Although the digital age is moving at a faster pace, the traditional charm of communicating and relationship building in the funeral industry is still the same. However, there are new standards, practices, and modes that allow you to build better interpersonal relationships and make a great first impression on families.
Read Also: Your Complete Guide to Funeral Home Marketing Strategies
With local competitors and several marketing channels, you may be wondering the best approach to differentiate your funeral home and set yourself apart. As you consider what makes your funeral home and services unique and how best to communicate that message, here are some steps to take to set your funeral home apart and gain a competitive edge:
Understand and Analyze Your Local Competitors First
As a first step, it’s important that you understand your local competitive landscape. While you may know about the other funeral homes in your area, do you know why families choose to work with them? Understanding how each competitor differentiates themselves can help you understand what sets your business apart as well.
Don’t Hesitate to Ask Families about Your Funeral Home
Still unsure what makes your funeral home different from others? There is no better source than the families who have worked with you in the past. When you ask families why they chose to work with you or why they had a great experience with you, you may be surprised at their answers. When you get an idea of what families love about your funeral home, you will be able to better communicate to new families what makes your services special.
Ask open-ended questions that would allow more freedom for the customers to make clear and long responses. For instance, if your funeral home services are more personalized than others, ask the families what stood out the most to them throughout the service.
Update Your Marketing and Promotional Messages
Once you understand what it is that makes your funeral home unique, it’s important to incorporate that messaging into your marketing strategies. If families have emphasized your excellent customer service and attention to detail, these are things that should be communicated on your website, brochures, and other marketing materials.
Ask and Collect Testimonials
In addition to simply asking for feedback from all families, consider asking for testimonials from satisfied families who had an excellent experience with you. For families searching for the right funeral home, sharing the experiences of other families can add credibility and offer reassurance that you provide excellent service.
Once you collect testimonials and permissions from families, you can use the quotes in different marketing and promotional strategies. When you highlight a family’s positive experience with your funeral home, it will help you communicate to new families why they should choose to work with you.
Encourage Customers to Post Reviews
With online review platforms, funeral homes can gain a lot of valuable insight on what customers are looking for and what they experienced with your funeral home. Additionally, keep in mind that families are reading these online reviews as well as they try to make their decision. As a result, funeral homes should start by actively reading and responding to reviews. Gaining insights and making improvements on those reviews can be very valuable to your business.
Additionally, encourage families to post their reviews online as well when they’ve had a positive experience. At the end of the service, you can ask families to post reviews that would significantly boost your online rating and help you brainstorm more ideas for better customer communication. This is the most transparent way for families who are looking for a funeral home to understand the experiences of others as they make their decision.
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