When a family searches “funeral home near me,” they likely use Google and follow Google’s suggestions. That means if your business isn’t one of Google’s first results, you may miss out on serving them. Host Rob Davidson welcomes Haley Laurence, Digital Marketing Supervisor at Funeral Directors Life, to the FD Talks podcast to discuss the importance of promoting your business with Google Ads. Get answers to common questions like:What are Google Ads?How can you be the top Google result?Is Google advertising cost-effective?And more!Find out how Google Ads can help you reach families first.And download your free copy of the Digital Marketing 101 eBook to learn more: https://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/digital-marketing-101-ebook/

More and more families today are interested in starting the preplanning search online. Do you have a plan to reach them there? This FD Talks episode features Rob Davidson’s discussion with John Davenport, Vice President of Sales for Service Group of Oklahoma, and R.T. Delhomme, Vice President of Operations at Martin & Castille Funeral Home in Louisiana, about new marketing strategies that can help grow your preneed program.Learn how you can increase your brand awareness, grow your market share, receive a higher return on your marketing investment, and more with these proven strategies.For more funeral home marketing tips, download our eBook: https://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/digital-marketing-101-ebook/ 

According to the World Bank, 92% of Americans use the internet. That means reaching consumers online is the best way to spread awareness about your funeral home’s services.But how should you do that?Rob sits down with Mitchell McLean, Vice President of Digital Marketing at Funeral Directors Life, to discuss the state of digital marketing for funeral homes today.Learn how an effective marketing strategy can grow your preneed program and discover the surprising social media platform that’s generating high return for funeral home clients.To learn more about digital marketing, download our eBook: https://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/digital-marketing-101-ebook/ 

The average funeral consumer falls into 1 of 7 categories. And each group has different expectations of how funerals should be…and how they expect you to interact with them. Josh McQueen, Vice President of Marketing & Product at Directors Investment Group (DIG), returns to the FD Talks podcast to identify these 7 consumer segments, based on a recent study done by McKee Wallwork + Co. and DIG. They discuss:How families have changed in the last decadeImportant information about the 7 types of consumersHow you can discover which segments live in your communityAnd more!Get more insights in this free report that you can use to help you make better, more informed decisions about your funeral business. >> The New Funeral Consumer Report - FDLIC 

One of the biggest problems funeral directors face today is the evolving needs of families. In order to adapt to them, you need to grow in your craft.In this FD Talks episode, Rob Davidson sits down with Gary Freytag, President and CEO of Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum and the current ICCFA president, and Kevin Gaffney, Chairman of the Membership Committee Board at ICCFA, to discuss growth in the profession. They cover the importance of trying new ideas, the benefits of an ICCFA membership, and more. Listen now to start growing today!To learn more about an ICCFA membership, contact Cindy at [email protected] or visit https://iccfa.com/join/. 

You’ve likely heard that cremation rates are at an all-time high. But did you know that in the last decade, family preference for cremation has only risen 2.3%? Host Rob Davidson sits down with Josh McQueen, Vice President of Marketing & Product at Directors Investment Group (DIG), to uncover 5 crucial findings about funeral consumers and their preferences, based on a recent study done by McKee Wallwork + Co. and DIG. They break down statistics and data to reveal how families really feel about:The funeral profession as a wholeComfort around planning onlineDisposition optionsAnd more!Get more insights in this free report that you can use to help you make better, more informed decisions about your funeral business. >> https://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/report/ 

Funeral livestreaming isn’t going away anytime soon. In fact, 42% of people feel comfortable attending a funeral online. That’s why you need to offer a livestreaming option now.Host Rob Davidson sits down with Tyler Ward, Digital Sales Manager with Encore Livestreaming, on the FD Talks podcast to discuss 10 dos and don’ts of funeral livestreaming. They cover:What equipment to useHow to use livestreaming as a competitive advantageThe problems with “free” livestreaming platformsAnd more!If you want to try livestreaming on your own, download the livestreaming “Quick Start Guide” here: https://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/fdtalks/25/#guideOr learn more about Encore livestreaming here:  https://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/encore 

The interest rate environment is on the rise (along with prices and inflation), but what does that mean for your funeral home? And what can you do about it? Host Rob Davidson invited Todd Carlson, Executive Vice President of Sales and Chief Sales Officer of Funeral Directors Life, to FD Talks to discuss:A special announcement from Funeral Directors Life about our preneed funeral growth ratesHow to choose the right preneed product for your funeral homeInflation mitigation strategiesYou can take this information and apply it to your funeral home today!

Funeral Directors Life Insurance Company (FDLIC) recently finalized the acquisition of American Life & Annuity Company (ALAC) in Hot Springs, Arkansas. President and CEO of FDLIC Kris Seale and ALAC President Claude Holloway join FD Talks host Rob Davidson for a conversation about the acquisition process, including how it came to be and what’s next for both companies.

According to a report by the National Funeral Directors Association, one of the most common funeral home needs is an increase in staff. Many funeral directors believe that finding the right people will be their greatest challenge over the next five years. As a result, the Journey to Serve campaign was created to help funeral homes recruit veterans and lead them from one selfless position of service to another.On the latest installment of FD Talks, host Rob Davidson speaks with Lee Wiensch, CFRE and Executive Director at Funeral Service Foundation, and Jim Price, President of ICCFA Educational Foundation. The three discuss:What makes veterans a great fit for the funeral professionHow Journey to Serve was created and how it’s being received in the funeral professionHow funeral homes can use these tools to welcome veterans to their staffAnd more!