As a funeral home, advertising means one thing — getting your message to your families.
And getting that message to them doesn’t have to cost you a fortune. You can reach them with low-cost and locally-targeted solutions. Here are some tips to get started:
Learn Your Audience
Spend some time learning about your audience. The more you know, the more you can narrow your advertising efforts. Look at population trends. Where are families moving to? What kind of religious services do they attend? Data and demographics are a cornerstone in building an effective strategy to reach families. Learn more here.
Show Your Expertise
Become the go-to expert in funeral services. Send articles to the local paper, or start a funeral home blog. Publish articles and stories that show your knowledge of the funeral business or address common questions and concerns families normally have about funerals. And don’t just talk about the differences in the types of services you offer — explain why they matter. By starting a blog or publishing articles in the newspaper, you are taking the steps to start the conversation. Here are some more tips for creating a successful blog.
Teach
Teach a free course at the community college or adult education center. It’s another way of showing off your funeral expertise. When families think funerals, you’ll be the first person they turn to. Cater your course around some of the similar subjects you blog about. Address frequently asked questions or teach a “how to plan a funeral” course.
Make Announcements
Got a new product? Offering a new service? Maybe a new hire? Announce it to the town. Submit a press release to the local paper or TV station, or mention it on social media. Don’t just advertise the product, service, or new hire — explain to your families how this benefits them.
Claim Your Online Listings
If you haven’t done so already, sign your funeral home up on local business directories like Google My Business, Yelp, and Yahoo!Local. 81% of people search online first when looking for a service or product. If you aren’t registered on these online directories, you’re missing out on opportunities to reach families. These directories also allow families to leave reviews, compliments, and testimonials, and that’s a good thing because 61% of people are influenced by these reviews. Don’t be worried about any potential negative ones, either. We’ve got an article on how to deal with them.
Partner Up
Don’t underestimate the influence other local groups have, like your community nursing homes, churches, and hospices. Sponsor a float together in the parade, hand out water at a charity 5k, or get a booth at a popular community festival. Or better yet, work together to throw your own event. It could be a picnic or potluck dinner. Make it fun for families but also educational.
Make an Impression
Nothing beats old-fashioned word-of-mouth marketing, which is still the most trusted form of advertising. A Nielsen study found that 92% of people trust recommendations from people they know over any other form of advertising.
All the methods above can help build your word-of-mouth marketing. But here is one more tip: target the big names in your community. Pay attention to public figures and other community leaders. Establish a relationship with them, earn their trust, and they will start recommending your funeral home as the go-to for memorial services.
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