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!

 

4 tips to leveraging the new Facebook Timeline features to create an engaging page for your funeral firm:

#1 – Make Your Cover Photo & Profile Picture Count

 

 

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.

 

#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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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!

 

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Emily Black is the social media maven at funeralOne. She maximizes engagement on all of our social media channels, maintaining one of the largest online communities in the industry. She’s also in charge of coordinating events and trade shows to keep funeralOne “social” in-person too. funeralOne’s solutions include: website design, aftercare, eCommerce, and personalization software. For more information about funeralOne, visit www.funeralOne.com.