off guard. While it might seem like common sense, many small businesses don’t have any formal written plan in the event of winter weather emergencies.

funeral home, especially if the facility is a little older or hasn’t received updates in a while. Potential risks include bursting pipes, power outages, roof leakage, and icy sidewalks. All it takes is a little planning to prevent a potential disaster. Make sure pipes are properly insulated and have your taps dripping in the extreme cold. A backup generator will allow your funeral home to stay powered during heavy snow storms. Repair broken shingles and safely clear your roof of debris to prevent leakage. And keep shovels, salt, and a snow blower handy to avoid any falls on sidewalks. 0 3 — W I N T E R I Z E YO U R V E H I C L E S

A report from Travelers Insurance found that 44% of small businesses lack any documentation of serious weather emergency plans, and that “risk management ranks relatively low among priorities facing small business owners.” A simple inclement weather policy can help establish the necessary protocol for emergency weather situations. 0 2 — D O N ’ T N E G L E C T YO U R F U N E R A L H O M E

After you have a plan in place, it’s important to make sure your funeral home is winter ready. Winter storms can cause several issues for a

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Winter weather also can create unsafe road conditions at a moment’s notice, and nobody wants to end up stranded in the snow. Make sure your funeral home’s fleet is winter ready to avoid a potentially life-threatening situation. The National Weather Service estimates that 70% of fatalities related to winter weather also are car-related. Keep extra winter clothes in each vehicle like socks, gloves, coats, and hats. Make sure to also keep jumper cables, highenergy foods like nuts and dried fruit, water, and road flares in your vehicles.


0 4 — K E E P C O M M U N I C AT I O N O P E N

Make sure to keep in touch with staff and your client families to alert them of any weather or service updates. Update families through social media posts, directly on your website, or by using an answering service to help forward calls in emergencies. 0 5 — U S E M O R E M O B I L E T E C H N O LO G Y

Technology has made it easier than ever to virtually manage a business during weather emergencies. Cloud-based services mean you

and your staff can easily access information from anywhere, which can reduce the risk associated with winter driving. As mobile technology has increased, it’s also become easier to manage your funeral home’s digital presence from the palm of your hand. Using a mobile website manager is another easy way to keep things up and running in the event of winter weather emergencies.  T O R E A D M O R E , V I S I T:

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Alternative Burial Methods In recent years, the way we care for our dead has vastly changed with the emergence of various alternative disposition methods.

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The NFDA found that more than half of Americans choose to be cremated. They anticipate that by 2035, more than 70% of Americans will choose cremation.

and wood or save cemetery space for more practical uses like farming.

However, cremation isn’t the only disposition method emerging in recent years. Alkaline hydrolysis (also called aquamation or water cremation), green burials, and sea burials are all newer options that families are choosing. Let's go over some of the most prevalent alternative burial methods seen today. That way, you can stay in the loop and know how you can better serve the families in your community.

In the past decade, the number of Americans with no religious affiliation has risen. And, as expected, with a shift away from religion comes a shift away from some of the beliefs that might prevent someone from choosing cremation.

T H E R I S E O F C R E M AT I O N

Though many people are opting for cremation, they are choosing this option for a variety of reasons. Let’s look at a few of them. Cost Since choosing direct cremation doesn’t require embalming or a casket, this is typically a less expensive option for families. That’s why it’s so important for funeral directors to highlight the value of having a viewing before the cremation. It gives families a chance to see their loved one for one last time, which can be a healing and meaningful experience. Environmentally Friendly Many people are making more of an effort to be environmentally friendly — driving electric vehicles, recycling more often, using more sustainable food sources, etc. This trend doesn’t stop at death. A lot of people are choosing to go with cremation because they see traditional burials as wasteful and harmful to the environment. They want to avoid using embalming fluid and casket materials like metal

People Are Less Religious

According to the webinar titled “How to Talk with Cremation Families” hosted by Barbara Kemmis, executive director of CANA, 91% of people without religious affiliation will choose to be cremated. This means that the growing number of people without religious affiliation will have a real impact on the number of people choosing cremation. Higher Education and Mobility Kemmis also mentioned in her webinar that a growing number of people who receive higher education are turning to cremation. She relates this to the fact that many people seek higher education outside of their hometowns, and thus lose their connection to one place. This loss of relationship with a hometown also is a big factor in why many choose cremation, because they don’t feel the need to return to a certain location to be buried. Cremation allows them to stay with family or be scattered in many different places that have a special meaning to them. Immigration Another CANA finding that Kemmis brought up was the fact that, despite popular belief to the contrary, many immigrants choose cremation. This is for several reasons, but she believes it

