Both creating awareness and building relationships are vital for a successful business. However, many funeral homes and death care businesses only focus on brand recognition and being top-of-mind. There’s nothing wrong with focusing on this, but if you only focus on this you’re missing a very valuable piece to the puzzle.
AWARENESS IS PART OF THE RELATIONSHIP PROCESS
The title “Awareness vs Relationships” isn’t exactly a fair one. Awareness is a part of the relationship-building process. It’s the equivalent of a quick handshake at a function. You’ve met a person, they’ve met you, but neither of you really know the other. It’s possible to be ‘known of’ in your community without really being ‘known’.
IT HAS TO GO DEEPER
If you only ever just “met” people, you would be very lonely. Strong connections start as introductions but then are built by shared experiences, getting to know each other better, and common connections. The same is true for businesses. You could have a town full of people who know you without any families being loyal to you. You can also be used by a majority of families without having any advocates.
DO THE WORK
So, how do you get to the next step? Building relationships as a business takes time. But, there are certain things you can do to start heading in that direction.
1. Show your values!
What’s your mission? What got you into the funeral space? There’s a story there. By utilizing social media you can create an audience and share these stories. People need your “what” but they want your “why.”
2. Show you’re human
Who wants to build a relationship with a building? Not me! Show what you do without your funeral hat on. How do you spend your time outside of your work hours? By documenting your day-to-day you become relatable to your community.
Check out this video we create for a client who wanted to ‘show personality and highlight interests’ that showed him outside of the funeral home:
3. Interact with your community
If you’re doing steps one and two properly, people are going to notice and respond. You can’t let their messages go unread and not responded to. Be personable and sincere in the way you hold conversations with your community whether in person or online.
GET HELP
None of this is taught in mortuary school. This is a unique skill set/craft that takes attention and consideration. DISRUPT Media has a team of people that do this day-in and day-out. If you want to start building relationships, we want to hear from you. Find out more HERE.
