Owner Demands More Authentic Social Media, Rejects Every Photo Containing Authenticity

Hey guys, welcome back for another of FFFW! We are at the halfway point of the beautiful month of May, and I’m feeling good.

See, now we have half of May in front of us- but I’m also stoked about June because it’s another top 6 month. So, things are looking up! Let’s keep it rolling!

Tip #7 — The Link Got Lost

Most funeral directors have talked to Aunt Sally before.

She calls ten minutes before the service starts:

“The funeral?

I never got the link.

My sister emailed it.

But I can’t find it.

Can you help?”

Now your staff are checking worksheets, shuffling case files, and searching email messages.

Meanwhile, the family is waiting.

The clergy is ready.

The service should be starting.

And your team is providing tech support.

What do you do when someone loses the link just before the service?

With Foveo, the livestream is already built into your obituary pages — and a livestreaming expert backs you up all the way.

Families and guests do not need to search their inbox for a separate viewing link. They simply visit the obituary page and watch from there.

And guests who need help can call Foveo.

No separate viewing link to forward or lose.

No last-minute panic.

No anxious call from Aunt Sally pulling your staff away.

Just one clear place to watch, backed by real people who understand funeral-day pressure.

See how to prevent the panic →

Maple Ridge, Ohio — After months of telling staff the funeral home needed to “show up more online,” owner Gary Whitcomb rejected 47 new social media photos this week because they looked too much like actual people work there.

According to staff at Whitcomb & Sons Funeral Home, Gary had recently returned from a marketing webinar where he learned that families want to see “real faces, real stories, and real connection.”

He agreed completely.

He just didn’t care for the real faces, real stories, or real connection.

“I want people to know who we are,” Gary said, scrolling past a picture of two staff members laughing in the lobby. “But there’s a fine line between being approachable and looking like we enjoy snacks.”

The first rejected photo showed the office manager smiling while holding a cup of coffee.

Gary said coffee was “a private beverage” and had no place in public-facing funeral home content.

“This is a dignified profession,” Gary explained. “Families don’t need to know we consume liquids.”

The second photo showed two funeral directors standing outside the chapel in polos.

Gary said the polos were “a little too golf outing” and requested something with “more collar authority.”

A third photo showed the team standing near the hearse, smiling naturally after someone made a joke off camera. Gary admitted the image had warmth, but said warmth was “one of those things that can get away from you if you’re not careful.”

Staff then tried a more serious group photo in the arrangement room. Gary rejected it because one person had their hand in their pocket and another appeared to be “thinking about lunch.”

“I’m not against authenticity,” Gary clarified. “I just believe authenticity should be handled with dignity, reviewed by management, and preferably feature everyone standing like they just heard the chapel microphone make feedback.”

By Wednesday afternoon, Gary had approved one image for Facebook: the front of the building from across the street, taken on an overcast day in 2014.

“It feels timeless,” Gary said. “No drinks. No laughter. No visible personalities.”

The post received three likes, one concerned comment asking if the funeral home was still open, and a share from Gary’s sister who wrote, “Very professional.”

Ask the Funeral Dude!

Question:
Hey Funeral Dude, is it normal for the chapel microphone to work perfectly during testing and then betray us during every service?

– Mr. Feedback Faithful

Answer:
Mr. Feedback Faithful,

Yes. That is not a microphone. That is a ministry of suffering.

Every funeral home has one piece of chapel technology that works beautifully at 9:12 a.m. when tested by staff, then waits until the first prayer to unleash the sound of a haunted fax machine into the room.

That is why we test it. Not because testing prevents problems, but because it gives us the dignity of being surprised anyway.

Here’s the professional approach. Tap the mic once, say “check” twice, pretend you know which knob fixed it, then stand nearby during the service with the calm expression of a man who has accepted his fate.

And if it squeals during the eulogy, do not panic. Simply walk with purpose, adjust the closest wire, and nod like the building itself briefly lost composure.

That’s dignity.