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has a lot to do with the fact that immigrants are open to accepting the culture of their new country, including funeral practices. Kemmis also believes that many immigrants choose cremation so that their remains can be more easily returned to their home country if those are their final wishes. Convenience People see cremation as a simpler method of disposition, and it gives them more time to plan the funeral service. Dispersed families or people who plan on moving also benefit from cremation. They can take their loved one’s ashes with them rather than having to make a long journey to visit their gravesite. Another perk of cremation is the option to scatter the ashes. Families often choose a place that reminds them of their loved one to scatter the ashes. Oftentimes, they will save a portion of the ashes to be used in a memorial item or personalized keepsake. A L K A L I N E H Y D R O LY S I S

Alkaline hydrolysis, also known as aquamation or water cremation, and several other names, is another form of cremation families may choose. Like cremation, it breaks down the body, leaving behind soft bone fragments that can be crushed. The body is placed in a pressurized stainlesssteel chamber. Water and alkali are added to the chamber and heated to very high temperatures. The mixture, heat, and pressure cause the body to decompose rapidly. Many families prefer this option because it is a greener alternative to cremation. According to Funeral Consumers Alliance of Minnesota, it leaves 75% less of a carbon footprint than flame cremation. It also uses less energy, preserves more bone fragments, and medical devices don’t need to be removed. Another added benefit is

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the reduced risk to crematory operators when it comes to cremation for cancer patients who have undergone radiation therapy. W H AT Y O U C A N D O

Adapt Many funeral homes are adapting to these consumer changes by investing in cremation equipment and training instead of using a third party. This saves you time, hassle, and in some cases, money. By working with your staff directly for their cremation needs, families get more face time with you and can talk more about all the options that are available to them. The money they save by avoiding fees with a third party can also be put toward more personal memorial services instead. Show Them Options Funeral homes should also provide additional services for cremation families. One thing that many families are unaware of is that they can opt to have a viewing prior to cremation. This is where cremation caskets, rental caskets, and liners can play a big role in helping your families see their loved ones one last time. Get Creative To keep up with the rising trend of cremation, funeral homes are coming up with creative ways to cater to families who choose this option — one idea being ash scattering gardens. They provide families with a beautiful place to scatter their loved one’s ashes. Oftentimes funeral homes will partner with a local cemetery or use their extra land to create the garden. W H AT I S A G R E E N B U R I A L ?

Green burial can mean many things. However, to have a high-level understanding of the concept, the Green Burial Council (GBC) defines green burials as “a way of caring for the dead with minimal environmental impact that


aids in the conservation of natural resources, reduction of carbon emissions, protection of worker health, and the restoration and/or preservation of habitat.”

based traditional embalming; traditional man-made vaults cannot be used; caskets or burial containers must be biodegradable; and traditional headstones aren’t permitted.

The GBC laid out the now widely accepted rules for what constitutes a green funeral. They are that a body can’t be preserved by formaldehyde-

Since a green burial is an umbrella term, it can consist of many things. For example, cremation has less of an impact on the environment than

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embalming, however, alkaline hydrolysis has even less of an impact. Each disposition method has a varying level of “greenness.”

for the departed and as a legacy for posterity and the future of our planet.” Their idea is that cemeteries will be replaced with memorial — or sacred — forests.

TYPES OF GREEN BURIALS

All Natural

Human Composting

Typically, a green burial is thought to be a natural burial. In other words, the body is not embalmed and is returned to nature. Some people simply want to be wrapped in a biodegradable shroud and buried in the ground. Others look for caskets made of untreated, ethically grown wood. Instead of a traditional gravestone, people will choose a natural marker like a stone or a native plant. It’s important to explore the many options your funeral home can offer to families.

Washington is the first state to legalize this form of disposition. Human composting is a process of composting that “gently converts human remains into soil.” It’s a greener burial alternative since it’s less carbon-intensive and allows the bodies of the deceased to nourish the soil. In fact, according to Recompose, the carbon savings for human composting is more than a metric ton per person.

