Sure, in a lot of ways death care is different from other industries. But when it comes to marketing and social media, there’s no reason funeral homes and cemeteries can’t embrace the same trends. You just have to know how to adapt them to your unique products and services.
Recently, Social Media Today published its key social media trends for 2020. Here’s how you can use the very same channels and methods to inform and attract families in your community.
1. Influencer Marketing
Social Media Today predicts that influencer marketing will continue to grow in 2020, with more businesses increasing their marketing budgets to pay influencers to promote their brands. To be effective, though, you don’t necessarily have to have a Kardashian or Instagram-famous personality in your corner. All you need are what you probably already have — genuine relationships with prominent folks in your community.
For example, why not ask the mayor, whose family member’s funeral you handled, to tag you in a Facebook post about local businesses? Or have the Kiwanis or Rotary Club president post a video of your presentation at their meeting? Maybe there’s a blogger or newspaper columnist in your town who would host a Facebook live informative interview with you. Tying your name to these influential people and organizations will help you build credibility and brand recognition in your community.
2. Shopping on Social
The products you offer at your cemetery or funeral home aren’t exactly the kind of items you advertise on clearance or buy-one-get-one-free. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t encourage consumers to shop with you on social media.
Let people in your community (or those with loved ones in your community) know about your sympathy store on all of your social media channels. Use retargeting to show ads about your pre-need programs to people who have used your Price My Funeral tool. Social media is where consumers are spending their time, so it’s where your organization needs to be.
3. Tell Stories
There’s no denying that people LOVE video on social media. Consider these recent stats from GlobalWebIndex.com:
Both Facebook and Instagram realized the power of video and storytelling years ago when they introduced “Stories” features. Once posted, Stories, which can also include photos, will disappear after 24 hours. Stories appear prominently at the top of your followers’ news feeds, so they tend to catch their attention.
Funeral homes and cemeteries can use Stories in innovative and interesting ways. Consider a video of a day in the life of a funeral director or a stroll through a historic cemetery. You could also collaborate with your community and share interviews with other business owners or tours of your town. Your opportunities are virtually endless.
4. Chatbots
Have you ever used a chat feature to interact with a company online? Chat can be quicker than a phone call and easier than an email, and is usually available 24/7. Today, chat has evolved to the point where it’s very difficult to discern whether the person you’re chatting with is actually a “person” at all. Chatbots can now be programmed to respond to your questions or comments with realistic, accurate answers.
With the right chat technology, your funeral home’s chatbot could respond to consumers’ questions about everything about the services you’ve scheduled for families to the price range of cremation packages or cemetery plots. The scope of your chatbot’s knowledge and functionality is up to you.
5. Increased Customer Service
Still, chatbot interactions aren’t actual conversations. However, they can instantly answer a lot of questions for consumers when you’re not available. They also become detailed leads on which you or a member of your team can personally follow up. In 2020, consumers will expect even higher levels of personalized, super-attentive customer service — and that will need to start with your highly-intelligent chatbot.
If your cemetery or funeral home isn’t on social media, you simply can’t afford to wait any longer. If you’re on social media, it’s time to leverage your Page and all the tools social media offers to help your business grow. If you’re not sure where to start, call DISRUPT Media today.