When making marketing decisions, it’s critical to pay attention to the statistics that are out there. Otherwise you are basing decisions on what might have worked in the past without giving consideration to a rapidly changing marketplace. Recent survey data has indicated the following:
- 72% of respondents to Homesteader’s 2015 policy owner survey indicated that they only consider, or have in mind, one funeral home when making prearrangements. This means you’ve got to be aggressive to keep your funeral home top-of-mind for those who will need the services of a funeral home in the near future. Potential customers may not know much about you, or they might not even know you exist. It’s up to you to change the status quo.
- The U.S. Small Business Administration recommends that a business should spend 7 to 8 percent of its gross income on marketing. This means that even a small funeral home business doing only 50 calls per year should be spending at least $25,000 annually on marketing.
- 25% of the respondents to the Homesteader survey mentioned above indicated that it had been two years or more since they had first considered pre-arranging to the time they actually signed the paperwork. Constant exposure to your message is critical to maintain the interest of your potential customers.
- Over 60% of respondents said they used the internet to search for information regarding funeral prearrangement. The traditional print media are losing prominence. Digital marketing is dominating when it comes to getting the attention of the public. A static website alone will not get the job done. You need an active presence in social media to target your audience and to stay in constant contact with your messaging.
- Over 2/3 of US adults are active on Facebook. No social media outlet is better than Facebook in reaching out to those who are most likely to need your services in the next several years. Unlike traditional print advertising, with Facebook you can change your message and imaging on a daily basis, you can specifically target those who are your potential customers, and you can carry on 2 way conversations…all for a cost that is far less that traditional methods.
Hopefully this article has given you some things to consider. The marketing landscape is changing, and you’ve got to change with it in order to stay competitive. If you are convinced but don’t know where to start, the experts at DISRUPT Media are ready to work with you to create a 21st century marketing strategy. We are the only full-service social media agency specifically catering to the funeral profession. Go to https://www.disruptmedia.co to find out more about the services we offer.
Schedule a live demo with DISRUPT Media: http://www.funeralsocial.com/demo
Learn more about our FUNERAL Social Design Process: http://funeralsocial.com/social/
Download our social media goals worksheet: http://funeralsocial.com/social-media-goals-worksheet/
About Author
Ryan Thogmartin is a death care entrepreneur and the CEO of DISRUPT Media and creator of ConnectingDirectors.com. | Follower of Christ | Husband | Father | Entrepreneur | Host of #DISRUPTu! and #FUNERALnationtv | Lover of Skittles
DISRUPT Media is a social media first marketing company that focuses on social storytelling for funeral companies. DISRUPT uses insights gained through analytics to build creative campaigns that achieve actual business goals.