Mushroom Suit Thanks to some researchers at MIT, a natural burial can now give back to the earth. The body is placed inside a cotton suit lined on the inside with thousands of mushroom spores. As the body starts to break down, the spores are activated and will continue to grow and assist with decomposition. Mushrooms were chosen specifically because they can quickly break down organic matter, and they also can help clean up the environment by removing toxins from the soil. Trees Like the mushroom suit, the concept of using the body to grow a tree is designed around giving back to the earth. One example is the Capsula Mundi burial pod. The idea, according to their website, is that “bodies will be laid down in a fetal position in larger pods. The pod will then be buried as a seed in the earth. A tree, chosen in life by the deceased, will be planted on top of it and serve as a memorial

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Promession and Ecolation Promession and ecolation are two similar ecofriendly alternatives to both cremation and burial. They both involve a similar process of freeze drying a body in a container of liquid nitrogen. The container gently vibrates, causing the brittle remains to disintegrate. In promession, the remains are separated from any metals, then placed into a biodegradable casket. The casket is buried with nutrient-rich soil, which causes the remains and casket to completely degrade within six months to a year. With ecolation, the body is frozen. And then a drying technique and pressure are both applied. Afterward, all that remains are ashes very similar to cremated ashes. Those ashes are then given back to the family, where the family can scatter or memorialize the ashes as they would with cremated remains. Both processes have zero emissions and use very little energy at all, making them both great eco-friendly alternatives we may see being used in the future. 


WA N T T O R E A D M O R E ?

Download the rest of our free eBook to learn more about alternative burial methods!

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9 Unique Ways to Memorialize a Loved One By finding ways to honor a loved one, family and friends can have a piece of them to hold onto forever. That’s why we’ve brainstormed nine unique ways to memorialize a loved one. Whether it’s a DIY project or a customizable memento, they can have a keepsake to cherish. Your funeral home can use this article as a guide to provide your families with meaningful memorialization keepsake ideas. 01 — BIRD FEEDER

Spending time in nature has a positive effect on emotional health. A DIY bird feeder memorial lets families remember the deceased in the peacefulness of nature. Whether it’s a simple recycled bottle bird feeder, a long-lasting wooden bird feeder, or a creative teacup bird feeder, there are many different bird feeders that can be personalized with a short memorial message. 02 — BOOKMARK

Books contain stories that leave a lasting impact on the reader, as a loved one’s life story also deserves to be remembered. A personalized memorial bookmark keeps memories of the deceased only a page turn away.

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03 — CROCHETED BLANKET

There’s nothing like wrapping up in a cozy blanket at the end of the day. A DIY crocheted blanket memento preserves memories of a loved one while providing warmth and comfort. It can be personalized with the deceased’s favorite colors and either stitching their name or sewing on appliqué letters. 04 — JEWELRY

Mourning jewelry is worn as a reminder of loved ones who are no longer with us. Whether it’s a necklace, bracelet, ring, or locket, jewelry can be personalized to honor a loved one by engraving their name or putting their photo in a locket. Cremation jewelry can even be made with a small amount of a loved one’s ashes.

Families also can write down current adventures and life events, so it’s like the deceased is there experiencing it alongside them. 0 7 — N A M E A S TA R A F T E R T H E D E C E A S E D

At night when family and friends are missing their deceased loved one, they can look up at the sky and know they’re watching over them. Naming a star after the deceased is a way to honor their memory and allows their family and friends to view the star as a reminder of them. 08 — ORNAMENT

Not having the deceased around for the holidays is tough on their family, but they can honor their memory with a personalized ornament. They can hang the keepsake on their tree or on an ornament stand to display year-round.

05 — MEMORIAL BENCH

A memorial bench is something family and friends can make a tradition of visiting together. It’s a place for them to sit and think about the deceased. If families are up for a craft project, they can make a memorial bench, or they can dedicate a bench to the deceased. Check with your local park to find out the requirements for dedicating a bench.

09 — SCRAPBOOK

Scrapbooks are a creative way to preserve life’s special moments. To capture a deceased loved one’s life adventures, each family member can be responsible for one page in the book, or they can work on all the pages together. Once it’s complete, it’s something they can pass down from generation to generation to keep their loved one’s memory alive. 

06 — MEMORY JOURNAL

Another way to preserve memories of a loved one is by writing them down in a memory journal.

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T O R E A D M O R E , V I S I T:

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Create one-of-akind mementos with a one-of-a-kind tool. With Tribute Center, you can easily personalize memorial folders, prayer cards, thank-you cards, bookmarks, candles, and so much more with our collection of more than 500 different themes. Gone are the days of preprinted stationery!

D O W N LOA D T R I B U T E C E N T E R F O R F R E E !

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Different Types of Funeral Payment Options Explained There are several funeral payment options that you can offer to your families that will make things easier for everyone.

