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8 Answers

1. Hi Julie,
   
   I think you're right in that you can't really advertise this - for instance, little cards placed in the soil of a grave would be highly effective I'm sure but you only need to upset one or two people and you're looking at problems.
   
   I'd be tempted to try and work with cemetories or local councils as they will be the ones who really benefit from better tended graves. I recently read something about "taxpayers money being wasted on the dead" as a load of rarely tended to graves were cleaned up by the council. I think it was in the Metro and unfortunately can't remember when it was published.
   
   Similarly you could try and speak with people who sell headstones etc - would there be any value in them providing your services as an add on to the original sale? I don't know, I'll let you do the math :-)
   
   Good luck!
   
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   Answered by Adam Arnold, April 2008   -  Contact this person (Edited on 2008-04-17 19:47:29)
2. Hi Julie,
   
   I think that Adam has a couple of really excellent ideas there. Trying to build a partnership with monumental masons or funeral directors who would offer your services as part of a package could be a great way forward.
   
   A quick search on gravestones on the BBC news reveals lots of stories about problems with untended graves so there is certainly a conversation to had with your local authority as well.
   
   Phin
   
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   Answered by Phineas Wenlock, April 2008   -  Contact this person
3. Thanks Adam and Phineas
   I am making contacts with the council this week,(having gone round in circles trying to find the appropriate contact!). E-mailing some masons first, rather than cold calling, as want to give them a chance to digest my proposal before turning up at the door. I think I risk being turned away without a second shot.
   I had a feature in the Manchester Evening News, bringing me one ongoing customer. A subsequent advert in the announcements column of a smaller local paper provided one more and a couple of enquiries.
   The problem with newspapers, I think is that they are thrown away next day,so I thought, due to the, fairly unique, angle, it may be possible to find a way to get a feature in a magazine like Cheshire Life. I sent an e-mail to a writer listed on the web page for the magazine but have had no response.
   Sorry to press for more advice but hoped anyone could advise on getting this kind of coverage.
   Thanks again.
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   Answered by Julie Doherty, April 2008   -  Contact this person
4. Hi Julie,
   
   Journalist and editors a usually pretty busy people. The best way to get their attention is to provide a synopsis of what the article would be about with all the relevant information. You might consider writing a full press release with quote and preferably an image or photograph and sending that. Once it is emailed you must follow-up with a phone call to see what their response was.
   
   By the way – when you contact the Masons etc. there is no harm in sending them a copy of the most recent press coverage – it gives your message a bit more weight.
   
   Hope that helps.
   
   Phin
   
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   Answered by Phineas Wenlock, April 2008   -  Contact this person
5. Hi Julie,
   
   Contacting journalists would seem a sensible way to try and get coverage, although as Phineas has pointed out this may be difficult. I'd try to look for articles around the subject and contact the authors, as they should (a) have some general knowledge of the problem and (b) contacts obtained when writing the piece.
   
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   Answered by Adam Arnold, April 2008   -  Contact this person
6. Hi - the best book I have ever read about marketing on a shoe string is "Marketing Judo" by John Barnes and Richard Richardson. A real insight in how to reach your customers and build lasting relationships without spending huge budgets that you do not have. It changed my business for the better! Good luck,
   Jenny
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   Answered by Jenny Biddulph, April 2008   -  Contact this person (Edited on 2008-04-28 14:05:38)
7. Hi Julie,
   
   I agree with all of the above but suggest that in addition to this you try to work with undertakers.
   
   The time of a funeral is NOT the appropriate occasion to sell your services but they will have the contact details of all of their clients in the area who have had a family member buried. After an appropriate interval, perhaps a year, there may be a way for them to contact their clients on your behalf and include a tasteful flyer about your services. This is a host beneficiary arrangement where you use their database to sell a complimentary, non competing product and they are able to keep their name in customers' minds for when they are needed again.
   
   You may need to contribute by funding the postage and the undertaker may choose to add in other sales materials such as funeral insurance. A Win - Win arrangement!
   
   Neil
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   Answered by Neil Smith, April 2008   -  Contact this person
8. Hi Julie
   How about finding a way to tie in with the insurance companies offering "funeral insurance" - even if it's only to get them to put a tasteful flyer in with their proposal forms? Would the undertakers allow you to put a small advert on a notice board (some of them have these, I do funeral catering occasionally and have my card up there). Would it be in incredibly bad taste if you details were included with the undertaker's receipt to the deceased's family?
   Good luck with it.
   Lynne.
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   Answered by Lynne Tanner, May 2008   -  Contact this person