The future of funeral service isn’t tied to the growth and innovation of Facebook, Twitter, iPhones, and Droids, pins on Pinterest, tablets, or real-time geolocation check-ins.
The future of funeral service comes down to relevance and the ability to understand how technology affects consumer decision making and grieving.
“All too often, by the time we realize that change is needed and that we must shift to a new way of thinking, it is already too late. Or worse, competitors recognize the need for change before us, and we are by default pushed into a position where our next steps are impulsive or reactive rather than strategic.”
Excerpt From: Solis, Brian. “What’s the Future of Business.”
‘Change’ – the word that scares the crap out of most in this profession. To adapt to new technologies and become more relavent with consumers will require change. To embrace social media for your funeral home will require change. To make this change you first need to understand what social media can provide for your funeral funeral.
There are 7 business drivers of social media for your funeral home. Let’s dive into exactly what they are:
Build a community
One of your funeral home’s biggest priorities is connecting with your community. Social media allows you to build a following and position yourself as a resource in your community, reaching more people than ever before.
Brand awareness
Social media allows funeral home’s to put their name out in their community and reach more potential customers than ever before. Before social media, we only had the ability to touch a family once every 15 years. Now, through social media, you can interact with current and past families every single day, keeping your firm top of mind.
Public relations
Social media allows you to answer questions and be the go-to source for local media outlets. Don’t you want media outlets calling you and not other “experts”? (Think AARP or Reader’s Digest)
Customer service
What if you could answer potential families’ questions about your funeral home before they ever walk through your door? Social media gives you the perfect opportunity to answer those questions in a timely manner. It’s a great alternative to taking customers service calls at 3am.
Research and development
What better way to find out what your families like, how they behave, and what drives them to choose your funeral home than to engage with them on social media? There are many ways you can use social media to do research… try posting questions asking your families what their favorite thing about your funeral home is to find your competitive advantage, or post pictures of new products on Facebook and see how potential families like them!
Brand reputation
Many people worry about social media opening up the floodgates to people bad mouthing your funeral home, but this is not necessarily true. Social media is a great way to manage all comments, both good and bad, about your funeral home – quickly and transparently. It’s more detrimental to NOT be on social and manage those comments than not know they’re happening.
Drive sales and leads through engagement
Social media isn’t going to drive preneed sales immediately, but it helps you build that relationship with your potential families, making their decision easier when the time comes. But think about it… our target customer is the Baby Boomers and they’re the largest growing age group on Facebook!
After Ryan showed us the 7 business drivers of funeral social media, he showed us some stats that truly painted the opportunity for us.
Knowing that 93% of adult Internet users are on Facebook, it’s time to stop ignoring social media and start using it as one of your best business tools. You’re already paying money for advertising and marketing, so why not use social media to market and advertise your funeral home? It’s FREE!
The future of funeral service comes down to relevance and the ability to understand how technology affects consumer decision making and grieving. And according to Ryan, “funeral homes that recognize and adapt to you and customers like you will quickly learn how to entice you through shared values and meaningful experiences and services.”
View Ryan’s Prezi Presentation – Cutting Through The Hype: Social Media is Worthless
