Social media in the funeral industry
A guide to embracing social media in the funeral industry
As a social media manager, one question that people often ask me is, ‘Do I really need a digital marketing strategy or social media for my business?’.
And the answer is yes!
To survive in this online world, every business, no matter what industry you’re in, needs to have a visible online presence.
Whether that’s a website that’s performing due to your SEO efforts and blogging, lead magnets that capture (and then nurture) your potential clients, or using social media, you must have a digital marketing strategy in place.
I recently presented to a group of funeral directors at Mornington Green Legacy Gardens with the talented Mai Van Haven of Leads to U. While Mai spoke about SEO, reputation management and lead systems, I addressed how to use social media to promote a funeral business.
In this post, I’ll share my content (which can relate to any business), including:
· The evolving role of social media in business
· The power of storytelling and connection
· The 3 types of content you should share
· Understanding and engaging with your audience
· Visual and tone guidelines
· How to choose your social media platforms
The evolving role of social media in business (in particular, for funeral directors)
Over the past decade, social media has transformed from a communication channel into a crucial platform for businesses. And it’s continuing to evolve, so staying on top of the trends is vital.
As a social media manager, I’m constantly learning and adapting strategies to help my client’s social media presence stay effective and respectful. If you’re doing it alone, I highly recommend you keep your eye on social media to keep up to date.
Currently, people are using social media to connect, share experiences and gather information.
As a funeral director, you can effectively use social media as a tool to offer comfort during grief and share valuable information about the funeral industry and processes.
By creating a supportive community where people can share stories and comfort during grief, you’ll position yourself as a funeral home that cares about people.
The power of storytelling and connection for funeral directors
Storytelling is one of the most powerful ways you can connect with your audience on social media, as it helps you to create emotional connections.
As a funeral director, you can share experiences that will resonate with your audience and highlight the impact of your services.
For example, share stories of how your process works (e.g., how you met with a family, listened to their stories about their loved one, and helped them create a funeral that was personal and respectful and met any last wishes or family requests).
Using storytelling is your most powerful way to illustrate your compassion, care and understanding around the often hard to speak about topic of death and dying.
The 3 types of content funeral directors should share
To create a social media presence that promotes your funeral business (subtly) and will make you a standout online, I recommend using a mix of the following 3 content types.
1. Educational content
Share content that educates your audience on the funeral industry. As an industry that seems to frighten a lot of people, gently educating your audience about what happens, the process, how to arrange a funeral, how to deal with grief, etc., will help people find you when they’re searching for answers.
2. Supportive content
When people have suffered a loss of a loved one, they’re often searching for support. Share posts that offer condolences to families, share inspirational or comforting quotes and provide links to grief support services that you work with (or support).
3. Promotional content
Yes, you can promote your funeral business! You’ll need to make sure it’s sensitive (i.e. don’t go overboard with death promotion!). You can promote your unique services (e.g. cultural, all-female funerals, etc.), share customer testimonials or Google reviews, and showcase your staff’s expertise and compassion.
How funeral directors can understand and engage with their audience
As a funeral director, you’ll know that you’ve got a reasonably broad audience who’ll need your services. Your audience could range from people seeking practical information about funeral services to those needing emotional support.
Your role on social media as a funeral director is to demonstrate your understanding of their emotional journey, respect any cultural backgrounds, and build trust with your audience.
You’ll need to understand the cultural and generational diversity your audience may have and ensure your content is relevant, respectful and sensitive to these people and traditions.
For example, if you offer Maori funerals and you create a post around this, ensure you’re using terms that are traditional to their culture to demonstrate you understand their rights and rituals around death.
Social media visual and tone guidelines for the funeral industry
When your audience is dealing with death, they are seeking compassion. Your posts need to be professional yet have a compassionate and comforting tone.
Here are some tips for using visuals on social media:
· Use colour schemes that are soothing and subdued
· Ensure your images are respectful and dignified (and don’t show photos of deceased clients unless you’ve sought permission)
· Use fonts that are easy to read and convey a sense of calm and professionalism
Once you’ve worked out your tone of voice, colours, fonts and types of imagery you’ll use, be consistent. This will help you build a recognisable and trustworthy brand that people relate to.
How to choose social media platforms to promote your funeral business
Here’s a handy guide to choosing a social media platform to promote your funeral business:
· Ideal for: Reaching families and older individuals and creating community groups for support and discussion.
· Audience: A broad user base but is popular with adults over the age of 30.
· Best practices: Share longer posts, articles & event information.
· Ideal for: Reaching family members involved in funeral planning.
· Audience: A younger demographic that is highly visual.
· Best practices: Leverage Instagram for sharing images, quick updates, testimonials and short videos, such as memorial ideas or behind-the-scenes glimpses of your services.
· Ideal for: Networking and building professional relationships.
· Audience: Connect with industry partners, care providers and other businesses.
· Best practices: Share industry news, articles and professional insights about funeral services.
Google My Business
· Ideal for: Targeting customers in your geographical area and sharing business hours, directions, services and reviews.
· Audience: A wide range of users looking for information on Google Search or Maps, and in particular, those searching for funeral directors in your area.
· Best practices: Share regular updates about your business, such as special offers, events or new products or services.
Need a hand creating and implementing your social media strategy?
As a social media manager, I’m on top of all the trends and know how to create (and promote) content that your audience needs.
I’d love to chat with you about how we can bring your social media to life and show you how it’s an effective marketing tool to promote your funeral business.
To find out how I help my clients with social media, you can see my services here or email me to connect.
If you have any questions, comments, or feedback to share with me, please feel free to pop them in the comments below.