Just like with any business, preferences of customers change over time, and it is up to the business owner to make adjustments and adapt to meet their client’s needs. Funeral Home owners are no exception, and while the years pass, what families need or want for their funerals have changed as well. Often this shift in consumer preferences can lead to more opportunity. These simple steps can get your Funeral Home headed in the right direction and on its way to finding more success!
Get connected.
You have probably heard by now that you need to get your funeral home signed up for social media websites like Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and Instagram. If you haven’t done this yet you are missing out on a key way to access your consumer base, not to mention the fact that it is FREE! We live in a time where almost everyone is engaged in some sort of social media platform, a September 2014 survey by Pew Research Center revealed that 52% of online adults use multiple social media sites, a significant increase from 42% the previous year. These numbers are only increasing! Getting your funeral home set up on some social media platforms is a simple step to take to engage with your clients. Being active participants on these platforms you can spread awareness and educate those online as to why they should consider your business. What can you offer them? Reach out, engage with them, and let them know!
Invest in a good quality website.
Believe it or not, but having a good quality website can save you so much time as a business owner! By educating and providing everything your potential customer could ever want to know about your services at the click of a button, by the time they contact you they should almost be completely sold on your services. Your website should be one of your best recruiting efforts for new business. Combining a good quality website with social media outlets, you are taking advantage of a huge recruiting tool online.
Reach client families in relevant ways.
People tend to be loyal when they feel they have a relationship with a business. What are you doing as a funeral home owner to reach out to your community and build relationships with the families? One way to go about this is to show them that you care about them before they might require your business. Your space doesn’t have to be just for funerals, you could host community events such as fundraisers, weddings, or any type of celebration. This isn’t a bad way to earn some extra income as well if you want to charge a renting fee. If you want to attract more people to your funeral home, invite them! You can even use your outdoor space to host movie screenings, bonfires, fireworks, etc. for your community as a thank you. You could use your space to recognize members of the community by providing an award to them from your funeral home. Has your funeral been around for awhile? If your business has a place in history, offer free tours! Anything to get the community into your business, talking about you, and building relationships with you, is always going be a good thing for your success!
Focus on what makes your firm remarkable.
There’s a reason so many successful funeral homes have higher than average pre-need to at-need ratios. Are you making pre-need a priority? In the funeral industry, serving a family again in the future is no longer guaranteed. Advance funeral planning can be the bridge that creates lasting relationships with families and has the potential to create loyalty with the families in your community. Your firm’s pre-need program can provide one of the most effective strategies for growing your business and ensuring long-term success.
Track your goals.
It has been proven that it isn’t just about making goals, but actually writing them down that leads to completing them! Taking time to sit down and actually write down goals you have for your business will bring you one step closer to actually achieving them! That is a pretty simple way to get started in the right direction!