Remember the days when every family you served:

• Wanted a traditional, religious funeral

• Understood the importance of grieving

• Attended church regularly

And had a high respect for funeral directors?

You might think these consumers are few and far between, but they still exist!

Enter the Faith & Family funeral consumer segment.

They’re 1 of the 7 consumer types* we identified in our study with McKee Wallwork + Co. To better connect with this consumer segment, you need to understand their preferences and expectations around funerals. (But if we’re being honest, they’re an easy group to connect with! 😅)

Here’s everything you need to know about them.

_{*Each consumer segment has a different approach to funerals, comfort levels, and behaviors. We created profiles on each of these and are giving tips to connect with our changing families. Find a brief overview of all 7 types here or check out our first three consumer deep dives: Resolute Rookies, Great Expectations, Distanced & Decided, or Free Spirits.}

Faith & Family at a glance:

Most likely to want a religious funeral.

This segment stands out for being the most religious group, the most family-oriented, and the most likely to value funeral traditions. In fact, over half want their own funeral to have religious elements present. They’re likely to live near family and keep in touch with parents and siblings. According to the data, 84% of this group knows a funeral home or mortuary they trust.

Faith & Family basic profile: 

• 72% have attended college or more

• Lowest income of all the segments at $62,900

• The highest concentration of Christians at 72%

• 4 of 5 attend religious services and 85% believe in a higher power

• Describe themselves as handy and organized

Faith & Family funeral preferences:

Faith & Family hold funeral homes and funeral directors in high regard. They think attending a funeral is similar to attending a church service, so tradition and religious components are important to them. They prefer an in-ground burial with a casket purchased from a funeral home and say it’s important to have a physical place to visit the deceased. Also, they’re more likely than other segments to prearrange their funerals.

• 80% agree it’s important to have a place to visit the deceased in years to come

• 56% would prearrange or pre-pay for a funeral

• 67% agree it’s important to have a pastor, priest, rabbi, or other spiritual leader officiate a funeral

• 86% think funeral homes are noble

• 75% say a funeral home would be the place they’d purchase a casket (rather than online)

How to serve the Faith & Family consumer

To best connect with the Faith & Family consumers, use transparent technology and diversify your marketing efforts. 👇

#1. Track everything

75% of Faith & Family consumers would rather do something themselves than have someone else do it for them. But they can’t exactly do much to physically prepare their loved one for a funeral.

That’s where barcode tracking comes in!

With barcode tracking, families get full transparency of their loved one’s location at all times, from the time they enter the embalming room to their location before a service.

And you get peace of mind knowing your chain of custody is taken care of.

Learn more about the benefits of barcode tracking in this guide >>>

#2. Help them preplan

Over 56% of Faith & Family consumers mentioned they would preplan their funeral but haven’t done it due to a lack of time or finances. They need guidance and appreciate a funeral director’s expertise.

With an online preplanning tool (like Arrangement Guide), families can start the planning process online. They can finalize and pay for their plans online or set an appointment with you to finish it up.

The best part is the price transparency. They can view your goods and services and pick and choose what makes sense for their final wishes. Though they may not have time to come to the funeral home to preplan, they can get started online to truly plan the funeral they want.

#3. Diversify your marketing

Faith & Family consumers like to keep up with the goings-on in their communities, which means you have a unique opportunity to reach them in a variety of ways through your marketing efforts.

91% use social media, so having an active online presence makes perfect sense. Keep your social media pages active and educational for potential Faith & Family readers.

74% read the newspaper, so newspaper advertisements or church bulletins are still a great idea. Just be sure to throw in other types of online marketing efforts to reach the other consumer types!

46% watch local news daily, which means video advertisements or commercials might be seen by Faith & Family consumers. You can use video to showcase your funeral home’s story and share family testimonials.

Get more ideas to connect with families here >>>

To these consumers, you're family

Overall, Faith & Family value their religious beliefs and relationships with family. They also have a positive association with funeral homes. When they were asked to choose 3 emotions they associate with funeral homes, they were 10% less likely than average to choose negative words and 15% more likely than average to choose positive words, including joy. Maybe it’s because they see churches and funeral homes as religious, healing places.

For more information about Faith & Family and the other consumer types, please download our New Funeral Consumer eBook.

Passare can help you connect with consumers of all types! Request a demo and find out