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For your client families, offering multiple funeral payment options may be the difference between settling on arrangements and creating the funeral that their loved one deserves. With options like financing and life insurance assignments, families don’t have to worry about paying the costs all at once if they can’t afford it. Instead, they can focus on grieving their loss and creating a funeral personalized to their loved one. Having multiple payment options doesn’t just benefit your families; it benefits your firm too — perhaps in several ways that you haven’t thought of. If you have local competitors, it can be a way to differentiate your firm from your competition. More families may come your way if you offer multiple payment options. Not only does this make things easier for families, but it also shows them that you care about more than just your bottom line. Families don’t just need multiple payment options; they need online options. Per Podium’s The State of Local Business Report, even postpandemic, 8 out of 10 consumers want their local businesses to continue to offer online services like contactless payments. As for what funeral payment options your funeral home can offer, there are several great options out there to appeal to families of all financial backgrounds. Let’s look. CREDIT CARD PROCESSING

One contactless payment option that your funeral home can offer is credit card processing. With this option, families can pay funeral expenses online with a credit card. An easy way to do this is to have a payment platform directly on your funeral home’s website that accepts all major credit cards. Just make sure that you provide your families with a secure connection for entering their credit card information. Having a Secure

Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate for your website scrambles up families’ sensitive information so hackers can’t steal it. ELECTRONIC CHECKS

Another payment option that families may prefer is an electronic check. Oftentimes, they can make the payment online directly on your website like they would for a credit card payment. For families who prefer to pay by check, it’s more convenient than physically writing and mailing or delivering a paper check. An electronic check simply replaces the paper check and moves the funds electronically between two bank accounts. It's also less time consuming. Your families don’t need to drive to your funeral home to meet with their funeral director and give them the check. You also don’t have to wait for it to arrive in the mail or worry about it getting lost. With an electronic check, it’s delivered almost instantly with just the click of a mouse or tap of a finger. The processing fees for electronic checks are typically less than other online payment methods, so your firm saves money when families choose this option. FUNERAL CROWDFUNDING

Your funeral home doesn’t have to just stop at credit card processing and electronic checks. Another option that allows families to reach out to their community for support is funeral crowdfunding. With this payment option, you can help families raise funds for the funeral expenses, medical bills, memorial fund, children’s college funds, and other necessary living expenses. It’s an easy way for family, friends, and even kind strangers to show their support and express their condolences. Instead of using a third-party service, the best solution is to offer crowdfunding directly on your funeral home’s website. This way, your funeral home is in control of the funds raised.

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It also keeps traffic on your funeral home’s website, which means more potential client families for your firm. FUNERAL FINANCING

For families who can’t afford to pay the expenses all at once, they may benefit from financing. With 63% of Americans not having enough money in their savings to cover an unexpected expense of just $500 (Forbes), this may be more families than you think. With a funeral loan, they can pay back the expenses over time instead of all at once if they can’t afford it or want to keep their emergency savings. Families get peace of mind that their loved one’s funeral is taken care of and that they can take their time with the payment. While your funeral home gets peace of mind that you’re still paid right away, and families pay back their lender over time. LIFE INSURANCE ASSIGNMENTS AS FUNERAL PAY M E N T

For families who don’t want to take on a loan or be at risk of not raising enough crowdfunding funds, life insurance assignments may be right for them. If their loved one has a life insurance

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policy, they may be able to submit a claim as funeral payment. With this option, they can pay the expenses right away and not have to worry about paying anything back later. Your employees shouldn’t have to spend hours of your day filling out the paperwork. That time is meant to be spent with families. Instead of working with a provider that requires a lot of paperwork, time, and money on your end, it’s best to use a digital solution that saves you time and money — and gets everyone paid faster.

G I V E Y O U R FA M I L I E S O P T I O N S W I T H T R I B U T E PAY

Instead of using third-party services that are more expensive and timeconsuming, use a tool that’s built directly into your website: Tribute Pay. It comes free with your Frazerpowered website, and with it, you can offer your families all the payment options in this article.  T O R E A D M O R E , V I S I T:

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Get paid up front! Tribute Pay puts your funeral home in control of your accounts receivable. Offer credit card payments, financing, crowdfunding, life insurance assignments, and electronic checks all in one place, and get paid up front no matter what option families choose.

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Getting to Know Frazer Consultants Meet two members of our Frazer family — Shannon and Ryan — and learn about their roles at Frazer and what they like to do in their free time.

NAME

Shannon YEARS

Two ROLE

Production Coordinator

W H AT I D O AT F R A Z E R :

My name is Shannon, and I have been working as a Production Coordinator with Frazer Consultants for a bit more than two years. My job is to work with our website design team and our individual clients to create a website that will be helpful for their business for years to come. From picking out the perfect color to answering any post-launch questions, I am responsible for shepherding our clients through the life of the production process. Building a website can sometimes be stressful with all the minute decisions to be made, but I work hard to make the whole process as pain free as possible. I always enjoy talking to my clients on a weekly basis. I like figuring out just what services and small changes can be made to their potential new website that will help the funeral directors and the families they assist make it through a trying time with just a bit more ease. Frazer websites have so many great tools to offer, and our designers do an amazing job of making

