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ICCFA MagazineStart every day at at theICCFA Café,

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Ruiz-McPherson is a virtu-al marketing consultant andpublicity assistant providingmarketing and publicity con-sulting services to deathcare establishments as theDeath Care Publicist.

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She writes the MarketingMisfit Blog and produces abi-weekly e-newsletter aboutmarketing.

www.mayraruiz.com www.mayraruiz.com/ deathcare

10 questions to ask about Webservice suppliers before hiring them

here are many Web service suppliers,including Web design firms,agencies andfreelancers,all vying for your funeral home,crematory or cemetery’s e-business. How do yousift through all the potential suppliers to find themost appropriate one for your organization,the onethat will best meet your Web needs?In searching for a qualified Web services suppli-er,you need to consider many issues before makinga final decision,including budgetary factors andquestions about what you want your Web site,or aparticular Web project,to do for your organization.Whatever your decision-making process,youshould definitely consider—at minimum—the fol-lowing as you decide what you want to do andwho you’re going to hire to do it for you. This list-ing is not all-inclusive,but should get you startedon developing the list of questions you should ask when you talk to potential Web services suppliers.

1. What type of supplier is it?

Is it marketing itself as a full-service,one-stopshop? Is it a freelance consultant subcontractingmost of the actual work? Would you be workingwith an agency that has a specific specialty andpartners with other firms to perform or to completeother aspects of the project? Is the company’sservice geared more toward online marketing thanactual Web site design?Ask each vendor to specify its business modeland capabilities,as well as what work,if any,would be done by subcontractors.

2. Is the supplier “left-brained”or “right-brained”?

Often a Web services supplier cannot be allthings to all clients. A supplier can be,for example,more creatively capable (right-brained) than techni-cally adept (left-brained). A successful Web siteneeds a balance of creativity with technical func-tionality.Is a supplier better versed with the developmentof online databases and e-commerce Web sites orgood at interactive,animated design but weakerwith programming skills?Depending on the nature of your Web project,you may need a bit of both solid creative input andtechnical expertise. Good suppliers will help youidentify your project requirements and openly sharewith you,up front,their Web design and develop-ment strengths and weaknesses.

3. If a supplier partners with others on aproject,how does that work?

In light of #2,many Web/Internet projects mayrequire suppliers to partner with other firms andcontractors to handle all aspects of the project well.If a supplier is going to need to partner with otherfirms or individuals to complete your project,ask if the supplier has a proven history of success inworking with those third parties.Ask for details on how the proposed collabora-tion will be handled. Who will be the projectmanager? How will the teams communicate andhow often? Who will be responsible for whichproject milestones?Get the complete scoop on how partnering firmscollaborate. Ask for examples of previous projectsin which the teams had to work closely togetherand references you can check to verify what you’retold.

4. Does your supplier understand that theWeb site is not the only component of youroverall marketing strategy?

A Web site is not a stand-alone marketing tool;it is another point of contact through which youcan reach families and your community. Does yoursupplier understand that your Web site and onlinemarketing campaigns are usually part of marketingactivities you are already engaged in offline?If you will be relying on a supplier to make sureyour online marketing efforts parallel your offlineefforts,ask the supplier how it has coordinated andtimed integrated campaigns in the past. Make sureyour vendor has the experience and partnerships in

You know how to evaluate a company selling caskets,retorts or lawn mowers.You’re up to speed onhow to choose which computers and software to buy.But how do you decide whether that firm offering to create —or redo—your Web site is the right one for you?

by MayraRuiz-McPherson

mayra@mayraruiz.com

ICCFA MAGAZINEAUTHOR SPOTLIGHT

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