Page A10 JUNE 2022 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS Se c t i on A Large variety of styles, sizes and colors www.PremiumQualityUmbrellas.com Umbrellas for every budget Free Artwork & Free Proof Free Setup & Free Shipping Contact Kristie Directly (239) 471-7888 Kristie@PremiumQualityUmbrellas.com “I’m Telling You for the Last Time” My 10 Best Facebook Tips for Funeral Homes and Cemeteries By Jason Troyer, PhD Facebook Made Easy preplanning seminars, special remembrance services, open houses, and other key events. For example, I recently helped a client boost a Lunch & Learn seminar with just $50 and it resulted in an extra 15 people who were interested in the event. 10) Keep learning. Like all social media and online trends, Facebook is a moving target. In five years, there may be different strategies for getting the most out of Facebook or we may be talking about an entirely different platform. It pays to stay on top of the most recent trends in technology and use them to your advantage. Thank you for all that you do to serve your local families and community. I am privileged to work with funeral and cemetery professionals and help share an accurate depiction of how you serve families in their darkest times. I would like to thank Peggy Rouzzo and the Funeral Home & Cemetery News for the opportunity to share this column for the last two years. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have. Best wishes, Jason to easily share local events and personal stories, and lets your biggest fans sing your praises for you. Your website and your Facebook page serve very different purposes. 5) Don’t talk about yourself too much. One common mistake is that owners use Facebook as only a place to put ads. Just like with dating, nobody wants to hang around a person who talks about themselves too much. Aim for posting content that focuses on other people and organizations or meets the grief needs of your families. Only about 10-20% of your Facebook content should be focused on you and your services. 6) Build connections with key partners like hospice, clergy, veteran’s groups, first-responders, and more. Your Facebook page is an excellent way to build connections with your key partners. Recognize the sacrifices and services of these key partners and sing their well-deserved praises. You may find that they return the favor. 7) Post content on a consistent schedule. It is important to post new content on a regular basis. I would recommend starting with at least three posts per week in addition to any obituaries or tributes that you are posting. One of the best ways to stay consistent is to use Facebook’s scheduling feature. This will allow you to work ahead when you are not busy serving families. 8) Use pictures and videos to catch people’s attention. Facebook is a visual medium – you must use pictures and videos to fully convey your message. Be sure that your videos are brief and your pictures are eye-catching. 9) Boost content that is especially important. “Boosting” a post is paying to have the content be seen by more people. You do not need to boost all of your content. However, it can be very helpful to boost content like In 1998, Jerry Seinfeld performed a stand-up comedy special called “I’mTelling You for the Last Time” where he used his best jokes and then retired them from future acts. After more than two years, this will be my last column. I will continue to serve funeral homes and cemeteries with my Facebook services, but I needed to create more time in my schedule to serve my clients. So, in the spirit of Seinfeld’s special, here are my top 10 tips in my last Facebook Made Easy column. 1) Facebook is an amazing way to connect with your local community. I am not aware of any method for connecting with so many local families for free other than using Facebook. It is a rare opportunity to leverage social media technology to introduce yourself and your services to local people. 2) Facebook has replaced the newspaper. Many communities no longer have a daily newspaper and many of those papers have gone online. Today, people look for local news and information online. Facebook is uniquely positioned to help people learn about their community (including obituaries) in a quick and easy way. Far more Americans look at Facebook than a printed newspaper. 3) Don’t let fear of negative reviews hold you back. Far too many funeral and cemetery professionals allow fear to dissuade them from using Facebook. There are several simple strategies for minimizing the impact of a few negative reviews. In fact, you can set up your Facebook page to not allow reviews at all. 4) Your website cannot replace your Facebook page. Compared to your website, your Facebook page is designed for interaction with the community, allows you Dr. Troyer’s free library of Facebook tutorial videos can be found at www.JasonTroyer.com. Dr. Jason Troyer is a grief expert, author, former psychology professor, and therapist. He helps funeral homes and cemeteries connect with their communities through Facebook content and grief support materials. He frequently provides community presentations, professional workshops, and trainings across the country. In addition to providing his Facebook content service and presentations, he also works at Smith Funeral & Cremation Service & Grandview Cemetery in Maryville, TN. Dr. Troyer can be reached at DrJasonTroyer@gmail.com. You can view all of his video tutorials and learn more at www.JasonTroyer.com. F U N E R A L H O M E & C E M E T E R Y N E W S w w w . N o m i s P u b l i c a t i o n s . c o m Monthly Columnsonline at Angelpaw Wins Top Veterinary Solution Provider Award Funeral Service Foundation and The Messenger Co. Announce Spring Matching Gift Campaign SAN DIEGO,CA— Angelpaw has won the Top Veterinary Solution Provider for 2022, an award that sets the stage for the company’s success along with their 2022 Purina Pet Care Innovation Prize. Angelpaw offers new redesigned services that are a game changer within the industry for veterinarians, pet parents, and crematories and aquamation. Angelpaw was founded by James Byler, CEO, when he encountered issues at the crematorium after the death of his own pet. He utilized information technology to create a data-driven, open-access technology that improves the process not just for pet parents, but for veterinarians and the cremation center. “Angelpaw is a platform that digitizes the entire pet cremation lifecycle to increases operational efficiencies, reduces errors and processing times, and provides full transparency to all parties with the ecosystem,” says Byler. “The entire Angelpaw team is ecstatic and honored for the special recognition in innovation we’ve brought to the pet industry” says Byler. “Our passion for pet’s and technology pushes us every day to continue to fully digitize, automate and bring full transparency to the entire pet cremation and pet aquamation lifecycle for pet parents, veterinarians, crematories and aquamation centers.” For more information, visit Angelpaw’s website at www.Angelpaw.com. BROOKFIELD,WI— The Funeral Service Foundation is launching its fifth matching gift campaign in partnership with The Messenger Co. Now through June 15, Foundation supporters can do twice the good with one donation. “Our team supports the Funeral Service Foundation because we believe in the impact that comes from serving funeral service professionals and families well. It is the little things that make a big difference,” said Heather Garman, vice president of sales and marketing for The Messenger Co. “Helping someone appropriately honor their loved one and get them started on their grief journey makes the world of difference to a person, a family, or an entire community. What we do and how well we do it is critically important; let’s keep striving to get better each and every day.” A Foundation supporter since 2003, Messenger’s matching gifts have inspired countless donors to support the Foundation through one-time and recurring donations and gifts made in memory or honor of a loved one or colleague. No matter the means of contribution, all gifts carry forward the Foundation’s mission of investing in people and programs to strengthen funeral service and lift up grieving communities. “We are so grateful for Messenger’s continued generosity, and for the generosity they’ve inspired from others in the profession,” said Foundation executive director Lee Wiensch, CFRE. “The Foundation’s mission of strengthening funeral service and lifting up grieving communities is put into action through gifts from notable partners like Messenger.” Donations made to the Foundation through June 15 are eligible for matching, including contributions by mail (Funeral Service Foundation, 13625 Bishop’s Drive, Brookfield, WI 53005) or online. To donate, visit www. funeralservicefoundation. org/donatenow/.
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