By Welton Hong, founder of Ring Ring Marketing
Scandal.
Hacker.
Fake news.
These are the buzzwords of the modern internet, and many people are exhausted by the need to remain aware and double-check everything they read online. It’s no wonder consumers crave authenticity.
More than 85% of consumers say authenticity is a critical factor in their buying decisions. Those numbers are consistent no matter what age demographic you’re dealing with. The figure ranges from 80 to 90% among boomers, gen Xers, and millennials.
For death-care firms, authenticity is even more critical than it is for many other brands. Death-care services are relatively expensive, so you must do more work to build trust with your potential clientele than a taco truck or clothing retailer does. Add to that the fact that many death-care firms drive revenues by selling preplanning packages — services that you expect clients to pay for now when they might not receive them for years. There’s a lot of trust in that relationship.
One way you can build trust with potential clientele is through authenticity on social media. That doesn’t mean pulling all your personal skeletons out of the closet or being unprofessional and silly. Depending on your target audience, too much disclosure or shenanigans on your Facebook or Instagram could alienate potential clientele. Instead, consider the seven tips below to integrate more authentic content and engagement on your firm’s social media profiles.
Respond to Feedback
One of the most authentic things you can do on social media is have a conversation with people from your audience. If someone leaves a note about your business — good or bad — respond with kindness and professionalism.
Public feedback is a great opportunity to show others that you truly care about your clientele and the services you provide. It can also open the door for you to mention your services or offer little bites of education about your business.
Go Live
A carefully curated social media feed is visually pleasing, but it can look inauthentic. People may wonder what’s hiding behind the pristine marketing persona. Consumers aren’t generally impressed with glossy PR presences on social media pages; they’d rather see the real people behind your firm.
Don’t be afraid to go live with video occasionally to remind your target audience that there are people managing your services. You might host a monthly Q&A with your funeral director, for example, or have the sales team go live to show new products when they arrive.
Integrate (Appropriate) Humor
Certainly, death-care is a serious business. Being flippant with your clientele is likely never a good idea, and approaching funeral services and other client needs with professionalism is important. However, that doesn’t mean you have to be completely serious on your social media pages all the time.
Demonstrate your humanity by engaging in a bit of light humor or tongue-in-cheek wordplay when appropriate. Always keep your target audience in mind, though, and avoid political or religious humor that might alienate potential clientele. It’s also a good idea to keep an eye on responses to humorous posts (or any social media posts you make, really). If something falls flat or isn’t appreciated by your audience, you may want to take that type of content out of the rotation in the future.
Share Content Created by Your Audience
Sharing content that your audience creates demonstrates an appreciation for the people who are supporting your business. Some types of content you might share on social media include:
- Reviews and testimonies. If someone leaves a review for your death-care firm on a public platform such as Google, you can quote it on your social media page. If someone makes a comment about your firm on social media and has the status set to “public,” you can share it on your page. If a family sends you an email praising your services or staff, you can ask them if you can share a quote from it publicly on social media.
- If someone shares a picture of your staff, funeral home, or services, ask if you can share the picture on your social media.
- Tips or helpful content. While you’re the expert, your clientele or potential clientele might have tips or tricks relevant to your niche that would be helpful to others. If someone shares a tip or trick in your comments section, ask if you can turn that information into a post on your page and credit them.
Express Gratitude
Don’t just show appreciation by sharing user-generated content. Make sure you demonstrate gratitude in your posts periodically. Something as simple as a sincere thank you to families that allow you the honor of caring for their loved ones can go a long way to demonstrating authenticity on social media.
Strive for Consistency
Consistency is essential in creating authenticity and community on your death-care social media pages. Here are a few reasons why:
- If you don’t post consistently, people may not see your content. Organic reach isn’t huge on social media, but the more you post, the more likely you are to show up for people interested in your content. You don’t have to post multiple times a day or even every day, but consistently sharing content a few times a week can have a positive impact on your engagement.
- Flaky posting schedules make your business look, well, flaky. If people can’t trust you to post on Instagram or Facebook twice a week consistently, how can they trust you with their preplanning needs?
- When you post regularly but your tone, style, or messaging is always changing, you don’t come across as sincere or trustworthy. Make sure your posts always sound like they are coming from the same firm with the same values and mission.
Use Your Own Images and Videos
Nothing says inauthenticity like a social media page populated solely with stock images. While there’s certainly a time and place for these types of images and videos, use your own original content whenever possible on social media. This helps consumers get to know the people and minds behind the business and can lead to more engagement and eventual conversions.
Welton Hong is the founder & CEO of Ring Ring Marketing, which specializes in helping funeral homes and cemeteries grow and protect their market share.
