…made by funeral homes and life insurance agents alike
Every business in the twenty-first century needs to use social media to connect to potential clients and community members. Social media is a tricky game that takes experience to play well. After years of trial and error, we’ve compiled a list of 4 of the most common social media mistakes so you and your associates can avoid them.
- Ignoring Reviews
Many of the most-used social media sites (like Facebook) stick a star-rating right under your company name. You may think, “no one looks at those reviews,” but you are wrong. The tendency for potential customers browsing social media is to look at reviews first. Having five or six positive reviews and nothing else is not enough information for clients to make informed decisions. They want to see dozens of positive, detailed reviews, and they will take the time to read them. Encourage your satisfied customers to review your services online. Give them incentives or discounts if they do so. A quality list of reviews will help you stand out.
- Sloppy photos
If your Instagram profile picture is you and your wife at a soccer game, potential clients searching for services will not be able to tell what it is you do. Social media is very focused on first-glance noticeability and aesthetics. Your profile icon, your name, and the company description are what social media browsers see first. Everyone on social media judges every book by its cover, and if your cover looks sloppy or unclear, most people won’t linger long enough to find out more.
- Infrequent Posts
In my research, I see a lot of mortuaries and agents who post on holidays and…that’s it. Posting infrequently is a great way to stay invisible on social media. We’re not saying you have to post every day, but putting content on your page—let’s say weekly—will give potential clients a reason to explore your profile. The best posts are related to what you DO. Flower arrangements, recommendations for headstone design, a short blurb from a past customer about their experience, these are the gold nuggets that you want to intersperse among other things. Every piece of content does not have to directly advertise your services. Show that you can be personable too, and people will want to hear what you have to say. It is not a good practice to post every obituary to your page. Instead, make sure that your obituary has social sharing capabilities from your website. You may see a spike in likes and followers with a particular obituary, but you will soon see the drop off. A family followed you for their loved one, but they don’t want to be reminded about others losing their loved ones. Instead, give them resources on grieving interspersed with education on funerals.
- Keeping it Professional
Let’s clarify: professionalism on social media is not a bad thing, but people want to follow people, and if you sound like a computer (never using personal pronouns, relaying only factual information, etc.), no one will be interested. Let’s see some personality!
Let’s create a wide berth around these mistakes as we move ahead together to better utilize the internet and all its abilities. Your services are needed, you are a commodity and people are searching for exactly what you offer: find that confidence in your social media “game” as you right your wrongs and improve every day. Good luck!
