Does your funeral home have a way to connect with your customers? How about a Facebook page or a website where you can engage with potential clients? If the answer is no to either one of these questions then your company is making a big mistake. Funeral marketing can be tricky; attempting to walk that line between tasteful and crass. When marketing funeral services it’s important whichever platform you chose that it doesn’t come off as insensitive.
In today’s age funeral services are stepping away from the traditional route and are becoming more creative. Recent trends include personalization, green burial practices, eco-friendly items, and even funeral streaming. To keep up with the competition, you need to know how to market your funeral home. To better serve families here are some marketing tips:
● Find your “wow”
What ways does your company differentiate themselves from the competitors? Determine what makes your company unique from others and use that as a selling proposition for your target market. Also, learn who your competitors are, this could be other funeral homes or crematory services in the area or online casket sites. It helps to do some research on your competition and determine what their marketing strategy is and more importantly what is yours. If you are partnered with an answering service make sure they know what makes you different.
● Build a website
The only thing that is just worse than having a badly designed website, is not having one at all. Studies show that 46 percent of small businesses don’t have a website. When creating your website; you want to show families what you can do for them and a phone number and address to be reached on the home page. Also, key information such as prices and services offered should be listed somewhere on the site, so that isn’t hard to find.
● Be social
Think about creating a social media account such as a Facebook or Twitter to engage with the community. This is where many family members come to convene and share stories and news. You can use your social media account as a resource to share content and foster more connections. The overall message on your social media page should be a consistent one that supports the funeral home’s mission, branding, and marketing strategy.
● Build strong relationships
“You can never go wrong by investing in communities and the human beings within them” is a quote by Pam Moore. Get to know the people in your community and other local businesses in the area. If possible offer assistance or partnership for events.
Develop deeper relationships with family members and find ways stay in touch by doing things such as inviting them to relevant events held at the funeral home. When given the opportunity educate about funeral services and present yourself as the go-to expert in your field.
Although, marketing your funeral home may seem difficult if done correctly can be beneficial to the company and the families being served. Creativity and uniqueness will always set you apart from the competition and put your business ahead of the curve.
