As a funeral professional, there are many demands on your time: preneed arrangements, at-need business, developing your team and so much more. Suffice to say, creating a social media marketing strategy for your funeral business probably isn’t at the top of your to-do list — but utilizing it is vital for attracting client families and keeping your business top-of-mind.
Why Social Media Marketing Matters
A successful social media strategy is more than simply posting content and hoping people engage with it; it’s sharing meaningful and relevant content that connects with your audience and builds a relationship with them. The good news is doing that doesn’t have to be difficult or time-consuming. That’s why we’ve compiled this list of 11 tips and ideas for creating a funeral home social media marketing strategy that works for you.
11 Tips for Creating a Social Media Marketing Content Calendar
#1: Create and share video content
I know what you’re thinking: “I don’t have time to create social media content, let alone make videos!” Rest assured, these videos don’t need to be Oscar-winning quality. They simply show your audience authenticity in a format that they’re more likely to engage with. Don’t take our word for it; check out these stats:
- Users will retain 95% of a message watched on video as opposed to only 10% read in text.
- Facebook users spend 50% of their time on the app watching videos.
- Short-form video delivers the highest ROI compared to other marketing trends.
- The average daily time US adults spend watching social video content is increasing. In 2024, social video platforms recorded around 52 minutes of daily engagement. In 2028, this number will reach 57 minutes.
Source: 60+ social media video statistics marketers need to know in 2025 | Sprout Social
The final verdict: Video content works. So, what does that look like for your funeral business? The best videos are short and sweet — no more than a couple minutes — and you don’t need a production crew or even video editing experience. Film videos on a smart phone and use in-app editing tools. If something you’re filming feels like it needs more time, consider making it a mini-series to keep your videos short and stretch your content.
Here’s some ideas to get you started:
- A virtual tour of your funeral home
- An overview of your services
- Answering commonly asked questions
- Testimonials with satisfied families
- The benefits of preneed planning
#2: Highlight your employees and celebrate your business
You’re proud of the team you’ve built at your business, so let your audience get to know them! Employee spotlights can include business-relevant information like how long they’ve been with your business, their experience in the funeral profession or what they find meaningful about their work. It’s also a great opportunity for letting their personalities shine by sharing some of their interests or fun facts. Whichever path you choose, it helps your client families relate to the people they’ll work with if they do business with you.
Similarly, consider sharing when your employees reach milestones — years of service, new certifications, etc. — and do the same for your business as a whole. It’s okay to brag about yourself from time to time, and often your audience is excited to celebrate with you!
#3: Post shareable grief and healing quotes
With user-friendly tools like Canva, it’s easier than ever to create beautifully designed grief and healing quotes your audience can share to their timelines — and expand your reach. Have an avid photographer on staff? Use your own photos as backgrounds! Check out these examples from What’s Your Grief for inspiration.
#4: Ask your audience for their opinion
If there’s one thing social media has shown us, it’s that people love to share their opinion. Many social media platforms have poll features, allowing you to ask your audience for input and boost your engagement. Even if you don't use poll features, social media is a great place to ask your audience for input with open-ended questions. In addition to helping your engagement on social media, the feedback you get can help inform other aspects of your business. Here’s a few ideas to get you started:
- What’s most important to you at a funeral?
- What does a meaningful farewell look like to you?
- What songs or readings have moved you at a funeral?
#5: Share relevant blogs
Not all content creation has to be completely original. In fact, we recommend sharing relevant blogs and social media content from other sources. Follow other businesses and creators in the funeral profession — like Homesteaders, For Grief and What’s Your Grief, to name a few — to stay informed about trends, consumer-focused articles and more. A key lesson in marketing is that you have to give value in order to get value. Your audience is unlikely to engage with your content for “free,” meaning they need to feel like they’re getting enough value from the content you’re sharing or their relationship with you to motivate them to respond how you want them to. So, provide them with value by sharing content they’ll find valuable, whether that’s information about funeral planning or grief support.
#6: Highlight positive feedback and testimonials from satisfied families
People often rely on others’ experiences and feedback when making purchasing decisions and choosing a funeral home is no different. Sharing positive feedback and testimonials from client families who have benefitted from your services helps future client families feel confident in selecting yours. Sharing testimonials may even inspire others to share their experience in the comments.
If your business struggles to generate new reviews and testimonials, Elevia’s text-based aftercare solutions can help. By leveraging funeral homes’ strong relationships with their clients and asking for reviews at just the right time, Elevia has helped generate more than 90,000 five-star Google reviews for more than 1,500 partners.
#7: Share tribute walls and obituary information
This is the type of content you’re likely already sharing on social media, but if not, there’s no time like the present to get started! In addition to honoring the loved ones of the families you serve, you are creating community. Memorial sites give people a lasting way to come together and pay their respects. Plus, if memorial sites are something your business offers, it showcases the options you provide to potential client families.
#8: Promote your events
Getting your firm involved in community events can boost your funeral home's marketing by creating opportunities to interact with local influencers who may recommend your services to a broader audience. Whether you’re participating in a community event or hosting your own, social media is the perfect place to promote it. Create a simple graphic in Canva or create an event on your Facebook page, and start spreading the word.
#9: Refresh old content
There’s nothing wrong with reusing previous posts, especially if it performed well in the past! Make sure to check that it’s still accurate and relevant, and refresh the content as needed. What’s considered too recent to repost? While there’s no hard and fast rule, six months is a good benchmark.
#10: Engage in the comment section
Social media is meant to be just that: social. So, remember to get into the comment section and reply to people when it makes sense. Replying to comments boosts the visibility of your posts and shows that you’re connected with the people you’re trying to reach. Even simple replies like “thank you” or “love this” show your audience that you’re listening to them and you care what they have to say. It reminds them that there’s a real person behind the screen and fosters a relationship with them.
Responding appropriately is especially important when someone leaves a bad comment. It’s a good idea to establish protocol for handling negative comments such as who should respond, how quickly you need to respond and whether you’re comfortable hiding or deleting comments.
#11: Use artificial intelligence (AI) wisely
Maybe writing isn’t one of your strengths. That’s okay! Many social media platforms now have integrated AI tools to assist with creating content. Don’t be afraid to use these tools or others like ChatGPT, but make sure you’re being responsible in your AI usage. Never post something provided by AI without checking verifiable facts with credible sources and proofreading for spelling and grammar. AI is a great starting place for generating ideas, but it isn’t perfect and often makes mistakes, so we don’t fully recommend relying on it from start to finish.
What other tools and ideas are you using in your social media marketing? Let us know in the comments.
