April 2021

Page A6 APRIL 2021 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS Se c t i on A www. vischerfuneralsupplies.com By Welton Hong Most likely, your funeral home or cemetery is already present on at least one social media channel. If I had to guess, I’d say it was Facebook (and I’d set my odds pretty high of being correct). You might also be on an- other major site, such as Instagram. Even with some rough patches in 2019 and 2020, Facebook remains the biggest social media platform in America based on number of users. Plus, it’s the most popular platform for middle-aged and older adults, the demographic you obviously want to reach. Instagram comes in second based on user numbers, and a growing number of adults age 35 and up are joining this channel. That makes it a good choice for funeral homes that can manage two social media pag- es. But what about the other options? Are you missing out on social media marketing opportunities because you’re ignoring platforms such as Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok, Pinterest, or Tumblr? Twitter If I asked an average American adult to name three social media channels, they’d probably say “Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.” Twitter comes in third behind the other two when it comes to user numbers, and its user demographics are relatively spread out across age groups from 18 to 64. The challenge in marketing on Twitter is the fast- paced environment. Short posts of 280 characters or less inundate most people’s Twitter feeds, sometimes dozens or even hundreds per minute. That can make it hard for businesses to connect with people on the plat- form. It’s not that Twitter is impossible to market on. You just have to be persistent, consistent, and sometimes clever to make it work for your firm. Snapchat More than 200 million people log on and use Snapchat daily, with active users opening the app an average of 30 times a day. That’s a lot of opportunity for engagement and micro- moment marketing (that’s when you connect with poten- tial clientele in those stolen moments when they look at their phones). The downside of Snapchat for funeral home marketing is that the bulk of the userbase is under the age of 34. There might be some benefit to growing audiences early, and certainly some younger people do make deathcare decisions. But most deathcare firms aren’t going to find their main target audience here. TikTok A relatively new contender, TikTok reports around 100 million users in the United States. Around 62 percent of those users are under the age of 29, which means this social site has the same drawbacks as Snapchat when it comes to demographics. However, the users on TikTok are highly engaged, spending an average of 40 minutes a day or more on the platform. It’s easy to make TikTok videos, which only re- quire a smartphone. And you can use the video you make on TikTok to add video content to other marketing chan- nels, including Facebook, Instagram, or even your blog. Pinterest Pinterest is an image-sharing platform. Users make boards and “pin” images (and related links) to them. The idea is that Pinterest acts as a virtual corkboard, and as you travel around the internet, you can collect things of interest by pinning them to these boards. Deathcare firms can create their own boards, pinning things of interest for their audience, including blog posts, landing pages for downloads, or images of products. The bulk of Pinterest users—about 70 percent—are female. While the majority of users are under age 40, the median age of users is 40. That means there’s a de- cent number of middle-aged and older users. Pinterest is fairly easy to manage, which might make it something deathcare firms can do here and there without a big commitment. You may also be able to get some boost from Pinterest traffic without having a profile and boards for your business. Simply create in- fographics and other images that would entice people to pin them on their own boards. Tumblr Tumblr is a personal blogging site that makes it easy for people to post their thoughts, writing, and art. The majority of Tumblr users are under the age of 35. While Tumblr might be a way for deathcare firms to reach younger audiences, it’s not really known for be- ing a strong marketing channel outside of unique cas- es. The Bottom Line on “Other” Social Media Sites Ultimately, what works well for your funeral home depends on your business needs, brand, and where your target audience is. Most deathcare firms should have a presence on Face- book in 2021, but if you have the resources to add one or two other channels while maintaining quality, you might want to test some of these other options. Just don’t be afraid to move on if the channel ends up do- ing nothing for you. Welton Hong is the founder of Ring Ring Marketing ® and a leading expert in creating case generation from online to the phone line. He is the author of Making Your Phone Ring with Internet Marketing for Funeral Homes . For more information, visit www.FuneralHomeProfits.com. FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS www.nomispublications.com Monthly Columns online at Marketing on “Alternative” Social Media Sites Powerhouse Marketing with Welton Where do we go? Nobody knows. provides people of all ages with a captivating story that takes readers on an adventure where their imagination can soar into the un- known in a positive way. It is an excellent book to share with those who are grieving. Graphic Designer Katie Tekulve Announces Release of Children’s Book on Grief and The Fear of the Unknown LAWRENCEVILLE,IN— Katie Tekulve has re- leased a new book that will help ease the pain and grief of all those that have lost a loved one, but espe- cially children. Where Do We Go? Nobody Knows. is unique in that it not only sends a comforting mes- sage but also can foster a conversation between an adult and a child about what happens after the death of a loved one. It accomplishes this through the use of incredible, thought-provoking illustrations and rhyming text. “I know that the grief of a loved one is hard for anyone to come to terms with but especially hard for children who want to know where that loved one is now. That’s where I got the inspiration for my book,” commented Tekulve. “I believe most people perspective on mythological, religious, and alterna- tive beliefs about the afterlife come to life on the pag- es of this book. “I always loved author Shel Silverstein when I was a kid and knew I wanted to have the text rhyme. I wanted each section to flow into the next both ver- bally and through the art. This is why I chose to use birds as the subject that flies through each afterlife,” stated Tekulve. “I wanted to end with a good message that was about acceptance and tolerance for all views while each of us chooses for ourselves.” Katie Tekulve is a talented and innovative graph- ic designer with 18 years’ experience who makes her home in southeast Indiana. She specializes in print design, web design, illustration, and brand- fear death because it’s the fear of the unknown. I wanted to find a way to turn that unknown into an adventure - that there can be wonderment of what comes next instead of fear.” The book makes an ex- cellent keepsake gift. Flowers die and cards are misplaced, but this is a memorial gift that will be long-lasting and passed on to others. And the illustrations are truly enchanting works of art that bring the story of a unique and captivating adventure about hope, spirituality, and the pos- sibilities of what comes next. The views of an- cient times and modern theories in this poetic and thought-provoking ing. More important- ly, she’s a mother who wrote Where do we go? Nobody knows. to teach her son to keep an open mind to everyone’s views and choose what fits for him when he was ready. The 32-page book is available from Ama- zon in paperback, hard- cover as well as on Kin- dle at https://amzn. to/2O2ERrG. Funer- al homes may find it a perfect gift to provide to young children who have lost their parents as well as a great addition to the funeral home’s grief lending library. Where do we go? No- body knows. is not just a mind-opening book for all ages, but a work of art.