Developing a Marketing Plan

Embarking on the process of preparing a marketing plan guides you in developing successful marketing strategies and tactics that are appropriate for your community. A marketing plan also enables you to assess your marketplace and provides a benchmark for measurement. Your marketing plan can include both at-need and preneed objectives and tactics.

The first step in developing a working marketing plan is to determine your firm’s specific objectives as it relates to marketing communications. Do you want to increase market share, build brand in the community, generate preneed leads, generate new business, etc.? It can be one or a combination of these objectives.

Second, you need to determine what services and/or products you are promoting – cremation services, traditional funeral (wake and burial) services, preneed, online memorials, planning guides, aftercare, etc.

Third, determine your target audiences. This should include age, gender, race, education, salary, geographic proximity, etc. It is critical to know the particular details of your local/regional market - what works for a funeral firm in Dallas, Texas might not work for a firm in Dayton, Ohio.

Fourth, evaluate the answers to these questions and determine which marketing strategies/tactics will be most effective and cost efficient at helping you reach your goals – promoting the funeral home’s brand, promoting the funeral home’s services and products and reaching target audiences.

Following are marketing strategies/tactics that a firm should consider as part of its overall marketing mix.

• Use qualitative and quantitative research to establish benchmarks regarding awareness, opinions, attitudes, behavioral predispositions, etc. of your target audiences.
• Use direct marketing on a regular basis, including mailers, postcards, brochures and/or newsletters.
• Utilize the internet. Both an internet presence (your website and links on other sites) and internet marketing (banner advertising, email marketing, discussion boards, e-newsletters) are effective and efficient tools for reaching and communicating with target audiences.
• Use publicity to build your firm’s brand in the community – announce company news, product introductions, community seminars, etc. It is also an effective tool for positioning the funeral home’s spokesperson as a local industry expert.
• Host and participate in community events to target a larger audience and provide a service to the community, while generating leads for your funeral home or preneed program. Involve other professionals (lawyer and/or accountant) in your seminars to reach an even broader audience.
  
  Use advertising, print and/or broadcast (television and radio), to maintain awareness of your brand in the marketplace.
• Establish an affinity and/or work-site marketing program to reach a broader audience.
• Implement or expand a preneed and/or aftercare program to continue building brand in the community.

It will also be critical to track the results of your efforts and assess the effectiveness against benchmarks. Do not invest time and money into tactics that do not provide measurable, favorable results.

Share your marketing plan development tips or success stories at the Preneedville Coffee Shop.