Content Marketing: The Co-op Funeral Home, End of life planning campaign
Goals: Expand outreach to younger audiences.
What I did: Create a campaign that aligns with audience interest and information the company can offer.
Outcome: Recommend metrics to evaluate success.
Company overview
The Co-op Funeral Home wanted to raise awareness of audiences by offering content to educate people about the end of life planning. They believe the end of life is part of life plans like marriage or having kids.
Interview with the company
Opportunity: The virus situation makes people start thinking about life and death.
Perspective: They don’t want to be seen as capitalize on the COVID situation.
Business Goals
Expand outreach to younger audiences
Increase membership by 1,000 people/year
Increase leads/contacts for services by 15%
Audiences
Planners - A planner is a young person who does not yet need to act on end-of-life decision-making. The majority is 30 - 45 years of age. (My focus for the campaign)
Potential Members - The potential member is someone currently making end-of-life decisions and looking for options, then booking services.
Advisors - Advisors are gatekeepers working with families as trusted and influential messengers. They can be counselors, estate lawyers, financial planners, or advocates.
Audience Interviews
I conducted 3 interviews with people who match the planner profile.
Meet Chris
Chris’s profile is based on composite interviews of people that fit the profile of the Planner.
Opportunity
Audiences’ interest topics could expose them to the content the company wants to offer.
Their interest in financial and legal advice also matched well with the resources/network the company has - relationship with advisors. I use these opportunities to develop the strategy.
The Strategy
Using what I learned about the audience, I came up with the strategy to map what we can offer to what Chris is interested in.
The red dots content will act as a gateway for Chris to expose to what we offer and to change Chris’s perspective on planning (blue dots) that planning is a complicated process, death can be a burden to your family emotionally and financially, and there are ways to think and to talk about death positively. Eventually, it would lead to what we want Chris to do which is start planning.
The campaign
Introducing topics
I came up with topics that help planners change their perspective by reaching them with their interests and then leading them to the area we want to show them.
I recommended putting out 4 topics in live video, and audio stories
Younger people tend to listen to podcasts, audiobooks while doing other stuff than sitting down and read long articles.
These topics are also complicated or emotional which is easier to connect to audiences in a conversational setting.
Facing death without preparing
What is it about?
This is a story shared by a family who went through the experience without planning. The guest will share their emotions, conflicts they had to face, and what they learned.
Why?
A true story is authentic and persuasive. It is more effective in building trust, connections, and community. The audience relates to the story as something that could happen to them or their family.
2. Know your rights: Legal considerations around the end of life + Q&A session
What is it about?
Inviting an attorney to talk about a person's rights and laws related to when someone passed away. Their experience helping people who didn't plan vs. someone who planned. Allow calls, comments in the section for people who have any questions and want to ask the expert.
Why?
Point out the advantages of planning.
Spark curiosity to other content like how to write a will.
Develop community and relationship between audience and co-op.
Convince them to start planning.
Develop a stronger relationship with advisors - in this case, the attorney.
3. Debts and inheritance, where would it go after I die? + Q&A session
What is it about?
Invite an attorney to talk about how credit cards, auto loans, mortgages, and inheritance. would go to if one passes away? how planning could affect that flow. Attorney shares some case studies. Allow calls, comments in the section for people who have any questions and want to ask the expert.
Why?
Point out the advantages of planning.
Spark curiosity to other topics like death positive and family conflict.
Develop community and relationship between audience and co-op.
Convince them to start planning.
Develop a stronger relationship with advisors - in this case, the attorney.
4. How to talk about death with your family (death positive)
What is it about?
Talk about different ways to think and talk about the end of life. Shed light on different perspectives toward death and suggest ways to bring it up to your family.
Why?
Makes people more comfortable with thinking and talking about death. Once they are comfortable they can go into the process of planning for the end of life.
I recommend putting 6 topics in the form of text and image-based stories as they are shorter, easier to digest and create.
1. Handling conflicts in your family after a death
What is it about?
A story about possible conflicts that could arise in the family if a member passes away. Tell audiences how planning could prevent that.
Why?
Point out the disadvantages of not planning to convince more audience to take action on planning
2. Make an environmental change by choosing these ways to handle remains
What is it about?
A story about non-traditional ways for handling remains; what it is; how they do it; pros and cons; cost; how to plan it.
Why?
Educate audiences on choices for handling remains. Allows them to know what they might want to look for when they are planning
3. Complications in arranging an end of life event
What is it about?
Talk about an end to end steps for arranging end of life event. Explain what the family has to go through (compile information for the obituary, choose a funeral home, select a casket or cremation container, select a grave marker and inscriptions, identify a location for internment, choose a florist and desired flower arrangements, pick photos to be displayed at the service, etc). Tell how plan ahead can help simplify the steps and help their family during a hard time.
Why?
Makes the audiences realize the trouble a family have to got through arranging the end of life event and convince them to start planning
4. Be smart: Planning for death could save $X,XXX for your family
What is it about?
Cost difference one has to pay between no planning and planning for the end of life.
Why?
Point out the advantages of planning on cost-benefit. How it could save the family money. Convince them to start planning.
5. Selecting a Responsible Estate Administrator
What is it about?
Talk about the quality that an estate administrator should have. for example, an individual who is responsible and in a good mental state to make decisions. Why a family should or shouldn't handle that job.
Why?
Strengthen the image of the company as being a resource for end of life planning among planner
6. Steps toward planning for the end of life
Once Chris has been exposed to the contents that we talked about eventually he would start planning. And that’s when this topic comes in handy.
Why Checklist and infographic?
Audiences can follow easily without missing any step
Measuring success
I recommend using these metrics to measure the business outcome of “Expand outreach to younger audiences” and “Increase leads/contacts for services”
Number of listens, views
Number of likes, comments, and shares on social media
Increase in the number of followers and subscribers
Number of people who join live events and call on Q&A sessions
Number of people who download checklists and infographics files
Number of calls, emails, and messages
Further recommendations
After the company invested time and effort to raise awareness among younger audiences using the strategy I proposed, I recommended considering ways to encourage their loyalty to the Co-op brand. The loyal fans would advocate for the brand - write good reviews, collaborate with us to make content, recommend our content and services to their friends and family, or even donate. Below is the audience journey map of how could an audience of the strategy above could become a brand advocate.
My takeaways
Understanding audience perspective and interests are crucial to developing the strategy.
A good comprehension of the nature of the company and the business is fundamental for curating opportunities that match audiences’ needs.
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