38+ Ideas for Free Publicity for Funeral Directors

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How to increase your share of the local funeral market: Free Marketing Ideas for Funeral Directors. Definitely not the definitive guide, but some ideas your competitors will NOT have thought of for sure. If there is only one useful idea, it is worth a read, or print the page off (but don’t forget to come back and check for new ideas – perhaps bookmark the page?) Think about how you could put your own slant on the ideas.The best idea is number 99 at the end of the page. tell us something useful about the area you are in, which is worth adding to LOCAL page, and we will add your phone number to your entry FREE.

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Make sure you at least take up the free listing

in your town on The Probate Department (brokers) – details after these marketing ideas for funeral directors – currently number 14.

Have you set up a free Google Business Profile account? The BIG one.

Then ask for 5 star reviews from your clients (we add it to every email – but that may not be ideal if you are top-end as some may just complain about prices!) Google review are free, and really make you stand out on a Google search. In ALL cases it is important that the format of Name Address and Phone is identical (it is called NAP). This allows to search engines to recognise all the listing being of the same business, which pushes you up the rankings

Who are your audience?

By and large, you are marketing to people in the last third of life – the spouses for older folk, the children for single people including second deaths. Care homes want a fast clearance, carers just need to have a positive view of you.  Past users will spread the word if they are pleased, and far more if not!

Funeral plans – the ultimate in marketing for funeral directors.

The FCA has made this a much trickier topic, and one which has no short-term benefits unless you charge clients a fee for signing up, at least to cover initial costs.   But long term, it can be enormously beneficial, and I understand the average life of a funeral plan is under 7 years, so the benefits are not too far away and are potentially a capital benefit should you sell. Maybe you could make a point that you take nothing out of the funeral plans, apart from the funeral? In no particular order, funeral plans for independent firms: let me know if I have missed any/

  • Open Funeral Plans speak to John Taplin. https://www.openprepaidfunerals.co.uk/for-funeral-directors
  • Ecclesiastical
  • Golden Leaves 0800 85 44 48  https://www.goldenleaves.com/contact-us/
  • Golden Charter 0808 169 7090 https://www.goldencharter.co.uk/get-in-touch/general-enquiry/

Over 50s insurance

Some of the big companies do a deal to offer a discount if they are used. Why not do a campaign offering similar benefits to local people? Give them a nice voucher to keep with their policy documents (over 50 or not.

Free Funeral Plans

Give away an instruction sheet on how they want their funeral conducted, who should be in charge, etc etc. Make sure your details are all over it, and offer to store it free. Make sure they have a large note on your letterhead, preferably laminated, saying that you have the details, plus business cards with that (ideally) printed on them for the kids. Maybe you can even work though it with them. Why not give them out free to anyone who joins your email list? Being top of mind at the right time is key.  If you also offer full prepaid funera

Your Website

It is probably very pretty, but are there interesting articles in key areas and articles on burial at sea, Islamic Funerals or whatever else you can do. Your favourite charities, your staffs hobbies, anything to make you more approachable. Use a search engine optimisation program at low cost to improve the site – which is a continuous process as everyone is playing catch up.

Follow the top information sources in your niche.

Make a list trade papers, grief specialists, funeral bloggers, funeral homes, florists, community leaders and gather links to their blogs and social media accounts. You can get ideas from them, and rewrite them in your own words, but don’t just write about what interests you, write about what interests your target age group predominantly: your audience are not FDs!Social Media check this page out.

Promoting a Funeral Director is a ticklish business,

which is why community involvement is so heavily used.   Working with appropriate, carefully chosen probably non-confrontational charities is the classic way, whether they be local or national.

Choose your marketing focus

Decide which channels to focus your funeral marketing efforts on. Should you start a blog on your website? An email newsletter (way cheaper than posted ones)? Start with a couple, add more when you are confident. Video things are all the rage, and if you have a smartphone, you already have the equipment.Just bear in mind that your firm should only be peripheral, your copy should be primarily about pretty much anything except you, but you could do swaps with other local businesses where you each have a little in each others newsletters.To entice people over 60 to subscribe to your newsletter, you need to offer something they want – things like Free Wills Month, Care Fees review, clubs, recipes for single people, or those who can’t cook, meals delivered, food delivered, latest articles in Which?, offers from people you work with. Then talk to some older folk you know who are not FDs and ask them what would be helpful.https://www.sendinblue.com/pricing/marketing/see-all-features/ email marketing with a free option.

