Products associated with death and remembrance, such as Columbarium units, can be challenging to market in China. Open advertising is often restricted, and many consumers consider such promotions taboo or inauspicious.
However, as professionals in this industry, we cannot use these challenges as an excuse to avoid promotion. How else can we fulfill our responsibilities effectively?

With the diversification of media and information channels, both businesses and individuals must not only broaden their outreach but also focus on building a strong personal or corporate brand—often referred to as becoming a “self-branded celebrity.”
This concept is similar to live-stream e-commerce: establishing trust is essential before closing a sale.

So, how can one build a credible personal or corporate brand for products like Columbarium spaces, which have low repurchase rates and are inherently difficult to promote?

Here is a five-step strategy:

• Lead Generation

• Retention

• Trust Building

• Conversion

• Referral (Viral Growth)

Let’s break down what each step entails and how to implement it.

1. Lead Generation

This involves attracting potential customers through various channels. Think of it as fishing: the core of catching fish lies in how appealing the bait is.

If you are promoting Columbarium design products, what kind of “bait” can you offer? How will you design your lead-generation product to make users interested?

2. Retention

Once you’ve attracted leads, how will you keep them engaged? Retention is about maintaining communication through platforms like phone, WeChat, official accounts, or CRM systems.

To build a stronger personal brand, we recommend using an official account paired with a corporate or personal WeChat account. The official account is ideal for content distribution and awareness campaigns, while the personal account helps nurture trust and handle sales and after-sales services.

3. Trust Building

Acquiring a new customer is six times more costly than gaining a referral from an existing one. Referrals are not only cheaper but also lead to higher conversion rates.

The key to both attracting new customers and earning referrals is trust.

So, once you’ve drawn a large audience, how do you build trust?

Before the internet era, we relied on phone calls, text messages, or face-to-face visits. Today, we have more options: voice and video calls, dynamic Moments on WeChat, and other interactive formats.

To establish trust, focus on being: useful, interesting, and genuine.

4. Conversion

Conversion is the final step in the marketing process. Everything that comes before is preparation. This stage tests the salesperson’s ability to manage the process and handle details.

Many deals stall because customer concerns aren’t properly addressed. To accelerate conversion, quickly identify and resolve hesitations, and don’t shy away from making commitments.

What methods can you use to close a deal? What pitfalls should you avoid? These are questions worth reflecting on.

5. Referral (Viral Growth)

Referral, or viral growth, is the process of having existing customers promote your product through word-of-mouth.

But why would customers refer you?
In its early days, Xiaomi used ultra-low prices to accumulate a base of loyal fans. Their strategy relied on fan-driven viral growth.

The core of viral growth is reputation. When user experience exceeds expectations, word-of-mouth spread follows naturally.

This sums up the entire process of building a personal or corporate IP in this industry. Each step can be expanded into more detailed strategies—I’ll share those in future updates.

Author: Sales Manager: Mr. Luo
Company: HuaHeng Columbarium Factory, Jiangxi, China