When families announce a death, your mind probably wanders to the traditional announcement you see in a newspaper.

These announcements list close relatives, funeral service details, and maybe a favorite hobby — but that’s about it. A lot of families don’t know that with online obituaries, you can really dig deep into the life of their loved one and tell a meaningful story.

It’s not about the years in the life that count, it’s the life in the years. Families need to be aware that they can write in-depth, inspirational obituaries about their lost loved ones rather than the predictable announcement of a death. There’s potential for much more than just providing essential information.

Personalized Obituaries Help Your Families

When families write a deeper story about their loved ones, it helps them in many ways. They’ll have time to reminisce about all the light their loved one brought to their life, and the positive memories they have. Obituaries will help them grieve, heal, and connect with each other in their time of hardship.

Personalized Obituaries Help Your Funeral Home

By encouraging families to write personalized online obituaries, your funeral home will benefit as well. Personalized online obituaries increase traffic to your website. Also, helping families tell their loved ones’ stories will show that you’re there for each family every step of the way.

How You Can Help

To help families understand what they can do with an obituary, provide them with examples and suggestions. As a funeral director, families are relying on you to make them aware of the options available for them. A meaningful tribute can create laughter, spark memories, and generate happiness for families and friends.

Some tips for obituaries:

• Outline the important events in their life. What stories stand out that illustrate a loved one’s best qualities?
• Interview family members and get their personal stories and memories of the deceased.
• Make the obituary lively. Tell a personal story that will show accomplishments and personality.
• Provide pictures for a pleasant reminder of the deceased and give readers the ability to recognize the individual.
• Write from the heart. Express love and appreciation by showcasing their best characteristics.
• Celebrate their life through an obituary with these suggestions.

To further help families create touching tributes to reflect the lives of their loved ones, here are some obituary examples to help with the writing process. This obituary is a good example of telling a story as well.