Maintain a Professional image

Marketing ideas for Funeral Directors
Do you do anything interesting?
I don’t subscribe to the unsmiling image some FDs portray, but make sure your profile, photos, bio and posts are professional, engaging and show who you are. While you’re at it, make sure every suitable employee at your funeral home is using their personal social profiles to put a name to the faces at your firm. If your staff have interesting hobbies (probably excluding taxidermy!) then why not feature them to convey a human image. The gif to the left is utterly wrong for most firms – but maybe you are not most firms?Your employment contracts should make it clear that any social media accounts which could be traced back to them as members of staff could reflect badly on the business – especially if they get sacked or join a competitor.Maybe they should each contribute to the company account, perhaps one idea a week each – once they get in the habit, it becomes easier. Just a quote from a happy client, or a bit of local news.

Create a marketing calendar.

Try to set up a list of regular activities each month, and tick them off. For example:

  • New Facebook post weekly
  • New or revised page on your website monthly to include Search Engine optimisation of the page. Big changes are not essential, but each page should have its own key words, and other pages mentioning those words should link through to the “cornerstone page” a more detailed page on that topic.
  • Advert in one of the local buy and sell groups for one of your “lead magnets” – freebies to give away which are useful. Some ideas appear in the rest of the list.
  • Plan a Youtube channel, and you can embed the videos in your site too.

I’m not a social media person, sadly, but it is important to look for the right audience, especially if you have specialisms, then you may have multiple audiences who need different messages,

Start an idea bank.

While you’re creating your marketing calendar, can record your marketing ideas as they come to you and your colleagues, and keep a list of what you have done and when – probably best in reverse order, so in time you will be able to review, update and recycle previous ideas. Even silly ideas may have potential so still add them to the idea bank.  Competitors all over the world have ideas you can make your own,

Promotional Partnerships?

Who targets the same audience as you in your area?  Would working together enhance your image or at least not damage it? Working with solicitors and Will writers and charities of course, for example.

Offer locally-made craft urns or other items.

Jewellery, wooden urns, spaceflights (not so local!), diamond compression.

Testimonials are essential for effective marketing for funeral directors.

Have them on your website, with photos if they are OK with it.  You could even offer to photograph each funeral if someone has the skills.  Have a testimonial binder in the front office, maybe even a testimonial board. Ask for testimonials from anyone you can, and maybe in the form of a client satisfaction survey – use it to find ways to improve. Clients and attendees will find problems you didn’t know existed and improving most of them where practical will boost satisfaction.  Thank them for negative feed back or positive.

Wake

Consider hosting or catering for the wake, if you have the space, or having a deal with a caterer for mutual benefit.

Social Media

Keep an eye on local social media, post up your news and offer to post up details of forthcoming funerals (and maybe photos afterwards, but do ensure people are happy to be photographed).  Follow progressive FDs and other media interest in the subject, keeping an eye open for blogs and posts that you can adapt to your own firm. Post up ideas and ask what people think – resummation, celestis, green funerals, natural burial, carbon offsets. How about Memes? (ask the kids).

Video Funerals

Many venues can do live stream for you, but it could be another income stream.

Pre Need Seminars

Work with local firms to host estate planning seminars and meet the potential clients early, and maybe sign up some prepaid funerals – the key to future profits.

Contests

Social media is a great place for tasteful contests – you supply a giveaway – theatre tickets, a meal or whatever to drum up support for local good causes.

Become Eco Warriors

but not too strident!  Why not carbon offset every funeral it is cheaper than you think if you know the right people! Support Natural Burial Grounds – or even get involved with new ones. You could even have a presentation on the topic to give live or add to your youtube channel and website:

YouTube Channel

Talks, funeral plans, how to write a funeral plan (see 6 above), memorials and all the questions people ask. Tours of graveyards, crematoriums etc.  Discussion of burial v cremation, different types of funerals, religious etc.