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everything look beautiful and eye-catching while being super user friendly. I am thankful to work with such an amazingly skilled team, and I can’t wait to help you build your new Frazer website in the future. HOW I SPEND MY FREE TIME:

Free time has been surprisingly sparse for me since quarantine began, with virtual learning happening in my home. I do try to get outside as much as possible, which in the summer meant going for bike rides, camping, and laying out in the hammock in the backyard. Now that winter has settled in, I still try to get outside as much as possible by taking my two dogs out for long walks on the bike path or to the dog park. And there is a great sledding hill in the park behind my house that has become a favorite destination for myself and the kids, with all the snow on the ground. But on those few quiet evenings and weekends, I love to curl up with a glass of wine and escape into a good book or TV series. I am always on the hunt for recommendations of options to satisfy my historical curiosity and my love of a happy ending. Once quarantine is over, I am greatly looking forward to getting to travel again to see friends and family and keep working through my life goal of visiting all 50 states. So far, I have made it to more than half of them.


NAME

Ryan YEARS

Four ROLE

Account Executive

W H AT I D O AT F R A Z E R :

While I’ve been a part of the Frazer Consultants team for four years now, I’ve been consulting with clients in the deathcare industry about web services for more than a decade. In that time, we’ve all seen a lot change. It used to be enough to simply have a website that offered online obituaries to serve your families — families who were loyal because they’d called on you before, or their folks before them had. It’s not so straightforward anymore. People no longer turn to the Yellow Pages to look up your phone number, in its place they now turn to Google. They do research, they click on your competitors’ websites, they look through everyone’s content, they read reviews, they price shop online — and they’re doing it all from their phones. With cremation rates higher than they’ve ever been, and throw in COVID-19 and the service restrictions it’s brought with it, your web strategy nowadays has to be on its A game. Your website, itself, must differentiate you from your competition. It must engage families with content that is helpful and informative. It also needs to include an effective preplanning funnel, payment options that don’t put you at risk, be easily translated into multiple languages if you serve a multi-lingual market, and has to be optimized for a secure, mobile experience. Like the days of the phone book and its halfpage ads, your business now needs to stand out

on Google in the same way. It should be near the top, on the map, and you might need to be leveraging Google Ads in a crowded market to ensure you’re being found by families. And then there’s Facebook... If you feel your website isn’t keeping up with the times, or your competition, give me a call and let’s review your situation. You can reach me directly at 971-404-0527, or email me at ryan@frazerconsultants.com. HOW I SPEND MY FREE TIME:

Last spring, my family and I made the big decision to go on a little adventure. We said goodbye to our beloved minivan and sold our home in Bend, Oregon, trading it all to explore America in a diesel pickup truck with a 40-foot fifth wheel in tow. Not knowing how we’d all take to the small space, or to a lifestyle that was completely foreign to us, we didn’t set any expectations as to how long we’d be out on the road. And we’ve been happily chasing sunshine ever since. In the months since we began our travels, we’ve spent our weekends showing our girls some of the beauty of this country that we’d never seen before. We’ve hiked through Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks, stared in awe across the expanse of the Grand Canyon, and gone up the High Roller ferris wheel at sunset while our daughters “ooh’d” and “ahh’d” at the lights of the Las Vegas Strip. Before, I’d spend my free time working on projects around the house or binging episodes of this or that on Netflix. While I still have projects, now we’re spending more of our time outside hiking, riding our bikes, and swimming — even in January! So, if you call me to chat about our services, ask me where I am — maybe I’ll be close enough to stop by! 

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Quiz: Test Your Knowledge About Funeral Home Marketing Take this quiz to see how much you know about funeral home marketing, from print methods to digital platforms. 01 — DIRECT MAIL MARKETING DOESN’T WORK ANYMORE.

True

0 6 — W H AT I S A C A L L-T O - A C T I O N ?

An action that you want users to complete after engaging with your content

False

Calling a family to get them to complete an action

0 2 — YO U R E M A I L N E W S L E T T E R I S ABOUT SELLING.

The conclusion paragraph of a piece of content

True False

Your business phone number 0 7 — W H AT I S A L E A D ?

0 3 — H AV I N G A B L O G O N Y O U R F U N E R A L H O M E ’ S W E B S I T E C A N H E L P YO U F I N D N E W C L I E N T FA M I L I E S .

Someone who wants to collaborate with your business

True

Someone who showed interest in your products or services

False 0 4 — C H E C K A L L T H AT A P P LY:

Which of the following would be good ideas to try for promoting your funeral home’s upcoming event?

