When the calendar turned over into 2021, did you make any resolutions regarding your organization’s marketing plan?
Stop wasting 95% of your marketing budget!!
If you’re investing your money in billboards, newspaper ads, and television/radio commercials, just stop. Now. There are two reasons these traditional methods aren’t working for you anymore:
- Billboards don’t build relationships
- You’re ignoring your target audience
Building relationships
Let’s face it: people don’t pick a funeral home based on an advertisement they see in the Sunday paper. They choose you because they understand what your organization is all about. Maybe they’ve worked with you before to plan a family member’s services, or they’ve attended a viewing at your facility. Either way, they’ve had the opportunity to meet your staff, take a look around your funeral home, and see how you do things. If they liked that experience, they’re probably planning to turn to you for their own needs.
So how do you let others — those who’ve never set foot in your facility — know what you’re really like? The answer is by telling your story. Share your “why” — why you’re the team who will truly care for them and their loved ones when the time comes. Win their trust by sharing your expertise and demonstrating your level of professionalism.
You can’t do this in a 30-second radio ad. But you CAN do this on Facebook. Create your own videos of your staff sharing their thoughts, beliefs, and advice. Post photos of your new chapel. Share a blog post about how cremation works. And keep doing it. Very few people are going to make an important decision like who will provide their funeral services based on a one-off encounter.
Ready to start benefiting from great Facebook marketing? Schedule a free demo with Ryan
Go where your target audience will be
Notice I mentioned Facebook. Not Twitter, SnapChat, or TikTok. (If you’re not familiar with that last one, you’re proving my point.) Your target demographic is adults aged 45 to 65-plus. Seventy-five percent of these guys are on Facebook daily; they’re not on any other social media channels as frequently. And they’re spending at least 20 minutes each and every day on Facebook.
You have the opportunity to put your name — and more importantly, your story — in front of your target audience every single day. When they start to learn something new about you every day, and look forward to learning more, you’re building that relationship. And that is what will make them pick up the phone and call you to learn more.
Go with a pro, though
I’ll be completely honest here. A Facebook strategy isn’t going to materialize into hundreds of leads within 30 days. Building relationships takes time. No one can guarantee that if you partner with them for help on Facebook you’ll get tons of leads. If they do, thank them for their time and walk away.
A real “lead” isn’t someone filling out a ticket for a giveaway prize. A lead is someone who watches or reads something about you, likes what they hear or see, and fills out a form online saying, “I’d like to come in and talk to you.” You’ll get those leads if you stick with it for the long haul and partner with someone who knows how to help you tell your story.
DISRUPT Media is a Facebook agency partner, which means we’ve demonstrated to Facebook that we can actually achieve results. We know how to target your ideal audience and get you in front of them. We can also show you results; we have conversion data that tells you who clicked on your ads and who’s engaging in your content. You can’t get that information from a billboard company.
Like I said, it may be July, but it’s not too late to make a 2021 resolution (or even start planning for 2022) to switch the bulk of your marketing budget from traditional, ineffective channels to Facebook. If you start now, you can still be the funeral home that OWNS Facebook. Take Facebook seriously; stop relying on your nephew or the youngest member of your team to post something every few weeks. It’s time to stop doing the dumb stuff and start building relationships.
Ready to start benefiting from great Facebook marketing? Schedule a free demo with Ryan