Live Chat

Add a live chat facility to your website – but do some research as the potential client will nit be patient waiting for a response, but some will offer answers to standard questions once set up.  A badly organised or run one is a negative factor”

Therapy Dogs

As long as the office doesn’t smell doggy and you have a kennel out back for those who don’t like dogs! A therapy snake or tiger would probably get your picture in the local paper!  Would offering a voucher for a local pet store for a new companion for kids or widows/ widowers be going too far? Good PR anyway!!

Crowdfunding

All sorts of opportunities here to help people get a better sent off, and to get paid for what might otherwise be a paupers funeral.  Maybe even create a special trust??

Video Chat/ Meetings

Make that an option, ideal to get your personality over to funeral organisers who may be overseas or just far away.

Could Bookings and Direct Cremations be booked online, subject to confirmation?

People could book and pay online and scan death certs over (is that adequate – I’m not an FD!)

In Memory Events?

Maybe with some of the pictures you took at the funeral, with copies available – maybe free by email, it adds to your contact list.  Name and number them all for easy reference. Perhaps as a fund raiser for the local Hospice or your own Charity Trust.

Let clients vote on which Local Charity to support – maybe 1st, 2nd and 3rd  50%, 30% and 20%.

 

Local Radio Advertising or maybe Hospital Radio?

Not always cheap though!

Be a Spokesperson

Set yourself up as a person ready to comment on death-related matters. Make sure the local press know you are always ready with a quote and have your mobile number.  You could even have brief stories ready for well know locals and let the press know.  These days, press staffing is minimal so saving work is appreciated. See 34.

Local Clergy and Celebrants

Why not interview them, maybe with a set series of questions, video with your phone, then post up on your Youtube channel, and insert in your website – be sure to keep in touch with them afterwards!

Infographics

If you have arty staff or children, these can be great on social media and adverts.

Story Telling

Your adverts should be stories, not sales pitches. Develop articles for the local press, especially if you have local celebrities – you might even end up writing the Despatched column!

Special Offers

If you have solicitors, Will writers etc who regularly support you, maybe they could do more if you offered their clients a small discount or special extra service for nothing – maybe orders of service, coffin flowers, carbon offset (if you don’t already). They could also use your funeral plan paperwork and maybe include you as the preferred FD in their Will.

Low Cost Carbon Offset – not quite free but brilliant value!

This has to be the most cost effective carbon offset scheme out there!https://www.unaeastbourne.org/carbon-offset-home.html

Staff

Do they all know enough to answer standard questions? Are they all aware of the vital importance of checking phone numbers have been written down correctly?  I always think it is good to ask for the email too for that inevitable occasion where the phone number is wrong! Are they all friendly and professional? Will they stand outside the crematorium or cemetery smoking while late arrivals appear? Are they all friendly, approachable and professional?  Are your rules for their behaviour where clients may see them absolutely clear?

Not Quite a Pre Arrangement Plan

Lots of people, and their families, know that death is not too far away, and it may be too near for a prepaid funeral plan to be cost effective.   So why not arrange the funeral in advance. with a limited price guarantee – 90 days for example? Taking a deposit to reserve is great, but has its own issues which I am not qualified to detail – maybe a client account would be adequate – check!

Phone Calls – this one is really useful (new window).

Boost the Coop

If you want to send business to the Coop, link to https://www.bereavementadvice.org/ which they own.

Google Adwords Target – how to waste Money.

I do quite a lot of searching for funeral directors and other facilities (but don’t click on paid ads) and it is noticeable that many people bid on their own website name (if it is an established and well optimised site, it should come up organically) and more importantly their advert comes up for anyone based in their area but searching for FDs in quite another area, so the geographic targeting is not correctly set up. This reduces the important click through rate, and increases your cost per click. Only national firms don’t have a major problem with this potential financial drain. For example, I am in Sussex and searching for FDs in Birmingham brings up paid adverts for Sussex FDs. 

99) More to follow, but the following is about how YOU can benefit from this site, the destination of over 3.8 million visits so far. 

The easiest and most cost effective marketing!To help subsidise the running of this site and move towards 4 million page views, we have added several ways for funeral directors to advertise in their local areas, and are gradually rewriting all of the related pages. Old listings will be removed in time. The actual costs vary roughly in line with the population of the area covered. An office can only have one free entry.The cheapest way is FREE – just add a comment at the bottom of the page covering the area you work in and basic contact details, but links or email addresses are NOT allowed in free adverts except for those who provide us with links or fully support improvements on the relevant page – ask.

