Should A Funeral Home Be on Facebook?
It is easy for individuals who are not social media strategists or digital marketing experts to question why a funeral home would have a presence on Facebook. However, one can simply look at most business curriculums at various colleges and see that social media is powerful. Business schools are teaching their students how to use social media platforms, data, and statistical analysis to build solid businesses. The funeral home business is no exception and certainly should be using Facebook to expand its reach, and market to potential consumers. Why Facebook? Quite frankly, it is the largest social media network with active users. The keywords are “active users”, which sets Facebook apart from other social media networks. According to Statistica (2020), “Facebook had more than 2.5 billion global monthly active users with a cumulative total of 2.89 billion users accessing any of the company’s core products Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger on a monthly basis”. This is huge! Avid consumers on Facebook are on the platform looking around, sharing, commenting, talking to others about what they see and buy. Statistica (2020) stated, “Facebook accumulated an impressive 55 billion U.S. dollars in annual ad revenues in 2018”. So, in a nutshell, a funeral home should be on Facebook. This article will outline three reasons why a funeral home should be on Facebook:
- People use Facebook to Make Funeral Announcements and Share Information.
- Funeral Homes Can use Facebook to Distribute Their Online Content.
- Facebook’s Data and Algorithms Are Unlike Any Other Platform.
People Use Facebook to Make Funeral Announcements & Share Information
Most adults will share information about the death of family members, friends, and old classmates on Facebook. According to the Pew Research Center (2020), “the share of U.S. adults who get news through Facebook is much higher than the shares who get news through YouTube (21%), Twitter (12%), Instagram (8%), LinkedIn (6%) and other platforms”. In current times, it is more common for people to share information this way instead of calling and texting everyone individually. This can be extremely beneficial for a funeral home, because the family members, friends, and classmates of the deceased will want and need the information about the funeral home. For example, some people will want to send flowers to the funeral home or sign the online guest book. Other times, people may send donations to the family through the funeral home. If the funeral home is already on Facebook, it is much easier for friends and family to find information. Friends and family of the deceased will usually choose the same funeral home for their own funeral needs, simply because their family or friend used the funeral home. Nowadays, it is more socially acceptable for funeral homes to be on Facebook. Social media and e-marketing have drastically altered the way people interact online about death and funeral homes. Most people expect to find information about the death of their loved one and the funeral service on Facebook. Some funeral homes have already taken steps to get ahead of their competitors by hiring social media companies such as Beacon Social to manage their presence on Facebook. Beacon Social publishes high-quality, branded content on behalf of funeral homes, but tailor the content to each funeral home.
Funeral Homes Can Use Facebook To Distribute Their Online Content
Facebook has several tools that make it easier for businesses to distribute content to various market segments. For example, some funeral homes may send out a newsletter to people on their e-mail list, or they may already have a website with blog articles. Facebook has integrated a lot of tools that help businesses expand their reach, such as boosting posts or blogs. The key to effectively boosting a post or weblink consists of targeting the right individuals. Everyone will not find information about funeral homes useful, but others will appreciate the information. Facebook tracks everything about their users such as, what pages they visit, if they buy things online, their age, race, political affiliation, where they travel to and “check-in” at on Facebook (to name a few). Facebook has been collecting data for a very long time which is why the platform is collecting billions of dollars in ad revenues from businesses. It can be a daunting task for funeral homes to create an effective ad campaign on Facebook, especially if they lack the skills needed to analyze data and manipulate targeting. Therefore, it is wise to invest in a reputable social media agency such as Beacon Social, because they understand the needs of funeral homes.
Facebook’s Data and Algorithms are Unlike Any Other Platform
It has been established by scholars across various fields of study, that people will consume products and services that their friends consumed. It is beneficial for funeral homes to promote authentic testimonies about their services, the politeness and compassion of their staff, or the way they connect with the community. Most Facebook users share, like, and comment on things they see on Facebook, which inadvertently helps businesses build their brand. Ironically, most of the people using Facebook don’t view their actions from a marketing or business perspective. Therefore, it is easy for Facebook to market to its users without it being problematic. According to Pew Research (2020), “around three-quarters of Facebook users are not aware that the site lists their traits and interests for advertisers”. Although, “Facebook makes it relatively easy for its users to find out how the site’s algorithm has categorized their traits and interests for advertisers” most people do not know. Funeral homes can get testimonies from clients, other people on Facebook will see those testimonies and become interested in the service or product. Most people are only concerned with the quality of a service or product, and not that a funeral home has used Facebook to advertise to them. This is reflected in people still using Facebook to interact socially and exchanging information, but not caring about how their information will be used.
Beacon Social Will Take the Headache Away
Every business owner may not possess the time or skills needed to effectively use Facebook to their advantage. This is why funeral homes need to invest in social media experts who have the time, and skills needed to expand a funeral home’s reach. Some businesses try to cut costs and run ads on Facebook themselves, but lack the knowledge needed to get the maximum impressions, and conversions. It is not enough to just show funeral home information to potential consumers, the information must be useful, needed, or wanted by the person seeing it. Beacon social takes care of all those nagging little details, which can easily be overlooked by someone who is not accustomed to using the marketing side of Facebook. Beacon social will take the headache away from trying to figure out the data, spot trends, or conduct market analyses because they do it all. They answer inbound messages, post high-quality branded content, create aesthetically pleasing ads, and provide expert analyses. So, when pondering whether a funeral home should be on Facebook, one should take into account all of the advantages: folks share funeral information on Facebook, it is easy to distribute online content, and no other platform has collected as much data as Facebook. Society has evolved and things that may have been taboo when it comes to funeral homes are different in current times. Choose Beacon Social because they employ some of the best graphic designers, data analysts and social media experts in the industry. Hundreds of funeral homes have already started setting themselves apart from their competitor by choosing Beacon Social to manage their Facebook. Don’t get left behind!