Happy New Year! We’re excited to see what 2022 brings for the funeral profession. Are you ready to make the most of it? From your funeral technology solutions and marketing plan to self-care, there are a lot of important things to focus on this year. 

To make sure you’re set up for success this year, let’s go over a few 2022 trends and tips to prepare for. 

Prioritize Your Mental and Physical Health in 2022 

If self-care seems daunting, try thinking of it as a reward rather than something else to check off on your to-do list. Because based on American Funeral Director’s Monthly Poll, everyone needs to make self-care a priority in 2022. 

For their January 2022 poll, they asked their subscribers to share feedback on wellness. Here are a few highlights of their survey results: 

• When asked if their stress increased since the pandemic, 75% of survey participants said yes. 
• When asked if they’re prioritizing wellness more since the pandemic, 75% also said yes. 
• The top three most popular wellness activities were spending time with family and friends at 72.5%, spending time outdoors at 51%, and maintaining a balanced, healthy diet at 38%. 

Want more self-care tips and ideas? Download our free eBook! 

Make 2022 the Year You Establish a Marketing Plan for Your Funeral Home 

If marketing hasn’t been a big focus for your funeral home, make 2022 the year you prioritize it. Having an established marketing plan has many benefits for your funeral home, families, and community, such as: 

1. Spreading the word about your funeral home, mission, and offerings. 
2. Educating your families on funeral planning so they can make informed decisions. 
3. Supporting your community as they grieve and adjust to their new normal. 

Not sure where to start? Here are a few marketing ideas to try in 2022. 

1. Try your hand at video marketing. 
   According to HubSpot’s 2022 trends for marketing, video marketers are focusing on shorter videos. For example, one of your employees could share some quick tips for grieving or personalizing a funeral. This can be a great way to put a face to the name. Want more video tips? Download our free video marketing eBook. 

2. Publish and send informational content to educate your families. 
   Publishing blog posts and sending email newsletters are both effective ways to educate your families. All the information is already in your head; it’s just a matter of typing it into a blog post. Then, you can share these blog posts in your email newsletters to reach even more families. Need help getting started? Check out our blog and email eBooks. 

3. Have you tried marketing automation software?  
   Staying active on social media and email are both simple, yet impactful ways to support your community as they grieve and funeral plan. With marketing automation software, you can schedule posts and emails in advance. Software like Growth Engine even has a library of pre-made content on 25+ categories, so you don’t have to write it yourself. Learn more about Growth Engine here. 

Double Check That Your Website Has Everything You Need for 2022 

Your funeral home’s website and your marketing plan go hand in hand in spreading the word about your funeral home, educating families, and supporting your community. To make sure it’s meeting you and your families’ needs, these are some 2022 trends for websites to pay attention to:  

1. Having a fast website speed and being optimized for mobile will be extremely important for 2022.  
   According to Forbes’ 2022 trends for digital marketing, most website traffic comes from mobile devices, but a lot of websites still don’t have a responsive design. So if your funeral home has yet to optimize your website for mobile, make 2022 the year to do it. For instance, all Frazer websites have a responsive design, so your families will have an easy time navigating your website from any device. 

2. Give your families the website features that they need. 
   Your website can be so much more than just a place for outlining your products and services. It can be your client families go-to place to honor loved ones. For example, when visiting a loved one’s obituary, they can not only find the service information, but also send flowers, share condolences, donate to important causes, and more all in one place. 

3. Make sure your website integrates with your funeral technology solutions. 
   For example, Frazer websites integrate with FrazerGO management software, have Tribute Pay as your built-in merchant account, and so much more to make funeral planning simple for families and case management easier for your staff. 

For even more website tips, check out the Website Guides section of our eLibrary and Websites section of our blog. 

Host More In-Person and Virtual Events This Year 

Lastly, make event planning a priority in 2022. What better way is there to spread the word about all you do for your community while getting to know them? If you’re new to it, you can start out small. A simple one-hour webinar is a good place to start. 

If you need some topic suggestions, these are a few 2022 event ideas. 

• Have a self-care seminar or webinar for taking care of you in 2022. 
• Honor your community’s veterans with a remembrance ceremony or volunteer event to clean up your local veterans cemeteries. 
• To get to know your community better, have a June or July Jamboree with a barbecue, yard games, and music. 
• Partner with your local cemetery to have a movie night for your community. You could pick a movie that has a meaningful message about coping with grief, such as one of these. 

For step-by-step guides and checklists for planning your next event, download our free event planning eBook and for more event ideas, check out the latest issue of The Meaningful Funeral. 

Set up your funeral home for success in 2022 by making the switch to a Frazer website! Click here to schedule a free demo.