Welton Hong
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By Welton Hong, founder and CEO of Ring Ring Marketing
There are a lot of ways for a cemetery to market itself today, and the best strategy is rarely going to be built around a single channel.
I still believe strongly in direct mail. It remains an effective way to put a cemetery’s message directly in front of people in the communities it serves. But I also recognize that direct mail doesn’t produce the same return it once did, and one of the biggest challenges cemetery operators face today is figuring out exactly what happened after a piece of mail landed in someone’s mailbox.
That’s where the internet has changed the game.
Someone can receive your direct-mail piece, see an offer, and never respond to it directly. Instead, they might pick up their phone, search for your cemetery on Google, visit your website and eventually contact you. You may have generated that lead, but the digital trail makes it much harder to attribute the result to the mailer.
The same thing can happen with Facebook advertising. Someone might see your ad, not click on it, and then Google your cemetery later.
That doesn’t mean you should abandon direct mail because you can’t track every lead back to a specific piece. It means we have to think differently about attribution—and, more importantly, think about how online and offline marketing can work together.
So where does Facebook fit?
Reaching People Before They Need You
One of the biggest opportunities with Facebook advertising is reaching people who aren’t yet actively looking for cemetery services.
Facebook gives you an opportunity to reach people earlier on that journey.
Your prospective customer may not be thinking about purchasing cemetery property. They may not have considered permanent placement for cremated remains. They may not know what options your cemetery offers. They may not even realize that they have a question that needs to be answered.
Your job is to move them along the awareness journey—from unaware, to problem-aware, to solution-aware, and ultimately to someone who is willing to have a conversation with your cemetery.
That is a much harder marketing assignment than simply capturing somebody who is already searching Google.
It is also where Facebook can serve a dual purpose.
Yes, you want to generate preneed leads. But you’re also putting your cemetery’s name and message in front of people in your local community. That brand awareness is critical because someone who has never heard of your cemetery is unlikely to become a customer simply because you gave them a compelling offer.
Before you can get someone to contact you, they need to know who you are.
Think Beyond “Social Media”
When I talk about social media marketing, I generally think about four different activities.
The first is social listening—paying attention to what people are saying, responding to comments and participating in conversations.
The second is social influencing. That’s the consistent publishing and advertising that puts your message in front of people.
The third is social networking—following and engaging with other organizations, businesses and people in your community.
The fourth is social selling, which is where those activities ultimately can contribute to generating business.
For cemeteries, Facebook advertising fits particularly well into that second category, but it can support all four.
The key is understanding that you aren’t simply buying an advertisement. You’re using Facebook to interrupt someone’s normal online activity with a message that is relevant enough to make them stop and pay attention.
Interruption-Based Advertising
I call this interruption-based advertising because you’re reaching people before they need you.
They’re not necessarily searching for a cemetery. They’re scrolling through Facebook, looking at family updates, watching videos or consuming other content when your message appears.
That makes the design of your advertisement and the offer extremely important.
You need to give them a reason to stop.
One example is an advertisement promoting an educational opportunity around scattering days or permanent placement options, perhaps featuring an offer such as a free ossuary. The immediate objective isn’t necessarily to close a cemetery sale through the ad.
The objective is to get people onto the cemetery property.
That’s an important distinction.
An offer can educate people about the value of permanently placing cremated remains while simultaneously giving them a reason to visit the cemetery. Once they’re on the property, you’ve created an opportunity for a much deeper conversation.
Facebook can also be useful for promoting events. If your cemetery is hosting an educational seminar, remembrance event or other program where you’re asking people to RSVP, Facebook advertising can function much like a traditional direct-mail campaign.
But don’t make the mistake of assuming an online RSVP is the same thing as a confirmed prospect.
You still need to follow up. You still need to call people and confirm that they’re coming. And that conversation itself can provide another opportunity to learn about their needs.
Facebook’s Lead Forms Make the Process Easier
One of the biggest changes in Facebook advertising is how easy it has become to capture a lead without sending someone away from Facebook.
Years ago, if you wanted someone to respond to an advertisement, you typically had to send them to a landing page. That meant getting a web developer involved, building the page, making sure the tracking worked and hoping the person didn’t abandon the process along the way.
Today, Facebook’s native lead forms can make that process considerably simpler.
Someone clicks the call to action, and a form appears within Facebook. Much of the basic information—including their name, email address and phone number—can be prefilled.
You can also add additional questions to qualify the person.
And you should.
There’s a tradeoff between friction and lead quality. If you make the form incredibly easy, you’ll probably get more submissions—but not necessarily better prospects. Adding a few qualifying questions creates some friction, but that friction can help separate people who are genuinely interested from people who simply clicked because the offer caught their attention.
At the same time, don’t turn the form into an interrogation.
I generally wouldn’t recommend going beyond about seven fields. At some point, you’re creating so much friction that people simply stop filling it out.
Targeting Has Changed
Cemetery marketers also need to understand that Facebook’s targeting capabilities aren’t what they used to be.
Before COVID, advertisers could target audiences based on characteristics such as religion and race. That created some very specific opportunities—for example, allowing a Catholic cemetery to reach Catholic audiences.
Facebook has removed much of that targeting capability.
But geographic targeting remains extremely valuable for cemeteries because your market is inherently local. You can target people in the geographic area you serve, along with factors such as age and sex.
There are also some more specialized targeting options that remain available. Veterans are one example.
If your cemetery has a veterans section, offers veterans-related benefits or wants to promote a veterans-focused event, the ability to reach veterans in your local community can be particularly useful. Because that audience is more narrowly defined, these campaigns can generate significant engagement.
Don’t Stop at the Lead
Generating a Facebook lead is only the beginning.
This is particularly important when you’re advertising a guide, educational resource or other piece of content.
A person who downloads a guide isn’t necessarily ready to buy cemetery property. Remember, we’re often reaching people who weren’t actively looking for a cemetery solution in the first place.
That means you need a nurturing sequence.
If someone provides their contact information to receive a guide, you should have a plan for what happens next. The follow-up might include educational emails, additional resources, invitations to events or other relevant information that gradually moves the person toward a conversation.
The ad gets the person into your database. The nurturing process helps determine whether that person eventually becomes a meaningful opportunity.
Without that follow-up, you’re leaving a lot of the value of Facebook advertising on the table.
The Bigger Picture
Facebook advertising isn’t a replacement for direct mail. I wouldn’t recommend shifting your entire marketing budget online simply because digital leads are easier to track.
In fact, that’s the wrong way to think about attribution.
Your direct-mail piece might create awareness. Your Facebook ad might reinforce the same message. Someone might subsequently search your cemetery on Google, visit your website, attend an event and eventually call.
Which channel gets credit for that customer?
The honest answer may be all of them.
Marketing works best when the channels reinforce one another.
For cemeteries, Facebook gives you a particularly powerful opportunity to introduce your brand to people before they have an immediate need, educate them about the options available to them and create a path toward a preneed conversation.
That’s the real opportunity.
Don’t think of Facebook as simply another place to put an advertisement. Think of it as one part of a larger journey that moves someone from not knowing your cemetery exists to knowing who you are, understanding what you offer and eventually being willing to talk with you.
The cemetery that can connect those dots—offline and online—will have a much better chance of turning marketing exposure into actual preneed conversations.
Welton Hong is the founder & CEO of Ring Ring Marketing, which has helped over 600 small businesses grow their revenue through online marketing strategies. He is also the author of “Making Your Phone Ring with Internet Marketing for Funeral Homes.” Visit ringringmarketing.com and follow the company on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and X.