DISRUPT Media Blog

3 Things that Make Us Fundamentally Different Than Any Other Company in the Funeral Profession

May 15, 2019 1:03:17 PM / by Ryan Thogmartin

DisruptU_62_Cover_Image_2

Disclaimer: This is 5-minute read. If you would prefer not to read, there is a video that covers this topic embedded at the end of the article.

 

I want to do something completely different with this article...something I have never done. I seldom create content that talks about us, DISRUPT Media. Content that speaks directly to who we are and what we do or how we are different from every other company in the funeral profession. Sure, I look different than everyone else. I stand out, and our brand is much louder than any other brand. I talk a lot about social media and about different things that are happening in case studies. But I’ve never really talked about the core of what makes Disrupt Media different than any other marketing agency or anyone offering social media services to funeral homes. So buckle up because that's what I'm going to do.


We are asked all the time (after people get over the way I look) “How is Disrupt Media different than everybody else?” We are different than everybody else in a hundred ways, but there are three main things that make us vastly different than any other company offering marketing or social media services to funeral companies in the deathcare space.


1. We are a Facebook agency partner.


We're the only company in the deathcare space that is a Facebook agency partner. This is huge, because this gives us access to more in-depth targeting data, allowing us to function deeper in the ads manager. We can access more in-depth conversion data which helps us better measure a user's online behavior in relationship to their offline purchases. This is precisely what is happening, most often, when a consumer is purchasing a funeral. We also get access to the Facebook Ads Team. We have an account rep at Facebook who works with our Paid Media team to oversee the thousands of ad campaigns we are running every single month on behalf of our clients.


Not only is our Facebook rep overseeing those ad campaigns, but they are also helping our Paid Media team optimize those campaigns to achieve our objectives for the lowest costs. Each month our rep suggests ways to adjust those ads in order to get better conversions. Because we are the only company in the deathcare space that is a Facebook agency partner, our clients are able to stretch their dollar further than they would working with anybody else.


Set up a time to chat with Ryan about your social media marketing! Click below :)

Schedule a Free Demo



2. We're the only company that is social media first.


Social media marketing for us is not an add on service to our main product. Social media is it. If you want us to build you a website, we're out. It’s not going to happen. The only thing we do is social media marketing. Why are we one dimensional in that fact? Because social media changes every single day. Facebook makes an algorithm tweak. Instagram changes something, or Facebook says, “Okay we're redesigning the newsfeed.” This means all the content we create for our clients has to be changed. Our team has to understand the nuances of how consumers are engaging with content in the newsfeed and how that content also plays into the grand scheme of driving leads and winning our clients more calls. To stay on top of that, we have to be laser-focused on what it is that we do...and that is social media marketing. We are the only company that is exclusively offering social media marketing to deathcare companies. Think about this: do you want to work with a company who, fifteen months ago, was pitching you a direct mail campaign for pre-need and now they want you to believe that suddenly they're an overnight social media expert? Or, would you rather work with the company who has been the leader in social media marketing and education for over 6 years?


Please enjoy this free Memorial Day tribute video you can use on your funeral home social media page to engage and start a conversation with your audience about the importance of this day.

Download Free Memorial Day Videos Now



3. We're the only company that has an organic content strategy process.


If you want us to sell you content that is bucketed, generic, looks like every other funeral home, full of grief and inspirational quotes...it’s not going to happen. If that is what you want, then you should work with somebody else. You are not the right client or the right fit for what we're trying to do. Our process is proven to be the most effective way for funeral homes to actually drive measurable leads. When I say measurable leads, we're not just capturing email addresses and phone numbers from an iPad giveaway. We're getting email addresses and phone numbers from people who completed a pre-need lead form; people who indicate they are ready to discuss pre-planning. On average, a DISRUPT Media client spending $1500 on Facebook ads crafted to drive leads is generating over $28,000 in pre-need sales. That is an 18X return per dollar spent. Last month, one of our clients finished a three-month pre-need lead campaign using targeted Facebook ads. We spent $1,800 over those 90 days. That $1,800 spend generated $105,000 in pre-need sales. What would you be willing to pay for $105,000 in new business? Probably an infinite amount more than the amount our client paid to drive those leads.

 

Our process is proven to be effective through the analytic data we collect. We create organic content for our clients which is the only content that's ever going to move the needle and get someone beyond just clicking a Like button to actually becoming a lead and purchasing a pre-need arrangement or calling you at-need. This is what we are focused on, and this is vastly different than any other company in this profession. If you are getting cheap or even free social media content from your pre-need company or another vendor it is generic, bucketed, cookie-cutter fluff that may get a few Likes on the surface but it is doing nothing to build valuable relationships with your community that, in turn, drives sales.


The funeral business is a relationship-driven business. Roughly 80% of funeral home business is relationship driven, but no one talks about the relationship when it comes to marketing. All the data that has been captured about the consumer and how they engage around the death of a loved one, how they contact funeral homes, and how they shop funeral homes...all the data indicates that if you have a relationship with that consumer, then there's a higher likelihood that you're going to get that call. For example, according to NFDA's consumer survey from 2018, 90.4% of people shopped zero to one funeral home when making arrangements. If you have a relationship established through organic content engagement, there's a 90% chance that you are going to get the call. So, if you're sitting back and saying, “You know what? We'll throw out this grief quote, or we'll link to this grief article...” Sorry, that is not going to move the needle. Content focused on you, who you are, what you do and how you do it better than everybody else, your involvement with your community, the events you're hosting at your funeral home, the things that are more personal to you...that is how you get those 90% of consumers. They will call your funeral home because you've established trust and transparency with them. This is the key. The funeral home business is relationship driven, and this is precisely what we are doing. We are using Facebook for the sole reason it was created; to build relationships.


Set up a time to chat with Ryan about your social media marketing! Click below :)

Schedule a Free Demo


So, let me recap:


  1. We are the only company in the deathcare space that is a Facebook agency partner.
  2. All we do is social media, nothing else.
  3. Our entire strategy process is designed around creating organic content and planning a clear-cut strategy around the things we are trying to achieve. It is a goal-based process. Nobody else is doing that.

If you think I am bluffing please put me against the wall and make me prove it to you. I would love to spend thirty or forty-five minutes on the phone with you, walking you through a demo, sharing my screen, and explaining exactly how we do what we do. I’ll show you real, actual numbers, and I’ll give you references to funeral home professionals who can verify everything I'm saying. So if you want to take your social media seriously, and you understand that a bunch of generic content and obituaries won’t cut it, we're the company you should call.


If you want something that's super easy and really cheap, don't call us. Don't waste our time, and we won't waste your time. We want to help funeral homes that see social media as a viable outlet to build relationships and ultimately grow call volume while solidifying their presence in their community and even expanding their presence outside their immediate area. This is us; this is what makes us different. If you've got any questions, if you don't agree, call me or comment below, and let's hash it out. Hold my feet to the fire and make me prove it.

 

 

Topics: social media, Social Media Strategy, funeral home marketing

Ryan Thogmartin

Written by Ryan Thogmartin