Ahhh, Labor Day. A time for grillin, chillin, and connecting with your families, positioning yourself as a leader in your community.

“Wait, what?” is probably what you’re thinking.

And that’s OK!. That’s why we’re here… to tell you how you can use Labor Day (and all holidays just like it) to create a unique relationship with your families. A relationship beyond caskets and tribute videos and green funerals. One that your competitors can’t even mess with.

Want to know how? Keep reading. We’ll tell ya.

Here are 5 ways to create a unique connection with your families this Labor Day:

1. Sponsor a community event

If there’s one quick-and-easy way to develop some pretty stellar brand awareness (that is, to show people your brand actually exists), it’s through community sponsorship. What better way to let people know that you’re involved in the community than to actually sponsor what makes it great? To take full advantage of this opportunity, be sure to create great marketing materials that will get your name in front of the eyes of your community. Most events will allow you to sponsor them in exchange for a booth at their event, brand “swag,” a marketing sign, a VIP section sponsored by you, and many other branding opportunities. Choose wisely and make sure it’s relevant to you.

Here’s an idea – sponsor a local festival and provide free blankets to lie on and have your tagline say “Rest… in peace.” Not only is that relevant, but it’s funny, it shows you’re human, and it shows you care. Plus, it’s an opportunity to get your name out there, which is really what we’re going for here.

2. Throw a party

It’s Labor Day, so it’s probably pretty fair to say that no one wants to learn about their burial and cremation options, unless of course they’re truly in-need of them. So why not use some of your marketing budget to throw the party of the year? Do you have a beautiful space – either inside or outside – your cemetery or funeral home that can be used?

Perhaps you could host a “music under the stars” event featuring a local artist, giving you some serious street credit. It doesn’t have to be related to your funeral home at all… it’s just a way to let people know “we’re here, we’re not creepy, and we have a beautiful space… let’s hang out and celebrate Labor Day!” Think about how many companies host local festivals, music events, and concerts. It’s a great (not to mention fun) way to become a household name in your community.

3. Create a strategic partnership

Think of strategic partnerships as a way for your funeral home and other local businesses to scratch each other’s backs. You can leverage each other’s audiences and expand your own reach in the realm of marketing and branding. Perhaps you could partner with your local Uber or Lyft branch and offer discounted safe rides home for Labor Day weekend and use a tagline like “Make it home alive tonight. Love, XYZ funeral home.” You could also partner with local hospitals, artists, restaurants, etc. The sky’s the limit… just make sure that your partnership is unique, relevant and makes sense for your business.

4. Do something that creates shock value

One of the best marketing tactics is to do something that leaves your potential customers in shock and awe (in a good way of course). Something that will really catch someone’s attention. If a partnership with Uber isn’t in your near future, you could create your own special twist on a safe ride home from your community’s Labor Day festivities. For example, you could have your hearse driver offer free rides home, with a sign on your windshield or door that says something like “Stay alive – get a free ride.”

No hearse available that day? You can have someone “deliver happiness” to different events around town, passing around balloons that have your funeral home’s name branded on them. Anything that’s out-of-the box and shocking will do. Get creative. Keep it lighthearted and interesting.

Need inspiration? Check out a beautiful take on shock value from Coca Cola below:

5. Do something charitable

Since Labor Day celebrates the hard work of the labor force in America, why not offer a free cremation or funeral service for a family who’s faced hard times and can’t otherwise honorably celebrate the life of their hard working loved one? You could create an ad in the local newspaper or on your funeral home Facebook page that asks people to submit a story of a loved one’s stamina, ambition, and willpower who is now coming to the end of their life, or has already passed. Award the family that touches your heart the most a free personalized funeral service (if they didn’t get to already give their loved one the service they deserve) or a free or discounted cremation service so they know they can be celebrated in an honorable way.

Ready to connect with your families this Labor Day?

Hopefully you can take one (or all) of these ideas and use them to connect with your families in new ways. Even if it means hopping in your hearse and offering free rides over the holiday weekend, get out there and make your funeral home known. There’s no value in doing nothing, so challenge yourself to try something new. Find a new event to sponsor. Come up with a creative way to shock your families (in a good way, of course). Whatever you do, trust that it will be successful, and know that even if it doesn’t result in 100,000 new client families, at least your brand is out there in the world. That alone is invaluable.

Want to read more about how you can use holidays to better connect with the families in your community? Check out this great read → 6 Independence Day Tips That Are Great For A Patriotic Funeral

What ways has your funeral home connected with your families and community over Labor Day weekend? Any awesome stories? Share them with us in the comments below!

Rilee Chastain

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