By Leader Contributor Natalie Kuri, Customer Success Manager at OneRoom
We know a video is powerful enough to stand the test of time and has the ability to live on through generations, but how can you utilize this power for your funeral home in a similar and long-lasting way?
At MKJ Marketing’s Power of Video seminar this past August, James Montgomery, the National Sales Director at OneRoom, and myself presented the importance of recording every funeral service and shared business development strategies leveraging service video.
Though there are many ways to approach video within your business, we dive into the five key use cases that you can implement immediately to influence growth.
Coaching Tool
Repurposing a service recording is an efficient way to train new staff or mentor existing employees who are eager to grow. Allowing them to learn by example, observing and reviewing themselves, directing a funeral, noting how they’re speaking to the family members, and creating a dialogue for how to improve is such a uniquely valuable opportunity.
Online Guest Book
When you live-stream and record a service using OneRoom, an online attendees list of invited guests is then created in your OneRoom portal. From there, you can email a Thank You note from your funeral home to the viewers for joining the family from a distance, instilling a personal connection.
Milestone Moments
Be There takes on a new meaning after a service commences. This is a trusted opportunity to reach out and support your families through new milestone moments such as birthdays or anniversaries. Grief transforms over time, and the process is different for everyone. We all find ourselves in different stages one month, six months, or one year after a loss, and it’s more important now than ever to reach out.
Pre-Need Connection
While reaching out to attendees who have been impacted after the initial service, you are also able to provide your clients with a recording of the service, which they can revisit in their own time. Oftentimes, it’s after viewing the recording that people reach out to the funeral home about their pre-need offerings. They often think: “The pastor did a great job, maybe now is the time for me to do this” or “I don’t want my kids to go through what I just went through, so this will be my gift to them.”
Business Asset
Build up your asset library and grow your revenue stream over time. Each service recording is an enduring representation of the service you deliver to families and a channel for future engagement. The contact data for the attending family and friends broadens your reach and awareness across the community you serve. You provide a memorable experience for all who attend your services, whether it be in person or online. That connection has the power to foster generational loyalty for future service.
Harness the power of video with these effective strategies and grow your business beyond what you thought was originally possible. Not only will you become a household name in your community for all the wonderful services you offer, but you will be providing a meaningful way for those that mourn to revisit precious memories in their own time.
About the Author: Natalie Kuri, Customer Success Manager
Natalie has been a licensed funeral director for over 20 years in New York and more recently in Texas. She served client families in different roles throughout her career ranging from daily operations, embalming, leading teams in pre-need sales, managing cemeteries and crematories as well as presenting to other professionals at events. Natalie joined the OneRoom team in 2020 as a Customer Success Manager, leveraging her skills from the industry to onboard and train new customers while continuing to develop customer relationships.
