FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) Return to Categories Index Sales Questions: How much is the Software? What are the benefits for the family? What are the benefits for your funeral home? How many videos can I make? What about updates? Where is your company located? What type of music do you provide? Why is your company doing in this market? Do you offer exclusives? How easy is the VideoTributes program to use? Do you provide training? What kind of support can I get? What kind of computer do I need to operate VideoTributes? Can I use any music or graphics I want? What are your plans for the future? Where can I see examples? Can I see actual funeral homes that are using this? How does VideoTributes compare with outside services that do the video for me? How much of my time is required to create the VideoTribute? Do you offer marketing support once I purchase the software? How long is the average VideoTribute? Where are VideoTributes usually played? How much is the Software? The software is a $50. This is a one-time fee and there are NO per use fees. (See next FAQ for pricing of Music and Graphics.) We priced the software to reflect the market trends we see occurring. Within the next 18 months scanners and DVD burners will come with software allowing you to create shows similar to that offered by VideoTributes. However, what they won’t be offering the ability to: publish your videos to both DVD and the Web; place a background for your photos, display your logo or provide text captions. Furthermore, they don’t offer you the option of creating WebTributes (memorial websites) for your families. VideoTributes is the leading video product on the market today. We are designed for the funeral industry and are tailored to meet your needs. Are there any additional Fees? Yes, most funeral homes choose the $250/year Music & Backgrounds package. This includes our background collections, licensed music plus VideoTribute software updates (for the year). Please Note, your ASCAP or BMI licenses don’t allow you to use their music with videos. Learn more about this subject by reviewing our Web Manual All About Music. What are the benefits for the family? Our funeral homes continue to receive heart-warming letters of appreciation from families for VideoTributes. Providing VideoTributes during visitation and the memorial service reminds family and friends that they are grieving a loss and celebrating a life. Publishing VideoTributes to the Web is most valued by families as they can share this commemorative video with friends and relatives across town or around the world. In addition providing DVD copies enable several family members to have a wonderful keepsake. What are the benefits for your funeral home? Increased referrals, word-of-mouth advertising, expanded interaction with the community, enhanced personalization of service, personal appreciation of the families…to name a few. We all appreciate the opportunity to do something nice for someone, and a VideoTribute is perhaps one of the most memorable gifts you can provide. Increasing your customers’ satisfaction stimulates referrals… as they show the VideoTribute to friends and family. Also, linking VideoTributes to your website draws visitors, increasing your Web Traffic. How many videos can I make? Unlimited. Make as many as you want. There are not “per-use” fees. Make them for your services and as a marketing tool. For example, offer free or low-cost VideoTributes to celebrate senior wedding anniversaries (e.g. 25, 40, 45, 50). Also, consider offering them for celebrating Memorial Day, All Saints and other remembrance services. What about updates? If you purchase our Music/Backgrounds option you will also get free software upgrades for 12 months… As we will be enhancing the product dramatically, we want you to have the best we can offer. Customer feedback continues to drive our development. Where is your company located? Our offices are at 36536 Marquardt, New Baltimore, Michigan 48047 (586) 932-4000. We also have programming offices in Ontario, New Jersey and California. Our optional music library offers Americana, classical, country, easy listening, ethnic, light jazz, patriotic, spiritual and a collection of compilations from selected genre. Read All About Music to learn more. Why is your company in this market? Personal reasons. We found remembering and celebrating the past was a wonderful way to heal grief and bring closure to the loss of a loved one. We felt a VideoTribute would be a wonderful way to celebrate life… so we created the software in hopes others would share our feelings. Do you offer exclusives? Sorry but no. Our goal is to share VideoTributes with as many people as we can... that’s why it’s priced so affordably. (alright, it’s downright cheap.) Sure, profits are important, but if you read the FAQ immediately above, you’ll see that it’s not our only goal. How easy is the VideoTributes program to use? Very … Watch the video tutorial to see how to create a VideoTribute from start to finish. You can also download our demo, and play with it yourself (it’s addicting). Your first video takes the most time, exploring graphic options, learning our music and developing your own style. By your 3rd or 4th video you can expect to create a VideoTribute in 10-15 minutes (plus the time to scan-in the photos). Do you provide training? For free, we provide training videos, examples and a growing set of on-line support tools. You can also purchase support. Click here for the pricing. What kind of support can I get? The software is priced for self-help, we provide extensive information online. If you would like personal assistance via the phone and have our consultants help you create your 1st few videos and integrate them into your business, we encourage you to sign up for one of our support packages. (Click here for the pricing.) If you’re familiar with computers you will find the program extremely simple. But, most of us are too busy to become PC gurus, our paid-for support can help you through whatever learning curve you need. We’re there to help! What kind of computer do I need to operate this? A PC with a processor speed of 1 GHZ or higher, 512MB of RAM and Windows XP or Windows 2000 as your operating system. You’ll want at least 10GB of free space on your hard drive to store the photos and shows you will produce. In addition, if you want to create DVD’s, you’ll need a DVD burner – we like the Plextor brand. They work well and cost from $150-$250. Can I use any music or graphics I want? The software can use any music in an MP3 format. Also you can incorporate your own backgrounds. However, you’ll want to make sure you have the rights to use other graphics and music. We encourage you read All About Music to learn more about music licensing. What are your plans for the future? To remain the leader in this field we realize we will have to continue to enhance our products and services to stay ahead of market trends. We will continually be enhancing our software to meet your changing needs. In addition, we will be expanding our music and graphics library to support various themes (sports, hobbies, avocations, etc.). Where can I see examples? Visit our website for some great examples. Can I see actual funeral homes that are using this? Yes, they are available on our website or visit http://schultzfh.yourtribute.com or http://hassfh.yourtribute.com How does VideoTributes compare with outside services that do the video for me? Scanning in the photos is most of the work. Once you create 2-3 video with VideoTributes you’ll find that doing it in house is actually faster and less stressful. You won’t be worrying about getting the video back in time or making last-minute changes. (Also, since there are no “per-use” fees, the only cost you have is you’re time.) How much of my time is required to create the VideoTribute? Your first show will take 15 minutes – 5 hours… depending how much exploring you do. If you purchase the music & backgrounds option, you’ll want to explore music & graphics as well create a few test videos to develop your own style. Once you’re familiar with the software, most funeral directors report spending from 15-30 minutes creating a VideoTribute (plus the time required to scan the photos.) Do you offer marketing support once I purchase the software? Yes, we do. We offer a variety of marketing “Tips” in our newsletter. We encourage you to label DVD copies of your as VideoTributes. This name will invite people to check-out the VideoTribute.com website. This site is designed to compliment and support your efforts. It explains how VideoTributes can be used and encourages videos being created by your funeral home. How long is the average VideoTribute? Five to seven minutes using 6-8 photos per minute… a few shows have approached 15 minutes. (The maximum video length is 22 minutes and 300 photos.) Where are VideoTributes usually played? Besides being played on the Web 24-7, they are played during visitation and at the memorial service. Many Funeral Homes set-up the video near the guest book area and have the show automatically repeats with a 2-minute pause between performances.
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