A customer you are currently working with Someone who gave you negative feedback

Answers on the next page.

Postcard Email Digital ads Word of mouth 0 5 — C H E C K A L L T H AT A P P LY:

Which of the following are good examples of downloadable content for your client families. Preplanning checklist Grief guide Funeral personalization infographic Burial vs. cremation chart

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Answers 0 1 — FA L S E

0 5 — A- D

Direct mail marketing is still effective and sometimes even more effective than online marketing strategies. Your funeral home should test out both digital and print strategies to see what works best for your business.

All the answers would make great downloadable content for educating your families. In return, you get their contact information for additional marketing efforts. 06 — A

0 2 — FA L S E

Your newsletter should focus on educating your families about funeral planning and grief, not selling your products and services.

An action that you want users to complete after engaging with your content A call-to-action is a statement that encourages users to learn more without being too pushy, such as “call our funeral home for more information.”

03 — TRUE

Having a blog helps educate families while increasing your website traffic and generating more leads for your funeral home. 0 4 — A- D

All the answers are worth trying to see if they’re effective in promoting your upcoming event. Although, you shouldn’t rely on just one of these ideas alone. Use a combination of these ideas to get more coverage.

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07 — B

Someone who showed interest in your products or services A lead is someone who expresses interest in your business, such as through downloading a free resource, which makes them a potential client.  TO LEARN MORE ABOUT FUNERAL HOME M A R K E T I N G , V I S I T:

frazerconsultants.com/meaningful


Your funeral home isn’t just a physical place. Your online presence — from your website to your social media pages — is a big chunk of who you are, so make sure it accurately portrays your funeral home. Our social media and search engine optimization services can help.

LEARN MORE!

frazerconsultants.com/tmf-marketing-packages

866-372-9372

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I N F O @ F R A Z E R C O N S U LTA N T S . C O M


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How to Talk to Baby Boomers About Funeral Planning Since Baby Boomers are your current target audience, let’s talk more about how to approach the conversation with them. As you know, getting people to preplan their funeral isn’t easy for several reasons. Many people simply don’t understand all that goes into funeral planning and the benefits of doing it in advance. But, by understanding how to approach the funeral preplanning conversation, your funeral home’s staff can better educate them about it.

their loved one’s funeral. This way, they’ve had some time to cope with their loss and the funeral is still fresh in their mind. Then, if their loved one’s arrangements are something they’re interested in, it makes planning their own funeral easier. Plus, they’re already in the mindset of funeral planning and have been educated about your funeral home’s services and offerings.

HOW TO BRING UP FUNERAL PREPLANNING

One convenient time to bring up funeral preplanning is after a Boomer has arranged someone else’s funeral, such as for their spouse or a parent. However, you need to be careful with this approach, so you don’t come off as insensitive to their grief. To avoid this, it may be best to follow up with them a little bit after

TA K E A N E V E N T P L A N N I N G A P P R O A C H

You also can take more of an event planning approach to funeral planning. Boomers want personalized funeral experiences, so what better way to do this than planning all the details like you would for any event? Find creative ways to personalize their funeral

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experience and show off their personality and interests. Whether it’s through the memorial displays or the funeral reception food, the opportunities are endless. To find out how they want to be remembered, ask them specific questions for creating a personalized service and getting to know their life story. MAKE FUNERAL PREPLANNING EASY

Make funeral preplanning less stressful for them with easy-to-use preplanning tools and resources. A convenient way to go about it is to have a preplanning form directly on your funeral home’s website. Along with an online planner, you can include a checklist of things to do when funeral planning. You also can create other helpful downloadable content about preplanning, such as an infographic about funeral gift ideas for more visual learners. SHARE THE BENEFITS

Explaining the benefits are what will be the deciding factors in someone’s decision to preplan. Ultimately, it relieves their loved ones of the burden and stress while grieving. It also gives the person preplanning some comfort in knowing that it’s taken care of and how they want it. They also can prepay to relieve their family of the financial burden, which is a great opportunity for you to explain all your funeral home’s payment options.

MAKE FUNERAL PLANNING EASY WITH OUR ONLINE PLANNER

Let families begin the funeral planning process from the comfort of their couch with an online preplanning form. Our online planner and quote builder is built directly into your Frazer website to make things easier for everyone.  T O R E A D M O R E , V I S I T:

frazerconsultants.com/meaningful

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Showcase your products and services! Did you know Frazer websites come with an online planner and quote builder? With this tool, families can conveniently begin the funeral planning process online. You can even build out package examples to make your families’ decision-making process easier.

