Marketing is an interesting phenomena. . . and not all of us really realize how it works.

 

We had a presidential election in America last week and this article won’t be about the philosophies of the candidates, but it will be a little about the marketing of those candidates and creating a brand.

 

I thought of this when I read another great e-mail blast from my friends at LA Ads Marketing.  Their e-mail explained a little about the marketing of a president. . . and made me think a little bit.

 

I’ve always thought one of the best ways to get people to have my funeral home at the top of their mind for business was to “connect” with them somehow.  It’s one reason that I joined Kiwanis Club — I would connect with the other members over time. . . . it’s one reason why I always worked at the church supper  — I would connect with fellow members.  It’s why when servicing funerals I would visit with those people in attendance —  I wanted to connect with them.

 

It’s just the way it was in my small community  —  part of what I would describe as “retail” or “one-on-one” brand marketing with potential clientele. . . . . in a small community everybody is a potential customer and a local funeral director probably should never forget that when they are in public.

 

But, the funeral business is changing. . . especially if you are in a larger community.  One-on-one marketing is tough if you want to live a balanced life.  It’s now about “wholesale” marketing or branding of your funeral home.  That’s what brings me back to LA Ads Marketing and their email which pointed out “Whether it’s a message delivered through an inbox or in TV campaign, unique events or creating new touchpoints where customers can connect on their own terms, everything you put in front of a prospective customer needs to have that person see how your firm is a solution to their needs. It’s about having the audience WANTING to do business with you which means making the marketing about them…the audience. Not about your product or service.” 

 

And, showing a potential client that your firm can be a solution is important.  But, showing how you “connect” with them is also very important.

 

As LA Ads Marketing pointed out in their email, Donald Trump told us over and over again that he could be the “solution” to the issues voters faced.  That was important in his election.

 

However, probably more important was that he “connected” with his potential voters (clientele) by how he showed he knew of “their world” — as LA Ads Marketing pointed out “. . . .in about a 10 day time period from mid to late October, he “worked” at McDonalds, spoke with Joe Rogan, held an event at Madison Square Garden and then drove in his branded garbage truck. You tell me if all of this marketing continued to drive home his distinctive brand to those who still needed to vote.”

 

Whether you agree with Mr. Trump’s politics or not, he “connected” with the many voters by his use of a new wave of “wholesale connections”.

 

In many cases, you and your staff may be inside your funeral home wearing suits and ties every day as another world of work goes on outside of the building and all around your community.  The secret you have to figure out is how do you make “wholesale connections” with that group, who probably don’t wear suits and ties, and cement your brand as their top of mind brand moving forward?

 

In today’s world we hear lots of messages every day.  “One-on-one” and “retail” connecting is still great and works, but we don’t have the time to do it all the time.  That leaves the idea of “creativity” on a wholesale scale to help us in pulling potential clients over to our side rather than another death care establishment.

 

I challenge you to think about that moving forward. . . . What kind of marketing “connections”can set your funeral home brand as unique and as the desireable death care provider in your community?

 

Maybe that is where LA Ads Marketing can help.  Here is their website.

 

More news from the world of Death Care:

• AI technology is bringing the dead “back to life”.  News.co.au  (Australia)
• Pre-Paid funerals soar as costs rise.  InDaily Queensland (Australia)
• After two years Veterans Memorial completed at Antler Cemetery.  Minot Daily News (ND)

 

 

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