Funeral homes have a difficult challenge to overcome when it comes to attracting new clients. Nobody wants to think about planning a funeral until they absolutely have to.
But that doesn’t mean that funeral home marketing is a lost cause. Using the right marketing strategies, funeral homes can connect with their communities and increase their revenues. Here are 10 funeral home marketing tips to help you optimize your strategy.
1. Get a professionally designed logo
Brand recognition and trust are crucial to the success of your funeral home. A professionally designed logo makes your name easier to remember. It also makes your business appear legitimate, trustworthy, and professional.
2. Build a useful website
Your website should look modern and be accessible on mobile devices if you want to maximize conversions. Make sure your website provides helpful information for those considering your services and useful tools to make your current clients’ lives easier. If your clients can’t make payments online, that’s an update you should strongly consider. Make sure that all of your contact information is clearly visible on your website and give prospects a reason to give you their contact information for future marketing. For the best results, hire a reliable web design agency to bring your online presence up-to-speed.
3. Be consistent with your branding
Your website, flyers, postcards, business cards, online advertisements, social media pages, etc. work together to form your brand identity. The more consistent you are across each channel, the stronger that brand identity becomes. Use the same fonts and color schemes in all of your marketing materials. Keep a consistent tone or voice when it comes to your messaging; develop a voice that resonates with your target audience and stick to it.
4. Utilize direct mail marketing
Direct mail is a traditional marketing strategy that still proves to be the most powerful for attracting funeral home clients. Target homes with residents age 55+ for repeat mailings that increase brand recognition and inform recipients of your services. For added effect, include a branded item in your mailing that the recipient can keep. For example, a refrigerator magnet, a pen, or a small notebook. This will not only increase curiosity and get them to read your message, but it will also get your contact information into their home, which they will keep until they decide to convert.
5. Make an emotional connection
Don’t sell the features of your services, sell the emotional benefits. Use your marketing to explain how pre-planning saves your loved ones time, money, and stress when they are grieving. It’s something that most people would care deeply about, but never think about. Tell stories with your marketing; people can relate to personal narratives far easier than they can to facts and stats. Let your satisfied clients tell your community what your services did for them in their time of need.
6. Differentiate your services
Use your marketing to let people know what you do differently from your competitors. You may offer unique services, a wider selection of products, more personalization options for memorial services, etc. You may offer more affordable pre-planning options than your local competitors. That’s important to include on your website, because cost is one of the main concerns for most consumers when it comes to funeral planning. If your website can rank for search terms such as “affordable funeral services in (your town)”, you’ll be in better shape to be found by those who are looking for you.
7. Know your community
The same funeral home marketing wouldn’t work in every community across the country. Know what the people of your area want and sell it to them! If you operate in a lower-income area, advertise the affordability of your services. If money isn’t an issue in your community, advertise upscale services like eco-friendly “green burials”, casket personalization, or unique photo displays for memorial services.
8. Advertise online
Funeral homes should help their potential customers find them by running PPC (pay-per-click) advertising campaigns via Google Ads. Go for service-specific, localized keywords to make sure that your most-likely-to-buy prospects land on your website before your competitors. For example, bid on search terms like “cremation services in (your town)” or “affordable funeral home in (your town)”. Monitor your campaigns to make sure you aren’t wasting money on search terms that aren’t bringing in conversions.
9. Show off your staff
Because funeral homes are a very people-oriented business, potential clients like to see who will be coordinating their loved-one’s service. Use real photos of your staff on your website and in your advertising to show the human side of your business and help gain the trust of prospects.
10. Start blogging
People don’t just read blogs for entertainment; they read blogs to educate themselves on topics that are relevant to them. Let’s say your prospect is considering your funeral pre-planning services, but they’re also considering a competitor’s. Your website simply lists your services and gives them a number to call. Your competitor’s website has helpful articles that break down the funeral pre-planning process, explain the amount of time and money saved by pre-planning, and give ideas for making funeral services more personalized and meaningful. It’s safe to say that your competitor appears to be more knowledgeable and caring than you. If you haven’t started blogging, now is the time to start churning out some helpful content that will make the decision-making process easier for potential clients.
Use these 10 marketing tips to get the phones ringing at your funeral home! And, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter for more updates and marketing tips. If you ever have a marketing-related question or want a comprehensive analysis of your funeral home’s marketing strategy, feel free to give us a call at (877)-655-9655. You can also find more information about our services on our website. Get in touch with us and find out how we can help you grow your business!
Article by John Kennedy
Born and currently based in Lowell, Massachusetts, John is an impassioned copywriter and Olly Olly’s fearless Content Manager.
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