In a profession that’s rooted in supporting communities through a legacy of service, it’s worth noting the behind-the-scenes work funeral service leaders do to propel their businesses forward. They’re thinking strategically not just about what’s happening in the day-to-day, but also accelerating how they prepare for the future. Their approach is proactive, not reactive — and it’s paying off in significant ways in the form of increased engagement with the community, higher levels of satisfaction and more efficient operations that make it easier to pivot with the preferences of their clients. In turn, they can make the most of their investments into their much-needed community services.
So, how can you take a page from these forward-thinking funeral service leaders, or check in on your progress if you’re already working on setting your firm up for success in the future? Here are some questions to consider, and actions that will help you take those next steps in strategic planning.
Are we connecting with families in the right ways?
When people don’t already have a preferred funeral home in mind, there’s a good chance they’ll start their planning process online. If your firm isn’t focused on earning strong customer reviews, promoting community events, optimizing your website experience and staying top-of-mind through social media, you could be missing out on connection points that lead to long-term loyalty.
Some related questions to ask yourself about this topic include:
- Does our website provide tools that make it easy for families to plan a funeral online?
- Are we actively managing online reviews and asking for feedback?
- Do we have a high rank in search engine results for local funeral-related search terms?
What are our firm’s key differentiators?
That brings us to our next question — one that addresses how your services and experiences stack up against other firms in your community. If you haven’t recently taken the time to map out those differentiators, start outlining how your firm is uniquely positioned to be the top choice for families. It’s an important distinction: In the results from a 2023 survey of Homesteaders policy owners, nearly 75% of respondents said they only considered one funeral home for their advance funeral plans. The strength of your brand, and clearly and consistently communicating your strengths, can help you earn that place.
Delve further into this area by considering:
- Does our firm have a key service or offering (like meaningful aftercare follow-up or services that aren’t available at other local funeral homes) that comes up often in reviews and surveys?
- What do families tell us they appreciate most about our funeral home?
- Do we consistently make these differentiators visible in our marketing?
Are we investing in the right marketing channels?
Funeral service leaders know it’s important to strategically share the message about those differentiators, community outreach programs and other efforts that elevate the important work they’re doing and connect with more families. But budget dollars aren’t unlimited, so you must prioritize and manage your efforts to maximize your results.
Every firm deserves a tailored funeral home marketing and community engagement strategy that’s optimized for the people who live in their service areas. Backed by data about the demographics and behaviors of people who live in the community, you can build out a plan that most effectively reaches them through the channels they’re most likely to engage with, and with the messages that speak to their unique situation and characteristics.
Explore this topic further with questions like:
- Is our funeral home customer relationship management (CRM) system allowing us to effectively track what’s working?
- Are we communicating with families through aftercare touchpoints that anticipate their needs?
- What opportunities might we still be missing to maintain meaningful connections with families we’ve previously served?
What plans do we need to begin now for our long-term success?
Ambitious goals call for thoughtful long-term planning. Funeral home owners and managers are often tasked with upholding a long tradition of remarkable service, sometimes spanning a century or more. Not only do they have to consider the role they’ve played over those years, but they also need to map out how that legacy translates to success that will continue over the generations to come.
It's ingrained in funeral professionals to be prepared, in part because you see the value of how that plays out in families who experience peace of mind and other benefits of prearranging. Focusing on the “what’s next” now will make it easier to put those plans in motion in smaller, incremental steps.
You’ll benefit from considering:
- What does the future of funeral business leadership look like at our funeral home?
- What funeral home lending options are available to help us reach goals like expanding, or acquiring locations?
- How can we lock in cost savings and secure families’ loyalty and business for future services?
How will we monitor and elevate client families’ satisfaction?
Today’s consumers value convenience, clarity and the ability to personalize their service options. That certainly applies to the funeral profession, which is benefiting from more opportunities than ever to showcase what we do, why it matters and how families can get started with this important gift to their loved ones.
You meet these opportunities with excellence, but as preferences change there are always ways to step back and adjust what you’re doing to create an even more impactful experience. That’s where follow-up, a discipline of consistently gathering feedback and a funeral home workplace that values continuous improvement can help make sure every move is driving toward even stronger results.
Reflect on how you’re gathering and acting on that feedback:
- What trends can we observe in our service follow-up survey results?
- How am I (and my staff members) staying up to date on trends and options?
- What are the common characteristics of services that go well and how can we replicate that success?
Funeral homes’ strategies have to be constantly adapting, as changes in the market, community and consumer preferences make it unwise to continue doing “business as usual” without a careful plan for what’s to come. For trusted resources who can help you understand opportunities to grow and enhance your business, and turn those insights into actionable plans, contact your Homesteaders account executive.
