Three Funeral Home Email Marketing Tactics Your Firm Should Try

Email marketing is powerful. It’s the preferred way for many people to hear from a business, and given that 99 percent of Americans check their email daily, you have a solid chance at connecting with them.

Email marketing also demonstrates robust ROI. Even at the median, returns are about 122 percent of spend, and in many cases they’re much higher.

Deathcare firms can certainly benefit from this type of marketing as long as they understand their audience and the needs of their clientele. Here are three funeral home email marketing tactics to try:

1. Long-Term Engagement Emails
You might not have considered an email newsletter for previous and potential clientele, but the right type of engagement emails can help people think of you at their time of need. An engagement email can also drive preneed sales. Check out these tips for long-term newsletters, which you can send out once a month or quarter to your subscriber list.

• Don’t send without permission. Use a sign-up widget on your website or include a sign-up option in funeral home paperwork. Never send emails to people at random—that’s spam, and in some cases, it’s illegal.
• Include engaging stories and information. Highlight your staff, include facts about the history of your firm, or link to local events. Consider including inspirational life stories from clientele (with permission). These types of emails aren’t hard sales pushes; they’re more like a conversation that builds a lasting relationship.
• Include a call to action. But don’t be afraid to mention your services tactfully and link to them. Try choosing one service or product for each email newsletter.

2. Informational Drip Campaigns
These types of funeral home email marketing tactics often work best related to preneed sales.

Set up a form on your site that lets people enter an email to receive information about preplanning final arrangements. Then create a set of three to five emails that “drip” to their inbox over the course of a few weeks. Each email should provide a small bit of information and encourage them to contact you for an appointment.

3. Compassionate Follow-Ups and Review Requests
This type of email focuses on review marketing rather than selling to the inbox recipient. Consider creating a procedure that ensures each family receives a compassionate thank you email a week or two after a funeral service. In the email, let the family know how much reviews mean to your deathcare firm and provide a link to Google reviews should they be willing to leave one.