We hear some voices in the funeral business that are all hot and heavy about digital marketing being the only way to get the message out. It’s Facebook or nothing, goes the rant.
OK, I’m a big Facebook user. I also spend a lot of time on Instagram. And I honestly love these platforms as a means of making connections, building relationships and measuring likes, clicks and comments. But I’m also 64 years old so I watch TV, listen to the radio, read the paper (occasionally), read magazines (all the time), and can’t avoid billboards and bus benches since I’m in LA where everybody drives and gets stuck in traffic.
Let’s start with the obvious. To funeral home operators, the most significant age group, the prime cut of pre-need buyers, is still 55 and older. The Baby Boomers! And as big on technology as we are, we still consume a much wider range of media than just digital. Our kids live on their phones, but we gray-hairs haven’t entirely given up on all the media we grew up with.
Recently, we held an event for a cemetery client and marketed it through Facebook, emails, newspaper, radio, outdoor banners and public relations (TV, radio and newspapers primarily). The turnout was great, but when we asked attendees how they found out about the event, we were surprised to hear how many of them named the local newspaper as the main source of information about the event.
I’m not advocating newspapers! I’m not advocating billboards or radio! Or Facebook! I’m advocating the recognition that smart marketers must not fixate on any one media form. Especially where connecting with an older audience is important.
(And isn’t it interesting, by the way, that even online businesses such as Match.com, AHomeForMom.com, Expedia and even Amazon and Google use offline media to augment their marketing and help promote their brands? Why is that, do you think?)
LA ads vice president, Rolf Gutknecht, frequently uses the term “Media Agnostic” to describe our philosophy. In every case, with every client, we have to look at the total media picture – digital, social, traditional and guerrilla – and decide each time what are the most potent ways to push out the message based on the target audience, the timeline, the budget and the kind of response needed.
There is no silver bullet when it comes to media, especially in the funeral biz. And if you don’t believe me, why not take a survey of the next 10 pre-need customers you talk to. What do they read or click on or watch or listen to? If you’d like a quick media survey questionnaire you can use, contact me and I’ll send it to you.
To be agnostic is to continually ask, to challenge, to seek and be skeptical of any one truth.
I sincerely hope, at least in your marketing journey, you are a seeker instead of a follower.
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Dan Katz is president, creative director of LA ads. To discuss your thoughts with Dan on this blog or any marketing matters, email via this link, or visit www.LAadsMarketing.com. You can also connect with Dan on LinkedIn. See agency work via this link.
Funeral Marketing for the Perplexed 