The holiday season will be here before we know it. For funeral directors, that also means it’s time to promote your funeral home’s annual holiday remembrance program.

What’s normally a joyful time of year can become the most difficult time for families grieving the loss of a loved one. That’s why your holiday remembrance program is a crucial part of their grieving and remembrance journey.

Below are some suggestions to help save you time and start promoting your holiday remembrance program.

Create a Press Release

An easy way to promote your event is to send a press release to your local newspapers and news stations. The positive press coverage will boost your event and funeral home’s brand.

When writing your press release, start with a simple yet attention-getting headline. For the main content, make sure you get right to the point. The important facts about your event should be said right away, such as the date, time, location, sponsors or partners, and giveaway gifts. Then talk about how the event benefits your families and community. Overall, keep the press release short and sweet — aiming for one page at most.

Don’t forget to include your funeral home’s contact information and let them know the best way to contact you for more information. You also can draft some quotes from your press release that reporters can use for a news story about your event.

Boost Social Media Posts

You can create a Facebook Event for your funeral home’s holiday remembrance program. Include the basic facts like the date, time, and location, along with some details about the event. Make sure your event settings allow families to invite their own friends. This can help spread the word about your event and gain more attendees.

Along with creating a Facebook Event, you also can boost social media posts about your event. Boosting your social media posts allows them to be seen by people who don’t follow your funeral home’s Page. You can gain more event attendees as well as more Facebook followers. If you hosted a holiday remembrance program in the past, share some photos from previous years or quotes from families who have attended to get people thinking about your event.

Offer a Giveaway Gift

People love free stuff, so offering a giveaway gift not only helps promote your event but also peaks families’ interest in attending. Your giveaway gift can be a memorial item that helps them honor their loved one’s memory during the holiday season — like a memorial ornament.

For example, our collection of crystal and glass holiday remembrance ornaments make the perfect gifts. The crystal snowflake ornaments are cut from premium lead crystal to give them that extra sparkle. While the glass ornaments are hand-blown and tipped with 22k gold. They’re easily personalized with a loved one’s name, birth date, and death date, and come with a gift box for safekeeping.

Other Promotion Ideas

A few other holiday remembrance program promotion ideas are:

• Creating engaging and visually-appealing flyers to hang up throughout your community. You can hire a freelance designer or local college student who is studying graphic design to make your flyers.
• Posting about your event on your community event calendar, as well as calendars for local TV stations and radio programs.
• Sending emails or save-the-date letters in the mail.
• Word-of-mouth promotion can go a long way when promoting your event.

Download our free Holiday Remembrance Program eBook to learn more about creating a successful holiday remembrance program.