  • Fred Blogs Funeral Directors, 27 Arkwright Avenue, Pleasanton. BN6 2PN  FREE.
  • Fred Blogs Funeral Directors, 27 Arkwright Avenue, Pleasanton. BN6 2PN 01323 384041  FREE with a useful idea for the page.
  • Fred Blogs Funeral Directors, 27 Arkwright Avenue, Pleasanton. BN6 2PN 01323 384041  Covering Pleasantown and Pleasantville.   level 1 cost  £15 to £30 a year
  • Fred Blogs Funeral Directors, 27 Arkwright Avenue, Pleasanton. BN6 2PN 01323 384041  in**@*******gs.com Covering Pleasantown and Pleasantville level 2 cost £15 to £30 a year
  • Fred Blogs Funeral Directors, 27 Arkwright Avenue, Pleasanton. BN6 2PN 01323 384041  in**@*******gs.com Covering Pleasantown and Pleasantville
  • We specialise in Direct Cremation, Muslim funerals and burials at see – call us!                        Level 3 cost range £15 to £30 a year
  • Fred Blogs Funeral Directors, 27 Arkwright Avenue, Pleasanton. BN6 2PN 01323 384041  in**@*******gs.com Covering Pleasantown and Pleasantville
  • We specialise in Direct Cremation, Muslim funerals and burials at see – visit our website for more information                        Level 4 cost range £40 to £100 a year.

If you would like a more detailed advert – still free – and you can supply some useful information for the public that we can add to the page, just include it in your submission (use the Comment link) on the page and I will give you some extra space, dependent on how useful the information is!If you are happy to do a link to any page on our site As long as that link stays up, you can have a brief text write-up with your phone number and areas covered in the Funeral Directors section of the actual relevant page, which will carry more weight than the comments section.You can see the currently rewritten pages below where we haven’t started contacting FDs in, (we’re not a sales organisation!) with costs – and we can always add your area to the work list.

Additionally, there is the page sponsorship option:

which varies in cost from £95 a year (or £9.50 a month) up to £300 a year (£30 a month)  depending on the size of the area (related to population). Modest discounts for multiple areas or for substantial ongoing help in making the page more useful to the public.This banner indicates that the sponsorship is probably still available on that page, so why not get in touch before a rival bags it? You won’t get any sales spiel! Banner cost is £150 to £300 a year (£15 to £30 pm).  Direct cremation banner (below) is £95 to £150 a year (£9.50 to £15 pm).

free marketing ideas for funeral directors
Page Sponsors Banner – a whole years publicity!

The banner is 600 x 200 pixels and if you don’t have one, we can show you how to create one free.

Marketing for Funeral Directors
Marketing Direct Cremation?

(Here is how to make a free banner)

Areas currently being worked on with annual, monthly or quarterly cost (payable by DDI to minimise admin) if you wish to replace the Direct Cremation or STAR banner with your own, linked through to your site: the Direct Cremation Banner is half the cost of the main banner. Adding yourself as a comment is free, but cannot include a link, see the options above.  All costs are paid by direct debit. No more than 5 firms can do this in smaller areas, larger areas may be split into different localities, each of which can have up to 5.If your area isn’t listed, just enquire and if the page hasn’t yet been set up (see here)  we may be able to prioritise it. And do tell us of any errors or omissions.The cost will vary by area and the main banner (linked to your site)  will (depending on population) range from £95 to £300 a year, half that for the Direct Cremation banner.  Free listings are below that and you add those yourselves – but are limited to name and address and – if you give us some useful information for the page – phone number.Speak to Steve on 03 300 102 300 or use the form below to enquire about marketing for funeral directors on this site.[contact-form to=”st***@*********************co.uk” subject=”FD Enquiry”][contact-field label=”Name” type=”name” required=”1″][contact-field label=”Email” type=”email” required=”1″][contact-field label=”Website” type=”url”][contact-field label=”Banner or Free Entry ” type=”checkbox-multiple” options=”Banner quote,Free Entry with phone number in return for link,Free phone number in return for useful info to add to page.,Clickable phone number cost please,How much would it cost to add the information in the box below?”][contact-field label=”Page you are interested in” type=”name” required=”1″][contact-field label=”Your questions” type=”text”][/contact-form]

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