Grief is a long, hard and complicated process. It can take decades for someone to overcome the pain of a sudden, traumatic loss. That’s why, as a funeral professional, it is so important that your funeral home marketing efforts include aftercare. Finding creative ways — like fitness events — to reach your client families after their loss can be instrumental in helping them process their grief.
Hundreds of psychologists have studied the benefits of fitness-related grief support. Exercise — and the subsequent endorphins — helps the brain process pain and keeps the body active, which can counteract many of the physical and emotional side effects of grief. Consider the following benefits of fitness-related aftercare:
Staying Healthy
In addition to weight management and muscle retention, regular exercise can dramatically decrease the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Individuals who commit to a fitness program often experience lower levels of stress, less difficulty sleeping, increased energy and improved mood.
Since many of your client families are older – Baby Boomers or members of the Silent Generation – staying active can be a particular concern. Consider partnering with local gyms to offer low-intensity fitness activities like swimming, cycling or golf. You might even be able to host a few exercise events at your funeral home. Invite a yoga instructor to hold weekly classes in the chapel, or sponsor an early-morning walking group in a nearby park.
Building Community
Fitness-related aftercare is a great way to build community among your client families. Research from Harvard University has linked regular social interactions among seniors to decreased memory loss, lower risk of cancer and Alzheimer’s and longer life expectancy. Through regular aftercare events, your client families can build relationships with one another and with your staff – increasing the likelihood that they will recommend and reuse your firm’s services.
Supporting Important Causes
Exercise can also offer a great way to give back to your community. Many fitness events include a fundraising component – an all-night dance-a-thon for the Children’s Miracle Network, a walk to raise money for the local VA hospital or even a marathon to support breast cancer research. Incorporating fitness-related aftercare into your funeral home marketing strategy is a great way to support your client families while also contributing to causes that are important to you.
Consider expanding your services to incorporate more activities that promote a healthy lifestyle. In addition to benefiting your client families, exercise programs are also good for your funeral home business. Fitness events provide great opportunities for social media posts – as promotion before the event and through photos posted after the fact. Offering regular aftercare in your community helps keep your firm top-of-mind and inspires customer loyalty. Plus, you’ll have something interesting and creative to talk about during your own exercise classes.
