Day One--Marketing & Technology Seminar

Beyond Marketing

You've Got Questions, We've Got Answers! Addressing Your Marketing Concerns
Are you frustrated with trying to communicate your thoughts and ideas to your community? Do you feel that your marketing/advertising dollars are just going to waste? Do you wonder if you really even need to advertise? This portion of the seminar, with marketing consultant Terri Reid, of Reid & Associates, will be a discussion forum where participants can submit their marketing questions and receive solutions for their most pressing marketing concerns. Basic marketing terms and tools will also be discussed.

Beyond Your Website

Getting The Most Out Of Your Web Presence
Is your web presence alive and dynamic - or is it sitting in a virtual morgue? Your "cyberhome" is open 365/24/7...is your website inviting people in the door or is it just an online version of a yellow pages ad? Have you considered offering new services, such as pet loss, monuments, or receptions? Or maybe you'd like to promote discount packages, veterans' services, or green funerals? Thinking of adding an e-store for urns, flowers, monuments, gifts, or pet loss products? Can't afford hiring an aftercare coordinator but want to offer something to help those grieving in your community? Dawn Fisher, of Fisher Funeral Homes in Indiana, will discuss how to use your web presence to promote your presence in your community and increase your bottom line.

You Tube©, YourChannel, Your Business

Applied Digital Video Marketing
Today, technology lets us adapt into our own small businesses audio and video tools once reserved for broadcast television. There are simple tools that allow you to fully describe your products or services in ways that can't be expressed on paper or consistently in person. In addition to improving sales and understanding through education, a Digital Captive Audience system (DCAN) that employs LCD displays with professional high quality programming allows you to tell your story, your way, cost effectively.

One of the biggest side benefits involves the effect of elevating professionalism and brand image for you and your business. Digital captive audience networks allow you the ability to appear “approachable, knowledgeable, and relevant” to your customers and clients.

In this brief lecture, we will discuss the basic application of DCAN's including equipment, software options, and general system administration. This easy to follow, easy to understand lecture shows you how small businesses with no prior knowledge of digital signage, marketing technology, or brand image development can inexpensively and quickly adopt currently available technology to their own business needs.

You'll learn why digital signage works, how consumers perceive traditional advertising vs. edvertising (education based selling), and where you can go to get more information on systems and turn-key solutions. You'll see examples of how systems have been applied in other industries. DCAN systems work because they:

1. Deliver your message clearly
2. Communicate quickly
3. Project credibility
4. Educate and inform
5. Strike an emotional chord
6. Motivate the consumer
7. Create strong brand loyalty

You need a solid brand to have a solid business. You need to obtain the top-of-mind awareness in your customers' minds. You need to be THE go-to source for funeral and aftercare services in your community. You do that with brand and the highest quality customer care you can muster. Using a good Digital Captive Audience system provides the tools to do that everyday.

Day Two--Hands-on Learning

Funeral Directors and staff will need to bring their laptops for this portion of the seminar, or rent a computer from us (Fee: $100). Ideally we feel we can help teach understanding of technology better if attendees have their own equipment with which they are familiar. Additionally, any computer settings that are learned in the seminar can be made on the computer at the seminar and taken home for easy use. Wireless Internet services are provided by the hotel.

Beyond Computer 101
Do your kids know more about using the computer than you do? Are you often frustrated by simple tasks that you know should only take a few minutes, but end up taking you hours? Do you just want someone to help simplify the seemingly complicated world of attachments, cutting & pasting, set-ups, files, and computer terms? Join us for a very user friendly morning of Computer 101.

Beyond Internet 102
Do you know what SEO is? What about Phishing, pop-ups, security, ad-words, Google, and SMTP? Is your website secure? What dangers lurk inside the Internet? Join us for a user friendly exploration of the Internet – how to use it and how to make sure that your site and clients are safe and secure.

We will also include worksheets and handouts for each seminar, so you can apply these tools to your funeral home.

In-depth, One-on-One Workshops (optional)

Personalized Marketing Consultation (available throughout Day Two, July 23)
Fee: $150
Register for an hour-long customized marketing analysis with marketing consultant, Terri Reid. Terri will review your current marketing techniques, analyze your marketing strengths and weaknesses, and send you a customized market analysis with recommendations for your company.

Website Review & Assistance (available throughout Day Two, July 23)
Fee: FREE
Does your website look like a 1970's leisure suit? Is it driving people to your business? Do you even know how well it is performing for you? Your website is another “employee” of your company. It should be working for you 24/7. Talk to the Beyond Indigo team to see how your current website could be improved. Never had a website? No problem. We will listen to your business needs and construct an outline of services your future website should offer.

Be Your Own Virtual Host (Available throughout both days)
Fee: $1,500 (by June 1), or $1,800 (after June 1)

A website feature that is gaining popularity is a personalized virtual host on the website. A virtual host is just that – a talking person who welcomes visitors to the website and explains website features.

As a special offer, each funeral director will have the opportunity to create their own one-minute virtual host for their website for the low price of $1,500 if registered before June 1st ($1,800 after June 1st). Generic hosts can cost as much as $5,000, but through this exclusive seminar promotion, funeral directors can add a customized personal touch to their website for a fraction of the cost.

This offer is provided through a partnership between Beyond Indigo and emebaVet of California. emebaVet is a leader in captive audience digital signage solutions and systems integration. Beyond Indigo will interview each funeral director to ascertain what information they would like their host to convey before the convention. BI will then write the script, and the funeral director will review and edit it before the show. The script will be loaded on a teleprompter for the director to use when emebaVet shoots the video. The virtual host will be a custom host; that is, it can be the actual funeral director (or someone else of their choosing), as opposed to a generic host. (A generic host is similar to the generic “telephone lady” on many telephone message systems.)

[Back to 2008 Marketing & Technology Seminar for Funeral Directors and Staff]

This seminar is approved for Continuing Education Units (CEUs). [More]

Read more about the topics to be covered in each session. [More]

Get details about the hotel, plus directions. [More]

View a detailed schedule for the seminar. [More]

Learn more about our speakers. [More]