S C H E D U L E A F R E E D E M O N S T R AT I O N !

frazerconsultants.com/tmf-website-demo

866-372-9372

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I N F O @ F R A Z E R C O N S U LTA N T S . C O M


Frequently Asked Questions About Funeral Technology Solutions We understand that the ins and outs of how funeral technology works can be a little confusing at first.

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That’s why we want to take some time to answer frequently asked questions we hear about funeral technology solutions. W H AT D O E S A R E S P O N S I V E W E B S I T E M E A N ?

When a website has a responsive design, it responds to whatever screen it’s being viewed on. Whether it’s the smallest smartphone or the largest computer monitor or anything in between, your website adjusts to all devices. W H Y I S B E I N G R E S P O N S I V E I M P O R TA N T ?

With many people using mobile devices for online searches, being responsive is important. It helps your client families have a better user experience when viewing your website. Search engines like Google also rank websites with a responsive design higher in their search engine results pages than websites that don’t have a responsive design. W H AT I S S E A R C H E N G I N E O P T I M I Z AT I O N (SEO)?

SEO is a set of systems and practices that help improve where your website shows up on search engine results pages. Basically, it’s the steps you take to make sure your website gets found when people search for keywords that are relevant to you. It can be a little complicated, but by working with an SEO expert, they can make sure your funeral home’s website follows SEO best practices. HOW CAN I CUSTOMIZE MY WEBSITE?

There are many ways to customize your funeral home’s website, from simple changes to more complex changes. For simple changes, you can update your logo, images, and website content to reflect your funeral home’s brand. If you want to make larger design changes like changing the layout or adding funeral planning tools, it’s

best to work with a professional funeral home website designer who specializes in this. WHY AREN’T MY WEBSITE CHANGES SHOWING UP?

If you made changes to your website, your browser might still show a previous version. This is because your browser’s cache still has old data saved to make your website load faster. Your cache needs to be cleared to reflect the changes. To clear your cache, many browsers have quick keyboard shortcuts by holding down the control, shift, and delete keys at the same time. If that doesn’t work, there are other ways to clear your cache depending on your browser and device. I S M Y F U N E R A L T E C H N O LO G Y S E C U R E ?

An easy way to know if your website is secure is if it begins with HTTP or HTTPS. If it begins with HTTPS, your website is secure. If not, your sensitive information might be vulnerable to cyber attacks. But don’t worry, by adding a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate to your website, you can make sure your information is secure. If you work with a professional funeral home website provider, having an SSL certificate is typically best practice. H O W C A N M Y F U N E R A L T E C H N O LO G Y S O L U T I O N S H E L P S AV E M E T I M E ?

Depending on your website provider, your website may be equipped with time-saving tools. Some examples of time-saving features are lead generation forms for collecting families’ information on your behalf and integrations with the top funeral management software and answering service companies to eliminate double data entry. With the right funeral technology, your website can feel like an additional employee for your funeral home.

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C A N M Y F U N E R A L T E C H N O LO G Y H E L P I M P ROV E M Y C A S H F LO W ?

D O N ’ T B E L I M I T E D B Y YO U R F U N E R A L T E C H N O LO G Y S O L U T I O N S

Depending on your website provider, your website may be set up with revenue-generating features. Some examples can include offering alternative funeral payment methods, such as crowdfunding and life insurance assignments, and offering flower ordering directly on your website where you can earn a commission from the sales. With this additional revenue, you can tackle other projects.

With a Frazer-powered website, you can have a website that’s unique to your funeral home. It’s also equipped with many time-saving and revenuegenerating features, so you can reach your full potential! 

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T O R E A D M O R E , V I S I T:

frazerconsultants.com/meaningful


Meet your new employee — your website! A Frazer website is like an additional employee for your funeral home! Directly on your website, families can begin the funeral planning process, make the funeral payment, and so much more.

SCHEDULE A FREE DEMO!

frazerconsultants.com/tmf-website-demo

866-372-9372

|

I N F O @ F R A Z E R C O N S U LTA N T S . C O M

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How to Help Families Choose the Perfect Funeral Flowers Not only do funeral flowers help personalize a funeral service, but they also bring a deeper meaning into remembering a loved one. Flowers can represent love, sadness, strength, and many other powerful emotions. Ultimately, families want the flowers they choose to reflect their loved one and honor their memory. Let’s go over how to help families choose the perfect funeral flowers to pay tribute to their loved one.

