Funeral Homes and TikTok: A Guide to the Opportunities and Pitfalls

For months, the fate of TikTok has been in limbo, as questions have swirled around whether it can continue operating in the United States.

In case you haven’t been following the news, many have expressed concern that TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, could be forced by the Chinese government to hand over sensitive American user data or even spread propaganda via the app itself.

As a result, if you’re a funeral home owner or even an individual who has heard about the platform but never used it, you’ve probably put the entire idea of creating a TikTok account by the wayside.

But not so fast.

Apparently, there’s a pending deal to transfer TikTok’s U.S. operations to a majority American ownership group, with Oracle overseeing the app’s algorithm.  It’s increasingly looking as though TikTok’s U.S. operations will be overseen by a joint venture with mostly American investors.

With all this said, according to ChatGPT, only about 1 in 400 funeral homes currently have a TikTok channel, which may suggest that your time is better spent elsewhere.

However, we all know that you shouldn’t do something simply because competitors are doing it. I’d argue the corollary is also true: You shouldn’t toss an idea in the garbage simply because not many other funeral homes have a TikTok presence. In fact, that might be one of the very reasons to create an account.

Let’s drill into some of the other reasons a funeral home might want to establish a TikTok account.

Why a Funeral Home Might Benefit from TikTok

In addition to establishing your funeral home as innovative and different, creating a company page on TikTok could help you:

• Reach younger audiences: TikTok skews younger (Gen Z, Millennials). If you’re trying to build awareness of preneed services, those are two groups you want to reach before they face immediate at-need situations.
• Humanize your brand: Funeral homes that post authentic, behind-the-scenes content (introducing staff, showing how you prepare services, answering questions about grief and traditions) often generate strong engagement.
• Thought leadership: TikTok is becoming a place where professionals share educational content. Positioning your firm as approachable and knowledgeable can differentiate you.
• Viral potential: TikTok can catapult a small account into high visibility with just one well-crafted video.
  

Risks and Challenges

So, am I saying to scoff at the naysayers and create a TikTok account tomorrow?

Not at all.

My personal recommendation would be to focus on making your company Facebook page robust – and then consider other social networks such as LinkedIn, where you can forge valuable connections with the professional community, which can be critical when it comes to making referrals or recommending solid job candidates.

But once you’ve established your funeral home and yourself on those networks, consider others, such as Instagram, X, Bluesky and – yes – even TikTok.

Before dipping your toe into the TikTok water, however, it’s important to be aware of some of the challenges, which include:

• Tone sensitivity: Death is emotional. If content comes across as flippant or “trendy,” it could backfire badly. Funeral homes need to strike a careful balance between being approachable and being respectful.
• Consistency: TikTok requires regular posting to stay visible. Sporadic or half-hearted use won’t produce results.
• Local versus national audience: TikTok is not hyper-local. You may attract followers from across the country, but at-need services are local. That makes TikTok stronger for brand awareness and preneed positioning, not immediate lead generation.
• Staff time: Creating video content takes more creativity and effort than posting static images on Facebook or Instagram.
  

Best Practices If You Do Invest

Setting up and running a TikTok account is no small matter, so be sure to consider if you can devote the necessary time to doing it.

If you make the plunge, try to have fun while ensuring you make no major gaffes that will impact your brand to the downside. One thing is certain: I promise you will learn new things along the way – and you’ll likely be able to apply some of what you what you learn to other areas of your business.

I’d also recommend:

1. Lean into education:  For instance, a short video might start with, “Here are three things that people don’t realize about planning a funeral in advance.”
2. Tell stories: Without breaching confidentiality, share narratives about traditions, community impact, or the “why” behind what you do.
3. Use a consistent spokesperson: A funeral director or staff member with a warm, approachable personality can become the “face” of your page. For instance, at Ring Ring Marketing, in addition to myself, we often lean on our social media director, Savannah Evanoff, who is brilliant! (Seriously, if you don’t follow her on LinkedIn, you need to do so now.)
4. Think evergreen + seasonal: Balance timeless content (like FAQs) with topical content (holidays, awareness months, cultural practices).
5. Drive them home: Use captions/links to funnel viewers back to your website, Facebook page, or in-person seminars where actual conversions happen.
   

Bottom line:

One of the great things about TikTok is that it is not saturated with funeral homes — so the opportunity to stand out is real.

If your firm has the bandwidth to create tasteful and educational video content, it could pay off in brand awareness and preneed leads, even if the direct local at-need ROI is harder to measure.

If you don’t have that bandwidth, you’re better off doubling down on Facebook to extend your local reach as well as other social networks like YouTube and LinkedIn before focusing on TikTok.

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.

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