4 Secrets to Successfully Marketing Your Funeral Home on Facebook

Since the beginning of time (or since the launch of Facebook in 2004), connecting with customers through social media has been a continual learning process.

But when the Facebook Timeline was released in January 2012, a new kind of interaction between customers and businesses was born. Companies like Coca-Cola, Ben & Jerry’s and Tela Flora are leveraging the social network to build their brand, share stories and engage their customers (and they’re doing pretty darn good job at it).

But how your funeral home can do the same with your funeral marketing plan?

Social media for the funeral profession is still a fairly new idea. But, with the right strategy, your Facebook Page can become a key part of your funeral marketing by capturing the attention of your families and community in no time!

 

#1 – Make Your Cover Photo & Profile Picture Count

cover_photo

With a more visually appealing layout, pictures are now the main attraction on your Facebook page.  Your profile picture and cover photo are prime real estate. Take advantage of that. Use visually engaging photos that capture your audience’s attention.

Just remember, your cover photo and profile picture leave the first visual impression on your audience.  What is the kind of impression do you want to get across?

PRO TIP: Not sure what kinds of pictures to use for your profile picture or cover photo? For your profile picture, be sure to select an image that incorporates your logo to build brand awareness.

For your cover photo, choose a picture that shows what your funeral firm stands for – maybe it’s a picture of your staff volunteering at a community event? Or what about a photo that represents a celebration of life? Get creative!

 

#2 “Pin” Your Important Posts

Pinning a post is a great way to highlight important content on your Facebook page. When you pin your content, it will be “flagged” and placed at the top of your Facebook wall so valuable content won’t get lost in your Timeline.  Pin content that you want your visitors to see – and consider incorporating an image to make it visually appealing.

PRO TIP: Pin content such as a press mention, a new product or service announcement, a blog you like, promotional statuses, or other content from your funeral marketing plan.

 

#3 Highlight Posts to Make Them A Main Attraction

“Highlighting” a status update expands it across both columns on your timeline, making it a main attraction on your page. Unlike pinning a post, highlighting a post will enlarge your content to make sure it stands out. Highlight content such as a rave review so that your audience is reminded of your superior services.

PRO TIP: Try to weave a highlighted post into your Timeline at least once a week.  Perhaps you make it a rule to always highlight your blog or upcoming community events you will be attending.

HOW TO HIGHLIGHT A POST

 

#4 Share Your Funeral Home’s Story by Creating Milestones

Using Facebook Milestones brings a personal element to your brand by helping you share your story. Milestones are a great way to document your funeral home’s biggest and best accomplishments.  Besides building credibility, milestones also help set your firm apart by humanizing your brand and engaging your audience with the story of how you came to be.

On a traditional timeline, milestones would be the bolded dates that mark an important piece of history. And that’s the best part – you can work your way back through history creating as many milestones as you’d like!

PRO TIP: Create a milestone for every important day your firm has experienced – including the day you opened your doors! Include photos and make it as engaging as possible.

 

STEP 1 TO HIGHLIGHT A POST

STEP 2 TO HIGHLIGHT A POST

 

Has your funeral home started to experiment with all the new features of the Facebook Timeline? Are you interested in learning more about social media for the funeral profession? Let us know what you think!

 

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  1. Jim Dougherty

    Great insights, Emily.  How do you think that content should be handled by funeral homes?  In general people don’t enjoy talking about funerals on a regular basis – are there topics that funeral homes should discuss to keep awareness and engagement without specifically talking about the business they are in?

  2. Emmaleee230

     Thanks, Jim! It’s true – creating Facebook content for funeral homes can get very tricky. Always remember to keep your audience in mind, and be sensitive to their needs and emotions. Besides posting just obituaries, you could try;  Spotlighting your involvement within the community, referencing an inspiring news articles or posting content from thought leaders.  Try mixing it up to keep your audience engaged.  Let me know how it works for you 🙂

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  9. Nancy Roy

    Krystal, I did a page – trying to show someone else how to do one. I did find the funeral and cemeteries services when I set mine up – but now I can’t find it. Do you remember what it is under exactly?

  10. Rilee Chastain

    Hi Nancy! To create a new Facebook Business Page, simply follow this link: https://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php Hope this helps!