By Josh McQueen, Vice President of Marketing and Product

It’s no secret that technology use increases more each year.

We have smartphones, smart cars, and even smart homes. We price shop for real estate online, scroll social media to keep up with friends and family, take email on the go, and even use our phones to order our groceries for curbside pick-up.

As a result, industries have had to shift their business practices to connect with us, their consumers. Medical offices now send us text reminders about our upcoming appointments. Companies have found new ways to advertise their offerings online. Local businesses make sure to have Google reviews because they know we’ll research our options on the web.

Other industries have had to adapt to stay competitive and reach their customers in new ways, and they’ve used technology to do it. Consequently, today’s consumers have been conditioned to expect these new options, even in industries they’ve never worked with before—like the funeral profession.

A mindset for change

Funeral home owners email me all the time with questions about how to stand out from the competition. I often tell them that, unfortunately, the best funeral home doesn’t always win a family’s business. The first one to reach that family does.

The steps to staying competitive are:

1. Be open to trying new things

2. Understand who your customers are and how they prefer to communicate

3. Develop strategies to connect with families more effectively at every stage of their journey with you

Assuming that you’re open-minded to change, we can check off step 1.

Step 2 is understanding families' preferences, their habits, and their expectations. Let’s look at a few facts about consumer behavior that show how rapidly our families are changing:

• 2022 was the first year that eCommerce sales in the US hit 1 trillion dollars. In 2012, this figure was 231.4 billion.

• In a recent funeral market survey we conducted with McKee Wallwork + Co. (MW+C), 36% of respondents said they were comfortable planning a funeral online – a 44% increase since 2011.

• In the same study, 42% of families said they were comfortable with attending a funeral online – a 121% increase since 2011.

• And according to Asurion research, Americans check their phones 352 times per day or about once every 3 minutes.

Consumer behavior has changed drastically in the past decade and will continue to change. The good news is we can apply this data to our profession to help us stay competitive and connect with families.

Now comes step 3: how to reach these families more effectively throughout their journey with you. With so many new options for funeral home technology hitting the market, you might be wondering which ones you should focus on. The most effective solutions are the ones that will help you meet families' changing needs for better connection and communication.

Here are a few ideas to consider implementing this year.

#1. Grow awareness and build trust

Based on Statista research, over 302 million Americans use social media, with Facebook as the most popular. By 2029, this number is expected to grow to over 317 million users in the US alone.

That’s why it’s important to leverage social media to connect with families before they even need your services. From your funeral home account, you can post testimonials, helpful articles, and videos of your staff, all of which create awareness and build loyalty in families who engage with your content.

Remember how I said it’s often the first funeral home to reach families that wins? This is how you put your best foot forward and connect with families where they're at.

Of course, this takes a lot of time and expertise, which is why many funeral homes outsource this job to a social media marketing service. Look for a solution that provides exceptional content and consistent results.

Check out this article from Funeral Directors Life for social media ideas.

#2. Reach families through preneed

An active preneed program is one of the best ways to reach families first. That’s not really a new concept. But online planning and funding for preneed funerals is, and a growing number of families want to fully preplan and pay for their own funeral online.

The problem is that if they were to search for that, they would likely stumble across low-cost cremation providers…your competitors.

To remain competitive in today’s market, you should have some sort of eCommerce tool that generates free preneed leads for you and allows consumers to purchase funeral or cremation prearrangements online with your funeral home. It’s even better if the tool promotes the value of a funeral service (not just direct cremation) by educating families about their options and how funerals facilitate the grief process.

For example, Arrangement Guide (our tool we created in partnership with Funeral Directors Life) shares the value of a funeral with families and walks them through the planning process step by step with your funeral home.

>>>>> Learn more here.

#3. Connect with remote families when planning the service

As a funeral director, you know how important it is to provide the easiest, most stress-free planning experience possible.

But this can become difficult when families:

• Live out of state

• Don’t want to come into the funeral home right away

• Want multiple family members involved in the process

• Can’t coordinate a time for everyone to attend the arrangement conference

All this leaves you scrambling to come up with a solution that works for everyone. It’s time you consider an online, at-need planning tool.

An online, at-need planning tool helps you stay connected to families throughout the entire planning process. And by collaborating online every step of the way, you can plan the most meaningful service no matter where a family lives.

For example, in our Planning Center, funeral directors and families can work together on the obituary and gather vitals and other details online. Collecting information before the family arrives means you can spend more of your time creating a meaningful service.

>>>>> Still need more convincing? Click here.

#4. Provide options to attend the service online

We’ve been talking about ways to use technology with families while trying to extend your reach, grow preneed, and plan the service. Technology use shouldn’t stop there. You’ll need options during the service that will help cater to even more friends and family who might not be able to attend a service in person.

During the service, you can exceed families' expectations with a high-quality livestreaming service. Families are more spread out than ever, and traveling to the funeral isn’t always possible. More than that, some consumers might be more comfortable watching a service rather than being there in person.

Remember the stat we mentioned in the beginning? Our study found that 42% of people are comfortable attending a funeral online. Just 10 years ago, this number was 19%. Considering there was a 121% increase in comfort, live-streaming funerals is here to stay.

>>>>> Need some tips on best practices for livestreaming? Look no further.

#5. Increase productivity and communication all around

To meet the communication expectations of families today, you need to be able to get that first call information, start a case from anywhere, and update details on the go, no matter where you are.

The best way to keep a competitive edge is to use technology that allows you to easily view all of your business insights, keep all your files in one convenient place, integrate with other business tools to reduce data entry, and provide communication tools to connect with your team.

The right software can help you connect with families and provide them with the answers they need when they need them. Look for software that is specifically web-based vs. installed on two or three computers at the funeral home. That just makes it easier to communicate with families from anywhere.

Stay ahead of the competition

Technology can improve your service to families, promote your brand, and help you stay ahead of competitors. Plus, not only is technology good for your service to families, but it can increase the value of our funeral home when succession planning.

Whether you try one of these solutions or all 5, taking one step towards change pays off.

Just remember, competition is no longer the funeral home down the road. It’s the online cremation provider; it’s the disruptors that you don’t even know about yet. And the key to succeeding in a rapidly changing marketplace?

Be willing to disrupt yourself first.

Want to see how Passare can help you stay competitive this year?

Request a demo with our team today!