We are bound by what we believe.

What we choose to believe creates our reality. I read about this all the time in self improvement books, but I just recently discovered the power of your mindset when it comes to funeral marketing.

A few weeks ago, we compared the perspective of client families’ to those of funeral directors…and sitting the two perspectives side-by-side was quite alarming. One big takeaway was how easy it is to undervalue what we offer, especially after having a negative experience with a client family.

I believe that in order to truly excel in our funeral marketing and engage families in an authentic and real way, we’ve got to start with our mindset

With that being said, here are 4 major mindset shifts that can absolutely transform the way you approach you do funeral marketing… and, how you can put them into action:

Shift #1: From Seeking to Attracting

Thinking you have to search for your client families creates a scarcity mindset. As soon as you feel you’re lacking in client families, revenue, business (or anything in life), the thought creates just that – a lack. This is a very foundational Law of Attraction principle: that which you think, you create. Many people use this in their personal lives, and I think it works wonders in business, and in particular, marketing.

What if you created the belief that you’re always attracting your ideal client families? What if that belief was echoed in your messaging on your funeral home website, and your marketing? Once your families feel that you believe in you and your value through your funeral marketing, they’ll naturally be attracted to you.

Think about how good it feels to talk to someone about something they’re truly passionate about. You feel naturally attracted to them, right? And if they happen to be selling something that you need or want, it’s much easier to trust that your purchase will be valuable, because you can feel it.

Try it: What are you uniquely awesome at? What is it that lights that spark at your funeral home? Tap into that, and own it in every element of your marketing. Show your families this unique value in all of your headlines, in your taglines, on your business cards, in your messaging, your conversations… in everything you do. Make a list of the top 3 channels you’re attracting families with, and start there.

Shift #2: From Shouting to Engaging

So much of marketing in the past was all about shouting – billboards, TV ads, cold calls… you remember (it wasn’t so long ago). But now we live in an age where shouting at your potential client families won’t get you anywhere. These days, if someone sees an ad for your funeral home, they won’t necessarily just trust you to help them honor their loved one.

So what to do instead? One way you could engage potential client families and show your credibility at the same time is offering them honest, free, and valuable help. How do you see yourself engaging with your potential client families? On what channels, or in what environments? Hone in on one or two of them, and put some time and effort into offering up support and answers to those who are asking. Better yet, you could even create your own channel.

Try it: You could host community events or start a Facebook Group for answering questions about death, dying, and everything around it. This will not only position you as a leader, but it will let families know that you’re genuinely here to help, and not just collect money.

Shift #3: From Features to Value

Much of the science behind marketing has proven that emotional meaning (which often translates to value) is what consumers are looking for – not just features and functions. We’ve been discussing on here for years the importance of the finding the “why” behind your services. Yet I still see so many funeral home websites and Facebook pages talking up cheap prices and lighter or greener caskets.

I can promise you, this is not what your families are looking for. They’re looking for value, real value, and they’re willing to pay for it. How are you delivering value in your offerings? Sure, you might have products or services, but what VALUE is there in them? How are you communicating it?

Try it: Lead with value in everything you do. Start with your offerings themselves, and trickle it down into your messaging, especially on your funeral home website (where 72% of potential families start their buying process). Oh, and while you’re at it, check out this guide for adding value to your funeral home website.

Shift #4: From Telling to Showing

Have you ever tried convincing someone of how honest you are, or how valuable you are? It’s not very easy, especially when it comes to the sensitive nature of funerals. So when families are looking for the right funeral home for them, they won’t call you and ask you about how awesome you are, they’ll do their research.

They want to know how you will care for their loved one. And they don’t want to hear it out of your mouth, they want to hear it out of your past client families. They’ll look for testimonials, reviews, pictures, and stories about you. And, according to the science behind marketing, when a potential client family reads your reviews, they are nearly 60% more likely to turn to you for your services.

Try it: Invite your client families to start writing reviews for you. Whether it’s on Facebook, Yelp, or Google, or all three, get them chatting about your services and value. Need help? Here’s a great resource to get started.

Making the Big Jump

A lot of these shifts are very basic, and aren’t very hard to make. But it does take creating space for these changes to take place. I recommend taking one of these shifts that resonates with you most, and checking in with your funeral marketing channels to see how you can improve them to better reflect this new mindset.

Work with one at a time, or do a complete overhaul… each of these mindset shifts does require you to look at all the ways you’re attracting and engaging families, so if you’re craving a big funeral marketing makeover, this might be the spark you need.

Just remember, only we can change the way the world sees us, finds us, and works with us. And it all starts with our beliefs…

Have you applied any of these shifts to your funeral marketing? What impact did it have at your funeral home? Tell us in the comments below.

P.S. While you’re transforming your funeral marketing, chat with one of our Funeral Success Specialists to find out how your funeral home website can be your most powerful marketing tool yet!

Rochelle Rietow

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