Pre-need planning: What you need to know
by Vicki Barlow
• Published 26/04/2024
In the funeral industry and its associated sectors, from charities and life insurance to florists, probate specialists and retirement homes, understanding the importance of pre-need planning is paramount. It provides peace of mind for individuals and their families and offers a strategic advantage for businesses and charities within the funeral, charitable, and death-care sectors. This blog, brought to you by Reach on our dedicated platform, funeral-notices.co.uk, delves into why pre-need planning is crucial, how to effectively target potential customers, and why Funeral Notices stands out as the perfect platform for engaging with this audience.
Pre-need planning refers to arranging and paying for funeral and end-of-life services before they are needed. This proactive approach has several benefits:
1. Emotional relief: It alleviates significant emotional stress from loved ones during grief, as major decisions have already been made.
2. Financial control: By locking in current prices for services, individuals can avoid future price increases due to inflation or changes in market conditions. Families are also reassured that everything is taken care of in advance, allowing them to focus solely on their grief.
3. Personalisation: It allows individuals to ensure their final wishes are respected and celebrated according to their preferences.
For organisations operating in this sector, encouraging pre-need planning not only helps to build and maintain customer relationships, it also helps maintain a steady business model with a more predictable income. For charities, this means encouraging people to choose their charity for in-memory donations and gifts in wills. Legal firms, florists and other businesses within the sector will want to invite people to use their services as part of their plans.
It can be difficult to find the right environment to advertise your services, and of course, any such marketing should be done sensitively, so how do you target those people who are starting to think about making plans for the future?
Understanding your audience is key to effective marketing in the pre-need sector. Here are some ideas to help:
1. Educational content: Provide valuable information that helps demystify end-of-life planning. Blogs, webinars, and free guides on topics like estate planning, the benefits of pre-need arrangements, and grief counselling can position your organisation as a trusted resource.
2. Community engagement: Participate in community events and host seminars that focus on the importance of early planning. This face-to-face interaction can build trust and awareness.
3. Answer questions: Utilise SEO strategies to improve your visibility when potential customers are seeking information about funeral planning. Tailored ads and social media campaigns can also reach a broader audience. This also links to the educational content you create - try to answer questions you are commonly asked or expect people to ask to ensure your content is picked up by search engines as well as being valuable to your target audience.
Funeral Notices is an ideal platform for reaching individuals who are already thinking about or dealing with end-of-life matters. Here’s why partnering with us can benefit your organisation:
1. Targeted audience: We are trusted to host over 5 million funeral notices and have helped the bereaved collect more than £5 million for charities and good causes. Our users are actively browsing and interacting with funeral notices, making them more receptive to messaging about pre-need planning.
2. High engagement: With over 23 million page views per month*, our platform ensures high visibility for your services among those who are most likely to be contemplating their own or their loved ones' end-of-life arrangements. Our audience engages with our content too, with the equivalent of one tribute, photo, virtual candle or donation added to notices every minute of every day.
3. Sensitive and relevant: Funeral Notices is a valuable tool for the bereaved, helping them to honour the memory of their loved ones and return to pay tribute and share memories and condolences when and wherever they choose. Aligning your organisation with a trusted brand such as ours allows you to be there for people when they need you the most, fostering a sense of trust and ensuring your messages are delivered in the right context, remain relevant and with sensitivity.
Pre-need planning is not just about selling a service; it's about providing a meaningful solution that eases the burden during one of life's most challenging times. For businesses and charities in the funeral industry and its associated sectors, understanding how to approach this sensitive topic with empathy and expertise is crucial.
We believe in empowering our partners to reach their audience effectively during these pivotal moments. By choosing us as your platform, you leverage an environment where thoughtful engagement converts into meaningful action.
To talk to us about how we can help you connect with your audience through compassionate and targeted marketing strategies, please complete the short form below and an industry expert will be in touch. Together we can help you be there for people when they need you the most.
*Source GA 01/01-31/03/2024
