MARCH 2020 - FUNERAL BUSINESS ADVISOR

Hoarding My Father

So, what happened last week when I walked into a meeting with a funeral director to discuss business and walked out, an hour later, convinced I needed to buy another urn, a plot, and a stone memorial for my father, who died 16 years ago? Click to read more.

NOVEMBER 2019 - FUNERAL BUSINESS ADVISOR

We Are Honored, With Deepest Sympathies, and Thoughts and Prayers: Stuff No One Wants To Hear

We are skeptical. We are hesitant. And, we are very quick to judge. This is the cultural climate in which we live. A climate in which every message we take in is evaluated for its truthfulness and trustworthiness. A climate in which seemingly everyone is a critic, an expert, and an authority. Authenticity is rare, and therefore, highly valued. Click to read more.

OCTOBER 2019 - CRAKN BLOG

Why Is Memorialization So Important?

Memorialization is not commemoration. It is not monumentalizing. And, it isn’t simply celebrating, honoring, or remembering. Nor is it a sympathy card, a bouquet of flowers, or a name and date etched into stone. Memorialization is an experience. And this, is why it has such importance in our lives. Click to read more.

AUGUST 2019 - HBO

Alternate Endings: Six New Ways to Die in America

AS SEEN ON HBO! Out of the hundreds of companies at the 2017 NFDA expo in Boston, Beloved was among the few HBO chose to represent the changing landscape of the funeral industry in their documentary, Alternate Endings: Six New Ways to Die in America. Clearly, we make an impression. Click to view.

JULY 2019 - FUNERAL BUSINESS ADVISOR

The Obituary, Your Marketing Machine

Every moment of our lives is a story. All of our habits, our customs, our culture; it’s all based on stories. Stories are the heart and soul of every human experience. The good and bad, the best of times and the worst: we have stories for everything. And we will continue to create and recreate, revise, and improvise stories until the end of our time. We cannot get away from storytelling because we live it. Click to read more.

AUGUST 2018 - CRAKN BLOG

The Ultimate Checklist to Improve Your Obituaries

Funeral directors know the deep, lasting impact that every obituary can have. When done right, an obituary tells a powerful story that captures the essence of a loved one. In doing so, it helps to celebrate their life and legacy. Click to read more.

JULY 2018 - FUNERAL BUSINESS ADVISOR

Behold, The Power of the Obituary!

You have, already at your disposal, in the palm of your hand, the most powerful social media tool you need to promote and market your funeral home effectively: the obituary. Click to read more.

MARCH 2018 - AMERICAN FUNERAL DIRECTOR

Bringing a Writer's Eye to Obituaries

So Petra Lina Orloff knew she was onto something when she heard a stranger at the department store praising an obituary that she'd written. And when the woman pulled the clipping from her purse to share with a friend, it set Orloff on a path that has led her to start her own business. Click to read more.

MARCH 2018 - FUNERAL BUSINESS ADVISOR

The Politics of Personalization

In an industry that must consistently move forward, while remaining intimately tethered to its past, it bodes well for funeral directors who understand the difference between customization and personalization, and how the demand for a uniquely individual experience can cement their relationship to the community and also, exponentially increase the value of their business. Click to read more.

JANUARY 2018 - FUNERAL BUSINESS ADVISOR

Speak of the Dead: Storytelling and Your Aftercare Program

Everything we know is built upon storytelling: film, music, television, literature, the news, scrapbooks, photo albums, art, letters, greeting cards, dance, advertising, the theatre, debate, the list goes on and on. Stories help us make sense of our world. We build our lives on them, we base our cultures upon them, and, we create our reality with them. Click to read more.

DECEMBER 2017 - FUNERAL BUSINESS ADVISOR

Eternal Timekeeper and Beloved: A Custom Fit

North Port, FL. We are excited to announce that Eternal Timekeeper and Beloved are collaborating to assist clients in creating uniquely memorable, timeless memorials for their loved ones. Click to read more.

NOVEMBER 2017 - A GOOD GOODBYE

NOVEMBER 2017 - CRaKN

How Funeral Directors Can Help Families Create Incredible Obituaries

“We are not the names of people we have left behind. We laugh. We weep. We love. We are brave and we are afraid,” says Petra Lina Orloff. Orloff is President and CEO of Beloved, a company that produces custom, personalized, handcrafted obituaries and eulogies. “ Click to read more.

SEPTEMBER 2017 - FUNERAL BUSINESS ADVISOR