– A Fresh Perspective for Funeral Directors.
In recent years, the funeral industry has found itself entangled in the web of price competition and an overemphasis on the mere disposition of deceased bodies due to the rise of cremation. It’s essential to remember that our industry revolves around memorialization and tending to the emotional needs of grieving families, not just death care.
However, the winds of change are blowing as Baby Boomers step into the spotlight. The oldest turned 76 last year, marking their significant presence in the funeral market. Concepts like life celebration, cremation, and personalization have become industry buzzwords. These Boomers demand what they’ve always desired: a focus on life, love, and cherished memories.
Every culture has developed its one variety of funeral services, cemeteries, and memorials. In the United States, a traditional funeral service is essentially a memorial service, a cemetery is a memorial garden, and a tombstone is a granite memorial. Our core mission is to keep memories alive and help families navigate grieving. As professionals, we should recognize that the outcry of Life Celebration is a call to prioritize our expertise in memorialization—an avenue that can guide families through the five stages of grief: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance.
Change is an opportunity in disguise!
By embracing this new perspective, funeral professionals have opportunities to tap into seven revenue streams:
1. Laser Etched Photos On Tribute Memorials
Videos can capture a lifetime of memories for families, but a granite monument or Tribute Memorial adorned with family photos and special memories will keep your customers’ memories alive forever.
If you offer your customers any tribute video, you have created the perfect opportunity to provide an etched memorial.
Families will have gone through years and years of photographs and cherished memories and selected their favorite photos to share with loved ones. Those favorite photos can be laser engraved onto a memorial, creating a high profit, high satisfaction product your customers won’t be able to turn down.
2. Laser Engraved Caskets
While not every family may request personalized caskets, offering laser engraving as a complimentary service can increase your profit margin by at least 15%. By addressing consumers’ emotional needs and enhancing the perceived value of caskets, you can stand out among your competitors.
There are many design options for personalization on a casket. Knowing your family and learning about their loved ones will help determine what kind of artwork they like.
Most everybody is passionate about something, whether it be their religion, music, sports, family, animals, or even skydiving – there is artwork to capture any interest. Learn more about laser engraved caskets here.
3. Photo Cremation Urns
What if you could offer a laser engraved personalized urn for every one of your customers opting for cremation – an urn that reflected their life, memories, and all of the unique characteristics that made them who they were? AP Lazer allows you to add photos, text, and other artwork to the urns you are already stocking. Read more about laser-engraved personalized urns here.
Photos hold the power to rekindle countless memories. Funeral homes can add significant value by offering photo engraving on cremation urns. Combining artistic design, fonts, and meaningful quotes or poems can enhance the value of urns and provide a positive cash flow, free from the cost of goods.
4. Personalized Keepsakes
It’s becoming a popular trend to give funeral attendees a little something to take away, a trinket or keepsake to keep your departed loved one in their hearts after the funeral. It’s also a nice gesture of thanks for their support.
A laser engraving can add a personal touch, making a keepsake even more special. We like mini glass hearts, river rocks, and a wooden bottle opener. All of these can be laser engraved with an AP Lazer.
Granite and slate tiles make great memorial keepsakes, as they can be placed in any home or garden setting.
With laser engraving and cutting technology, everyday household items can become emotional treasures when engraved with love and memories. From tumblers to cutting boards, keychains to home furniture, these personalized items provide comfort and love to grieving hearts. Families also have long-term needs for memorial gifts for birthdays, anniversaries, and Holidays.
5. Pet Memorials
The pet market is booming, with an almost threefold increase in size since 2009. Funeral professionals can tap into end-of-life pet services and products, including laser-engraved pet urns and memorials.
Pet parents are often left devastated when a beloved friend passes and will do anything to take the hurt away. Pet markers range in price from $89 – $499 each and can bring you many new customers.
Learn more about the importance of pet memorialization and find out about the growing trend of pet memorials here.
6. Home Garden Memorials
As the backlog of orders for granite memorials grows, some families turn to temporary grave markers and memorial plaques for cemetery placement. Others opt for home garden memorials, creating a comforting space for remembrance and healing.
7. Diversify Into Life!
Consider adopting the “Celebration Director” title and expand your offerings beyond the traditional funeral realm. With laser engraving capabilities, you can create a “one-stop love and memory engraving shop” that caters to many life events. Funeral directors are uniquely positioned to handle a variety of celebratory moments, drawing on their education, experience, and community connections.
