Product: The First P of Your Deathcare Marketing Mix

Last week on this blog, we introduced the concept of marketing mix and the 4 Ps of marketing. This week we’re digging into the first P, which is product.

What Is Product in a Marketing Mix?

Product is, perhaps, the simplest of the 4 Ps of marketing. It refers to whatever you’re selling, whether that’s services, goods, or intangibles.

Some common products for deathcare firms might include:

• At-need services, including cremation, funeral, memorial, or burial services
• Preplanning services, which can include consultations and guidance, preplanning packages, burial plots, and other optional add-ons
• Physical goods, such as urns, caskets, guest books, and grave markers or headstones

Defining your product in detail ensures you can create marketing campaigns full of rich features, benefits, and facts. Some things you should know about your product before you create a marketing strategy include:

• Its exact nature. It’s not enough to know you provide preplanning services. You must know that you provide preplanning options for cremation or that your product is a package that lets people preplan their entire funeral and memorial service in detail.
• Features and benefits. What is included in your services or products? How do those things solve specific problems or meet specific needs for potential clientele?
• Who is the target audience? Who wants or needs this service? The target audience for budget cremation services is likely different from the target audience for luxury preplanning services.
• Unique value proposition. What makes this product different from others or unique from what the competition offers?

Many deathcare firms offer multiple products. Make sure to define each one as you create marketing strategies for them.

Check back next week to learn more about the next P in the marketing mix concept.