Each year we look forward to welcoming fresh talent to MKJ through our intern program. Maggie MacCurdy joined MKJ’s Nashville office this summer as an intern from Loyola University Chicago, bringing her bright attitude and education in digital marketing and public relations. We asked her to share her experience with us to give a window into our company culture and how we approach marketing. Enjoy! 

My name is Maggie and this summer I have served as MKJ’s Digital Marketing Intern. I started this position knowing relatively little about the funeral service industry, but I am leaving it confident that I can write about funeral related topics, from personalization to Cremation E-Commerce websites. If I were to list all the valuable lessons I learned from the amazing MKJ staff, I would have a book that rivals the Webster Dictionary in length. However, since one of the things I learned at MKJ was proper blog length, I’ll narrow down my list to three.

On any given day, someone in the MKJ office could be creating a beautiful and intricate website for a funeral home, while someone in the next room is developing a new service to offer clients. With any number of difficult and nuance projects going on, it would be understandable if smaller projects were given less attention, but at MKJ, even the smallest efforts have to meet our quality standards. Every social media post we create for a client is given a lot of thought, from the post topic to the included web page link.

When I create a post, it is looked over by at least 2 different team members before receiving final approval. This scrutiny isn’t because I am the newest addition to MKJ, everyone’s posts are reviewed just as carefully. At MKJ, we take the responsibility of representing our clients very seriously, so even the simplest post has to be accurate and respectful. When you set your standards high from the beginning, high-quality content becomes the norm.

Marketing is unique from other businesses, it doesn’t begin and end with a single transaction. Clients are less like customers and more like partners. At MKJ, we are in constant contact with clients, because we use their feedback to guide our work. Staff at all levels, from owners to client service managers, communicate with clients on a regular basis. Every client and funeral home is unique. Some offer different services, and others have specialized facilities. Because of these differences, everything MKJ creates for clients is customized.

When I came to MKJ, I needed a crash course in the funeral service industry, so that I could write posts that are up to MKJ’s standards. Everyone on the team was helpful and knowledgeable, so I knew the difference between onsite crematories and Cremation with Confidence™ in no time. Everyone in the office knows MKJ’s clients like the back of their hand, I would mention a client’s name and anyone could tell me how many locations they have and their services from memory. With such great instructors, I quickly learned each business’s preferences, who likes posts worded a certain way and who favors a specific style of pictures. I admire how much care everyone puts into their work. They are not satisfied if even the shortest post isn’t tailored to a client’s wants.

As the world keeps discovering new and unique means to communicate, the marketing industry keeps finding new ways to reach consumers. With a traditional industry like funeral service, it would be easy to stick to traditional marketing tactics, but MKJ goes out of its way to integrate new techniques with the traditional air of funeral service. More importantly, they do so in a way that seems natural. MKJ is constantly exploring ways to use social media and digital pathways to our client’s benefit. Even when Facebook makes a small change, someone on the team researches it to see what effect it has on clients. MKJ has taught me to never be complacent, there is always a new avenue to explore, a new advancement to study. When we are a step ahead of the marketing curve, our clients have a competitive advantage.

Thank you so much to everyone at MKJ, I have learned so much from every single member of the team.

If you are interested in working for MKJ, or would like to learn more about their services, contact us  HERE.