The daily news is filled with tragic reports of death caused by pandemics, floods, fires, and many other events. The families affected by these sad events are your potential customers. They seek assistance in getting to grips with their sadness, dealing with the realities of arranging a funeral, and dealing with other legal aspects.
Content marketing is a technique for distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent information to this defined customer group. Funeral homes must use social media to reach out and assist people dealing with the death of a loved one, being easy to find, compassionate, and going above and beyond.
Recent surveys by the telecommunication industry have revealed that there are more cell phones than the 7.5 billion people on the planet at present. The majority of these cell phones are smartphones with access to the internet and social media platforms. Cell phones have become an extension of the modern human, and understanding how to engage with people on this platform is essential to the survival of your funeral home.
How Content Marketing Can Help Funeral Homes
As a funeral home owner or director, you need to establish a relevant, different, and memorable brand. Death is a reality in all families, and as such, the target audience is the entire planet’s population. Let’s look at helping you to set up the essential platforms first.
Funeral Home Website
Your website will likely be the first point of contact with the family seeking assistance with funeral arrangements. Funeral homes are no longer brick and mortar buildings where family members of the deceased will go for help. That was the case decades ago.
Make use of a professional to assist you with the creation of your website and content marketing strategy. The website must be easy to find in a Google search. The site must be well designed and offer family support and guidance to help navigate this tragic event.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Your marketing professional must advise you on how their proposed strategy will make your website appear on the first page of a Google search. As a funeral home director, you need to understand what is required to ensure that your website will be found by the search engines on the customer’s cell phone.
When selecting your marketing consultant, demand that they present their ability to maximize the SEO of the content of your website.
Blogging With Your Target Audience
The internet provides you with the platform to communicate with your audience. You can start this conversation before the audience needs the funeral service. Your ability to create a trusting relationship before the tragedy of death is critical to the success and growth of your funeral home.
People can all relate to real stories of events that await us all. Don’t hard sell! Advise people on how they can prepare for the inevitable by providing valuable tools and information to gain their trust.
If you want the public to entrust you with handling the funeral arrangements of loved ones, your blog must educate them on what to expect. The planning should begin before death when people can make informed decisions. Use your blog to talk about insurance, casket selection and prices, wills, estate planning, and more.
Deliver your content via your website links to Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and direct e-mail. Be prepared to pay to be seen and heard on these platforms. They are less costly than traditional advertising, but they are not free.
Testimonials Of Satisfied Families
The testimony of a grieving family of how they were assisted and valued during their grief is essential to your growth and success. You have the opportunity of proving your worth to the family and their circle of friends attending the funeral. Make sure that the experience is memorable and that the link with your funeral home is strong.
Paid Social Media
The sophistication of Facebook advertising is enormous. Your marketing agency must be able to assist you in reaching defined target audiences in your community. Your agency can also help you design content that will alert your target market that you are ready to serve them and ensure that your funeral home brand is top of mind when the inevitable happens.
Being Different And Memorable At A Funeral
Become part of the community that you serve and offer that local knowledge to your clients. Offer options and services from their community, gaining support from families and the broader community. Sharing these services will endear you to the community and give your content wider interest.
- Some ideas could be offering locally made caskets or urns for the remains of the loved ones.
- Set up a crowdfunding site for families less fortunate or financially devastated by natural disasters.
- Provide local photographers or videographers to capture the memories of the funeral sensitively and tastefully.
- Setting up a live video streaming of the funeral for family and friends not able to attend.
- Partner with local restaurants or event venues to offer meals and refreshments after the funeral.
- Participating in local events such as memorial days and engaging with local churches, veterans, and retirement home organizations.
- Set up support groups and providing a venue for meetings for those grieving the loss of loved ones or coping with a community tragedy.
There are many creative ways to express your willingness to help the community that you serve in their time of need. These can provide you with excellent content to share on your social media platforms.
Conclusion
Content Marketing is essential to the success of your funeral home operation. You may be dealing with one of the most sacred rites of passage that we must all endure. Engage with marketing professionals well versed in the best practices of deploying your message powerfully and engagingly.
Engage with the community that you serve tangibly. Do outreach and education in the community in a helpful, warm, and encouraging way. The service that you provide is unavoidable and tragic for those left behind. The testimony of those you have served will be your most powerful message. Share these messages tastefully and with the approval of the families you serve.
