Targeting Green Consumers for Pre-Need
We’ve been talking about targeting green consumers for pre-need for green burials for years. I just read about a new concept that is transforming the concept of green burial.
Better Place Forests is combining a redesigned entire end-of-life experience with a unique pre-need plan target. Green Consumers, people who are environmentally conscious, are solid prospects for this new death care industry model.
The concept is creating a forest. As a pre-need plan, they are offering people the opportunity to select (or plant) a tree in the forest. Consequently, by targeting green consumers for pre-need, Better Place can reach out to potential customers.
According to Sandy Gibson, the chief executive of Better Place, customers can claim a tree for perpetuity. The cost starts at $3,000 for those who want to be mixed into the earth at the base of a small young tree. A person who wants to reside forever by an old redwood could pay upward of $30,000. There is also an entry-level price of $970 to enter the soil of a community tree. This may be a great option for people who don’t mind spending eternity with others.Take this a bit further and this might become a family tree. BTW – Cremation is not included in these prices.
A steward then installs a small round plaque in the earth like a gravestone.
When the ashes come, the team at Better Place digs a three-foot by two-foot trench at the roots of the tree. The person’s cremated remains are mixed with soil and water so bacteria breaks down the remains.
Because the forest is not a cemetery, rules are much looser. For example, pets are allowed. Pet lovers can have their ashes to be mixed with their pets’ ashes.
This Pre-Need Plan Targets Green Consumers
We can create a list of best prospects for this kind of pre-need by using our very comprehensive database. First, we would select our typical pre-need prospect. Next, we would overlay with the GreenAware criteria. Third, we would select the top eco-friendly tier only, which are the Behavioral Greens. Behavioral Greens are known to be environmentally conscious. They buy eco-friendly products, drive electric cars, and install solar panels in their homes.
Using this unique programming, death care marketers can target green consumers who are great prospects for pre-need.
You can read more about Better Place Forests in this NY Times article: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/12/style/forest-burial-death.html
