2013 YEAR IN REVIEW
 
As 2013 comes to a close, we are pleased to provide you with a recap of the year. It's been a busy and exciting time for us, and we are so grateful for your partnership and support. In this newsletter you'll find: 
 

Next Generation Obituary and Funeral Home Local Spotlight performance

Impact of updates to your home page

New! Quizzes, Died Today in History and more content to engage users

Most Popular Guest Books of 2013

2014 Plans and Goals  

 

INCREASE REVENUE & BUILD RELATIONSHIPS

NEXT GENERATION OBITUARYNGO
In early 2013, we launched Next Generation Obituary (NGO), an innovative digital platform that strategically positions your category for the future, while bringing greater emphasis to your funeral home partners and the obituary. Newspapers in markets of all sizes have launched NGO with positive feedback and great results. We compiled data from the past three months, and here are the average engagement results for those on the NGO platform:
      > Time on page is 14% higher
      > 29% more visits per notice
      > Guest Book entries have increased by 15%

We expect these trends to continue as we make enhancements to the Guest Book. If you're interested in Next Generation Obituary to help elevate your digital obituary strategy and achieve your online revenue goals, contact your affiliate manager today.

 

LOCAL SPOTLIGHT
Participate in the Funeral Home Local Spotlight program to build stronger relationships with your funeral home partners by offering them a unique way to feature obituaries on your home page. Funeral homes that participate in this program receive an online obituary with prominent branding, pre-planning links to their website, no display advertising and revenue from flower sales. On average, funeral homes that opt in to this program see a 30% increase in views to their online newspaper obituaries. This program also allows families to remember their loved one in the Spotlight. If you're interested in generating additional incremental revenue with Funeral Home Local Spotlight, contact your affiliate manager today. 
HOME PAGE UPDATESUpdates
In September and October, we introduced upgrades to your obituary home page by implementing improvements to site navigation and search, adding browse arrows to obituaries so users can move more easily from one obituary to the next, and adding new content modules that encourage reader engagement. The end result has been positive for users while generating a huge increase in traffic for your site. 

As a result of these improvements and additions, we're predicting that revenue share checks for the next two quarters will be largest we've ever distributed, and your obituary site page view numbers will see record levels!
 MORE CONTENTContent
In October, we launched additional content to your obituary site with huge success. You may have seen some of the stories, quizzes and lists on our new Content Hub, but we've compiled some of our readers' favorite content so far. Consider linking to these stories for increased page views and to offer more of your readers access to this popular content.
 
Quizzes are one of the most popular features of the Content Hub. Test your own knowledge with our top three quizzes! 

 

 
Click here for more quizzes.
 
This has been another much-visited section of the Content Hub. This daily page is an effective way to remember the past and those the world has lost. Consider linking to this very popular page. To date, the top three Today in History have been: 
 
   2. October 19, featuring Tom Bosley
 
Click here for more Today in History. 
 
And who is the featured person for today? One of the most notable people who died on December 18 in history is Chris Farley, the bombastic comedian who won our hearts on Saturday Night Live and kept up the laughs in movies like Wayne's World and Tommy Boy. Read more about his remarkable life and discover other notables who died today in history.
  
 MOST POPULAR GUEST BOOKS OF 2013  GB
In 2013, we've lost many of the people who helped shape our world. Legacy's 2013 Memorial Site was created to remember celebrities and famous figures who have died - TV and movie stars, musical legends, political movers and shakers, award-winning authors and more. We also honor heroes - big and small - who made an impact. Here are some of 2013's most visited Guest Books.
The popular star of the Fast & the Furious movie series was just 40 years old, gone far too soon in a tragic car crash.
                             
 
The boy who was killed in the Boston Marathon bombings was remembered as a vivacious 8-year-old who loved to run and climb.
The peerless, hard-living country singer recorded dozens of hits about good times and regrets and had #1 songs in five different decades.

 

Nineteen members of a specialized hot shot firefighting crew lost their lives while battling a fire in the Yarnell Hill Fire in northern Arizona.
The soap opera star played grande dame Katherine Chancellor for nearly four decades on 
The Young and the Restless.
  
The most popular Mouseketeer on The Mickey Mouse Club matured to a successful career in records and 60s beach party movies. 
The obituary of an everyday man that went viral. "Ladies' man, foodie, natty dresser, and accomplished traveler."
This is another newspaper obituary about "The man. The myth. The legend." that has been shared over and over. 

LOOKING TOWARD 2014nextyear
In 2014, we have a lot planned to continue providing innovative ideas and services to help you strengthen your position in the obituary category. We're investing even more in the Local Spotlight program, our iconic Guest Book, a new and easy-to-use reporting system and new monetization capabilities. Our goal is to offer users a more compelling experience and provide you with more revenue, more content and greater relevancy in the category.  

We appreciate your business and continued partnership, and we look forward to another successful year together! 

Sincerely, 
Legacy.com


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