When a family chooses to place a newspaper obituary, it’s an opportunity to tell a broad group of people in your community – some who you may not typically serve – that your home is handling the arrangements and serving the family. Selecting a funeral home is often rooted in tradition; families choose a home that has served them or someone in their family in the past. However, consumer behavior is changing: In a recent survey, 51% of respondents said that they would choose home that has served their family in the past, but look at it the other way – 49% indicated that they didn’t know or they would choose a location in their local community. How can you ensure that your home is the one they select?

It’s vital to understand the importance of the newspaper obituary. The newspaper website is the top destination for obituary and funeral service-related information online; in fact, Legacy’s newspaper partner sites reach more than 22% of all individuals over 55 years old (more than twice the internet average). And, in a survey of over 1,000 people, 88% of respondents indicated they wanted to place a newspaper obituary; this was true for young people and strong across all age ranges.

There is no other website online that provides the same level of interest in obituaries, funeral homes and grief resources. Logically, you want to advertise or promote your business where your core audience is, so maximizing your presence on your local newspaper’s obituary homepage should be an integral part of your business plan. While Legacy offers paid programs to increase your exposure on a newspaper’s website, we have one simple tip on how you maximize your exposure for free:

Provide your newspaper with detailed information about the location of your homes. This information helps give your funeral home branding on each obituary and populates the obituaries you place into your funeral home directory page.

Obituary without Funeral Home Information

Obituary with Funeral Home Information

Funeral Home Directory Page without Funeral Home Information

Funeral Home Directory Page with Funeral Home Information

Remember to include some or all of these important details when submitting obituaries to your local newspaper:

  • Funeral home name
  • Address to specific location
  • City (if you have more than one location, but in different cities)
  • Phone number to specific location
  • Website URL to specific location (if unique)
  • Logo
  • Taglines such as, “Arrangements handled by McGuire Funeral Home, Fireside Chapel, Chicago.”

 

Providing detailed information in your obituaries lets everyone in the community know that you are the home taking care of their family members, friends and neighbors during the time of a death. Build out your obituaries with as much information as possible to take advantage of this free way to increase your exposure.