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M E A N I N G B E H I N D F U N E R A L F LO W E R S

Flower colors and types of flowers have different meanings that play a factor in choosing funeral flowers. When just talking about flower color, these are what the colors represent:

RED:

Strength, respect, devotion, and love

BLUE:

ORANGE:

Enthusiasm, joy, and warmth

PURPLE:

Y E L LO W :

Friendship, warmth, and hope

PINK:

Nature, wellness, and renewal

WHITE:

GREEN:

44 | The Meaningful Funeral

Sadness, sympathy, and peace

Respect, sorrow, sympathy, and admiration

Grace, compassion, and innocence

Elegance, reverence, purity, and eternal love


When it comes to flower types, these are what some of the most common funeral flowers represent:

DAISES:

Peace and hope

Grace, purity, and devotion L AV E N D E R :

SNAPDRAGONS:

Graciousness and strength

Love, peace, and hope TULIPS:

Hope, peace, courage, and love ORCHIDS:

For carnations and roses, the meaning depends on the specific flower color:

Love, respect,

R E D C A R N AT I O N S :

RED ROSES:

Admiration and love

and courage

P I N K C A R N AT I O N S :

PINK ROSES:

Remembrance

Grace, love, and appreciation

W H I T E C A R N AT I O N S :

WHITE ROSES:

Innocence and love

Reverence, innocence, peace, and hope

A L L C A R N AT I O N S :

DARK CRIMSON ROSES:

Sympathy and grief

Grief and sorrow

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F LO W E R S A N D F U N E R A L T H E M E S

The flowers can help convey an overall funeral theme. A few funeral theme ideas are a loved one’s profession, hobby, favorite color, or favorite season. You also can incorporate small mementos into the floral arrangements to make them even more personal. For example, if someone was an avid golfer, you can add golf balls or tees into the arrangement. You can even place flowers in their old golf bag. If you have a standing floral spray, you can lean their golf clubs by it. When it comes to personalization, the opportunities are endless! Don’t be afraid to get creative with it. F L O W E R P R E S E R VAT I O N T I P S A N D MEMENTOS

Flower types have different lifespans after being cut. For the flowers previously mentioned, these are their lifespans after being cut: TULIPS:

Three to seven days

DAISIES:

Four to seven days

SNAPDRAGONS: ROSES:

Five to eight days

Four to 12 days

L AV E N D E R : ORCHIDS:

Up to 10 days

One to two weeks

C A R N AT I O N S :

donation program, like Random Acts of Flowers. Or your funeral home’s staff can deliver them to local nursing homes and hospitals. Q U E S T I O N S T O A S K FA M I L I E S

When helping families choose the perfect funeral flowers, these are some questions you can ask them: Did your loved one have any preplanned wishes for their funeral flowers? Do you have a funeral theme or color scheme in mind? What was your loved one’s favorite color? What was your loved one’s favorite flower? Do you have any flower types in mind? Would the meaning behind certain flower types and colors impact your decision? Do you want to keep the flowers after the funeral service? If you’re keeping them, do you want to turn them into a memento? Do you want to donate the flowers after the funeral service?

Up to two weeks

There are several mementos that families can make by drying their flowers. A few ways to dry flowers are by leaving them in a vase, hanging them upside down, pressing them in a book, microwaving them, or placing them in a container of silica gel. Depending on the flower type and desired memento, some methods may work better than others. For mementos, a few ideas are a dried flower shadowbox, framed-pressed flowers, and dried flower coasters. Families also may want to donate flowers after the funeral to a flower

H E L P FA M I L I E S C H O O S E T H E P E R F E C T F LO W E R S W I T H T R I B U T E S TO R E

With the Tribute Store, families can conveniently order flowers directly from their loved one’s obituary. We’re constantly adding new arrangements to Tribute Store, so no matter what style your families are going for, there is something for everyone.  T O R E A D M O R E , V I S I T:

frazerconsultants.com/meaningful

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Earn extra revenue for your firm! With Tribute Store, not only can your families conveniently purchase flowers directly from a loved one’s obituary on their Tribute Wall, your funeral home also can earn some extra revenue. When your funeral home hosts Tribute Store on your Frazer-powered website, you receive a commission on all qualifying flower orders.

SCHEDULE A FREE DEMO!

frazerconsultants.com/tmf-website-demo

866-372-9372

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I N F O @ F R A Z E R C O N S U LTA N T S . C O M


2 5 0 1 PA R M E N T E R S T R E E T SUITE 300A MIDDLETON, WI 53562

W W W. F R A Z E R C O N S U LTA N T S . C O M

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866-372-9372

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I N F O @ F R A Z E R C O N S U LTA N T S . C O M

Let us handle the insurance paperwork! Combined, the Tribute Insurance Assignments team has more than 65 years of experience. They know the requirements of more than 300 insurance companies, so they can process claims efficiently and accurately and fund your funeral home in as little as 24 hours.

SCHEDULE A FREE DEMO!

frazerconsultants.com/tmf-tribute-pay-demo


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