I’m going to name them right at the beginning of this article. If you use Yellow Pages, television or radio commercials, direct mail, billboards, or telemarketing to promote your funeral business you should dump them right along with your flip phone. I realize this may hurt your tender feelings or step on your toes, but sometimes it’s necessary to straight up tell the truth even if it makes you angry.

By abandoning these outmoded advertising methods and turning to social digital marketing you can save a lot of money while reaching a lot more people. Time and time again, market analysts have indicated that the cost per 1000 people reached is less expensive through Facebook or Instagram than any other mode of marketing, even other forms of digital marketing.

Consider these pointed questions:

• When is the last time you picked up the Yellow Pages to look for goods or services?
• Have you ever called a business because you saw their advertisement on a billboard?
• Do you give television or radio commercials your full attention or do you try to avoid them?
• If you even read a newspaper any more, do you make it a point to look at every ad? Do you even take the time to look at any ads?
• Where does most of the direct mail you receive end up…even before you look closely at it?

The most recent stats indicate that almost 70% of the adult population in the US carry Smartphones (up 35% from just 4 years ago). Nearly 8 in 10 online adults have Facebook accounts, and 90% of them access Facebook through their Smartphones.

How can you ignore this data? Why are you wasting money on outmoded, ineffective ways to reach people in this new digital age?

Why is social media so attractive and powerful when compared to the older marketing tactics listed above? We answered this question in an earlier blog, but these points are worth repeating here:

• Newspaper print ad revenues are the lowest they have been since 1950, losing well over half their effectiveness in just the past several years.
• Paid, print-based newspaper circulation numbers have dropped by more than 30% in the last 3 decades, and their fall is continuing each year. People are not renewing their subscriptions.
• Radio ads may be less expensive per 1000 people (this is assuming the people are listening), but there are only so many ad spots available to go around. This can drive up the cost for choice time slots.
• Static advertising no longer appeals to Baby Boomers who, as a huge online demographic, increasingly prefer having interactive, two-way conversations with brands online.
• Millennials get the bulk of their information and interaction from their smart phones. Most people under 35 years old are connected to their world through their hand-held devices.

Social media options like Facebook and Instagram allow businesses to have two way conversations with their current and future customers. You can instantly respond to their questions, comments, and reviews. You can update the information you post whenever you choose, even multiple times a day. It’s easy and inexpensive to post photos and videos, and you can even do Live broadcasting.

If you competitors aren’t already saturating your market through their outreach in Facebook and Instagram, they soon will be. You won’t be able to catch up if you don’t engage right away. Now is the time. Don’t delay.

You may be convinced that that it’s time to change the way you do marketing, but you may not have any idea where to start. If you find yourself lacking in the know-how or in the time to establish or maintain a social media presence, you can turn to the experts at DISRUPT Media. We are the only full-service social media agency specifically catering to the funeral profession. Go to http://funeralsocial.com to find out more about the services we offer. Our clients who are a part of our FUNERAL Social Design Process are seeing an increase in post reach and engagement of over 300%.

It's beginning to seem like your marketing options are dwindling! Not true. Read our list of 18 brilliant ways to grow revenue and increase call volume here.

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/