Everything you need to know about Funeral Home Marketing in 2023
For this topic, we have two words to say – stand out!
Yes, standing out is your first task when it comes to funeral home marketing in 2023.
Why is this so important? In this blog, we bring you answers to that question, as well as to the question of which funeral home marketing trends will be relevant in 2023.
If you think about it, no job is the same, regardless of the fact that it deals with the same branch of business. Of course, this also applies to funeral homes. Perhaps these differences are not visible to the average client, but what is clear is that the hundreds of thousands of funeral homes around the world cannot possibly be the same. There are very big and deep differences between them, which with a deeper analysis can be noticed and then used as an advantage, and to highlight what makes your funeral home and your service unique and more competitive than others.
Why is it important to stand out and how to do it?
Today there are a large number of funeral homes and they all offer more or less similar services and try to emphasize through their marketing all that they offer to clients. But the average consumer is familiar with most of those things. In this day and age, when competition in business has never been stronger, the last thing you need is to tell and offer to people what everyone else is telling them and what they already know and imply. So, the point is to focus on what is less visible, attractive, and at the same time necessary and convenient for your customers, thus creating awareness that your funeral home offers something more and better than others.
Most funeral homes focus their marketing campaigns on the visible and default. When they launch advertising, either through digital channels or in a traditional way, the focus of those advertising campaigns is on the visible. By that, we mean that in most cases, you can see the appearance and description of the facility in their offers, whether the funeral home has a parking space, the size of the chapel, the arrangement and size of the rooms of the funeral home, the coffin and flowers arrangement offers, the vehicles used to transport the deceased, as well as the financial benefits that the funeral home provides.
All of this is important for you as a funeral home owner, as well as for potential clients. So, where is the problem, and why are your marketing campaigns not meeting your expectations?
The answer is simple – everything you advertise is what clients consciously or subconsciously already presuppose when they think about funeral services.
All the features that funeral homes emphasize in their marketing campaigns lead clients to one conclusion – that all funeral homes are the same, that there is no significant difference between them, that they have an identical offer, and that it doesn’t matter which one’s services they will decide to book in the end.
In many ways, this way of presenting the funeral home is actually counterproductive. Because the last thing you want is to blend in with the crowd and be seen as just another average business, offering the same as everyone else. That way you agree to be average or even below that.
Because if all funeral homes are the same or similar – why would a customer, for example, pay more to you for the same thing they can get cheaper from your competition?
So what should you advertise, if not what you’ve been doing so far?
The goal of advertising in the near future will be reduced to details and to the simplest and “human” values that make you and your funeral home authentic and the best choice.
Small things, feelings, and people are what you should focus on. That will be the ultimate goal of funeral home marketing in 2023.
Try to look at your funeral home through the eyes of the observer, the client. That is the best and most reliable perspective, which will give you the best insight into their wishes and needs.
Show your “face” to your potential clients, and present yourself as approachable and open. People today have an unusual appreciation for honesty and transparency. when you show your “face” and open your door for them, they will do the same – they will give you their trust.
Furthermore, introduce them to your staff, as they are part of your community and an integral part of your brand. They are responsible for everything that takes place in your funeral home in the best and most qualitative way. People like to see who they are working with and that “human moment” has become invaluable.
The average consumer thinks according to the pattern: “If I’m paying a premium price for a service, I should get a premium service.”
What is it that you offer that is worth the premium price?
The answer to this question brings us back to the people – to your staff, their qualifications, commitment, and the level at which they perform their work, whether it is a technical job or communication that involves emotions and a quality approach to clients, which in your case are people who are in mourning. For this reason, that moment of emotion and showing empathy through communication and small gestures is of inestimable importance. This is what will set you apart from others and what you will “buy” people with.
Funeral homes that have perfected their services and marketing advertise the very small differences that make a big difference in the end. You should follow their steps when creating a funeral home marketing strategy for 2023.
Here’s what they are doing.
For example, a funeral home with an on-site crematorium emphasizes through its marketing a very high standard of service because the deceased does not leave the company’s care from the moment they are taken over until the funeral itself, which greatly facilitates many things for families both in an emotional and practical sense.
Also, the funeral home with an on-site crematorium takes another step forward and emphasizes in its marketing that the priority of the company is to provide a complete and exclusive service and 24 hours surveillance and care to the families who choose their funeral home.
This type of advertising creates a sense of security, and peace of mind and promises the client that there is not a single thing he will have to worry about if he chooses your funeral home and books your services. In moments of grief and experienced loss, peace and tranquility are priceless categories for families and this is what you should offer them.
Another important thing, which can be a game changer in funeral home marketing in 2023, is to highlight the things that are available for free to customers who choose your funeral home. In most cases, these are things that cost you nothing or very little and are a great relief and convenience for clients.
Some of those services, which you can provide to your clients free of charge, are:
-Parking within the funeral home, which is critically important for many families.
– That there will be a personal advisor at their disposal all the time, as well as the manager of the funeral home.
-Access to all rooms of the funeral home, as well as a private area reserved exclusively for the immediate family.
-Spacious reception room with welcoming catering
-Babysitting service during chapel services
-An on-call grief counselor available to them around the clock
-A security that will take care of the safety of everyone present
– Photos of flower arrangements, which you will send to them by email, for easier selection.
None of the above services require significant costs, but they are important to families and represent quality services that family members will remember when choosing a funeral home in the future.
To resume, your funeral home marketing in 2023 must be focused on details, minor services, and personal adjustments, which are small for you and they don’t cost you anything, but they mean a lot to your clients and they represent a significant difference in the overall experience for them.
The most important items that we have listed in this article and related to marketing for funeral homes in 2023, you must carefully design and implement into your overall marketing strategy and market it through selected digital marketing channels, in order to achieve the desired and set goals.
With all you have learned in this article about the significance of detail-oriented and elaborately created marketing strategies, you should consider outsourcing digital marketing efforts to a full-service digital marketing agency like Monument SEO & Design. SEO, PPC, Social Media Marketing, Web Development, and more. Request A Free Marketing Analysis or call us at +1786-442-3622.
