Page A20 December 2022 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS Se c t i on A in some way, even better, because everyone who follows that animal rescue will see your name repeatedly when the rescue itself posts about the event. We take a similar approach with our Widow Identity Workshops. They are designed to facilitate an open dialogue about the realities of widowhood, but they are also opportunities for businesses and others to generate social media attention. For example, we partnered with a retirement community to do a workshop on-site. That business now had an event that generated numerous social media posts over several weeks. They posted that they were offering the workshop, they sent a few reminder posts, and then they posted pictures of the event itself. For a relatively small cost, they got critical search engine activity. I’d love to hear about your experiences! What works or doesn’t work? Who have you allied with locally? How are you addressing the challenge of Americans’ squeamishness towards death? Feel free to drop me an email at patty.desiderio@notjustawidow.com. This time of year is especially difficult for widows. In particular, the first holiday season after her husband’s death is lonely and she is repeatedly reminded of his absence. Holiday parties are attended alone. Decorating the house, putting up a tree, receiving cards only addressed to her, etc. Children, grandchildren, and friends can be helpful, but at the end of the day, when she goes home, she is reminded that she is alone now. For me personally, since I didn’t have children, I sought out a support group as my first holiday alone approached. I tried out several before finally finding a workshop on “surviving the holidays” that was held at a local church and sponsored by Amedysis (the hospice company). There is an identity shift that widows experience and that I talk about in our widow workshops. A widow’s social identity changes overnight. All those couple activities are constant reminders of a husband’s absence. In addition, people act awkwardly around new widows. They’re nervous about what to say or do. I was therefore very thankful that I found a group of women at this workshop who could relate to my experience, but also a group of people who did not act uncomfortable around me. After my husband died, the funeral home I used invited me to a holiday “open house” for those who had recently lost a loved one. While I appreciated the intention, I really didn’t need another reminder that my husband wasn’t alive. This is the fundamental marketing challenge faced by the funeral industry. No one wants to talk about death or to be reminded about death. Certainly no one wants to attend any function at a funeral home. And yet, those within the funeral home are in the ideal position to connect the bereaved with resources like grief support groups, aftercare, etc. So, how can folks in the funeral industry market themselves in this new online world? I mean, how many people in the general public would follow a funeral home or By Patty Desiderio Not Just A Widow a cemetery on Facebook, for example? Let me share with you some of the things I’ve learned from doing our Widow Identity Workshops. We have the same fundamental challenge you do. No one wants to talk about death. Widows do not want a reminder that their husband is dead. But widows do need help managing their grief and addressing the many changes in their life. In addition, a widow’s family wants to help their mother/sister/aunt, but they aren’t sure how to do that. The trick is that we need to be a little sneaky about our marketing. If you aren’t being followed on social media by your target audience, you need to ally yourself with the people and businesses that are. How can you remind your target audience that you exist? You can sponsor local events for one. You can also have funeral directors, or marketing and outreach personnel, attend local events. Then you can post it to your social media channels. The funeral industry has one advantage that few industries have: everyone knows what you do already. You don’t have to advertise features and benefits; you can literally list your business’s name and get instant recognition. Marketing experts will tell you that effective marketing is done through consistent and high frequency application. That’s why everyone advertises in the church bulletins. Churchgoers see your name every single week. You need to consider this same approach with social media through consistent posting. Here are a couple of examples. Our local animal rescue has several fundraisers throughout the year. Whether it’s a golf outing or a pub crawl or a dinner, it’s an opportunity for your business to generate several social media posts simply by attending. First, you do an advance post saying that you’re going to attend and link to the animal rescue’s page or site. Then, you do a reminder post just before the event. Finally, you do a post the day of or the day after with photos of attendees having fun there. If you also sponsor the event 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 Patty Desiderio is co-founder of Not Just a Widow LLC. She co-authored The Not Just aWidowGuidebook with Doug Robinson, who has provided over 25 years of guidance and counsel on personal financial planning to widowed clients. Patty is motivated by her own experience as a widow. After her husband Basil died in 2011, she had to navigate the unique hurdles of widowhood. She often wondered why there weren’t more resources for widows and why everyone was so reluctant to talk about something that affects millions of women. She knew she could help her fellow widows. The Not Just A Widow Guidebook, available on Amazon.com, is a guide for widows and the people who love them. BULK SALE DISCOUNT — 10 books for $200! The Not Just A Widow Guidebook makes a great giveaway for your aftercare or outreach program! Contact Patty directly at patty.desiderio@notjustawidow.com. If you’re looking to provide a local educational workshop and generate significant social media buzz, you need the Widow’s Identity TransformationWorkshop. It’s an honest look at how a widow’s world is up-ended and tips she and others can use to cope. Both NotJustAWidow.com and Facebook page Not Just a Widow LLC, are excellent resources for widows looking for guidance. by KNAUER INDUSTRIES The Fan Man, Inc. Fans Calendars Urns Register Books Dresses Advertising Specialties John Mannion “WhatEver You Need” 1-800-671-8280 Cell: 803-417-2940 Thefanman@comporium.net bankersadvertising.com/thefanman Historic photo of the Alhiser-Comer Mortuary Building 1915 Ad 1893 Ad Bill Comer Alhiser-Comer Mortuary 125 Years Continued from Front Page a stable that backed up to a prep room and is now offices and a kitchen. “The stable ceiling is still above our drop-down ceiling,” Megan says. “You can’t see it, because the fire safety sprinklers needed to be installed, but it’s still up there.” Alhiser-Comer Mortuary has a storied past that begins in the 1890s with J.H. Sampson and his caisson, transporting the deceased with a top-hatted driver and a team of jet-black horses. Shortly after the turn of the century, Frank G. Thompson bought out Sampson and built a new parlor with rooms dedicated to undertaking. Halleck “Hal” Johnson purchased the business in the latter half of the 1920s until Mr. and Mrs. Edward Seale took over the operation for a brief threemonth period from March 1936 through July 1936. In July 1936, Clovis B. Alhiser and his wife, former Escondido residents, returned to buy the parlor from the Seale family. They operated the Alhiser Mortuary for twelve years, but the name stuck and became a part of Escondido history even after they left. In September of 1948, Ralph L. Wilson purchased the mortuary and doubled the floorspace and created new parking. Sharon (Wilson) Disney ran the business for many years and was well-known in the community. That brings us to our current family of owners. Bill Comer, Megan’s grandfather, served in the Korean War and was responsible for getting the deceased back and dressed for the families. He went to school and then went on to own several different funeral homes. But when the Wilsons were ready to sell, they contacted the Comers – Continued on page A25 SEND US YOUR NEWS! PO Box 5159 Youngstown, Oh 44514 1-800-321-7479 info@nomispublications.com 1-888-792-9315 • mymortuarycooler.com Scan QR for our website Cots not included MODEL # TR3 Triple Cot Roll-In Mortuary Cooler AMC N W FAST SHIPPING BY 12/31 ON SELECT PRODUCTS
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