Funeral Directors - cremation/burial or something else??

A recent survey carried out by U.K. Company YouGov (a self-proclaimed community of 4 million contributors around the world) of 1,546 adults showed that 58% of those asked would currently opt for cremation, in comparison to 17% who preferred the idea of burial. Of those in favour of cremation, 79% wanted their ashes to be scattered. In response to the results, YouGov said there was a “strong shift in preference towards cremation as people get older”. While 42% of 18-24 year olds wish to be cremated, this figure rises to 71% among the over-65s. Have you found this in your Funeral Home?

That’s nearly 6 out of 10 people with cremation as their preferred final journey when their day is done. Perhaps more interestingly, 25% (which is still more than burial) opted for something else or were unsure, which means we still have a role in educating the market to help people with their choices and decisions OR that there needs to be more options available.
Currently, the most common ways to dispose of a body in Ireland are burial and cremation (earth versus fire), however there are constant developments in technology and new methods will be introduced in the coming years. These include Resomation (where bodies are dissolved into an alkaline hydrolysis liquid), Promession (a process which freeze-dries bodies in nitrogen) and Irish company ecoLation (who use freezing pressure and heat which results in an inert powder where all toxins and chemicals are neutralized).

Burying someone and erecting a headstone or having a grave marker can provide a family with peace as they have somewhere physical to visit to feel close to the deceased. This is one of the reasons a lot of people opt for burial instead of cremation. However there is also the environmental factor to be considered, as has been seen in Ireland with the increase in demand for green burials, a trend which has not been missed by the new technology companies mentioned above.

A new video has been doing the rounds online showcasing Promession, which got me excited that this new technology might be ready to market. However, with further research you can see that the video is in fact 6 years old and nothing seems to have moved forward for them in terms of bringing the product to market. Resomation is available in parts of the USA but that is it, or at least that was all the information I could find on it. ecoLation seem to have come on leaps and bounds since I last covered them in my book ('Say Farewell Your Way') and they have units rolling out in at least 4 different countries in 2017 which is great news for Funeral Directors, their clientele, and Ireland as a country to have such innovation coming from its shores. So the question is the 25% - will they choose either of these 3 options as they become available?

Something Beautiful Remains

Something Beautiful Remains

by Martha Vashti Pearson

 The tide recedes, but leaves behind

Bright seashells on the sand.

The sun goes down but gentle warmth

Still lingers on the land.

The music stops and yet it lingers on

In sweet refrain.

For every joy that passes

Something beautiful remains.

Why should you use Blogging/Social Media for your funeral home? P2

Credibility and reputation

Position yourself as a thought leader. Most people arrive at a funeral home during an time-of-need service and so they may not know the wealth of services that you provide. A blog and social media can help to showcase this without selling AT them or being too pompous. Become someone they can turn to and ask questions when the time is right.

Drive Sales

Statistics show that companies with business blogs will generate on average 80% more sales leads. Use your blog to educate people on how to personalize their service which could ultimately leads to more ‘add on’ sales for your home.

70% of people use blogs as information sources when making buying decisions.

Customer testimonials have the highest effectiveness rating for all types of content marketing, with a rating of 89% so lets get some testimonials from your customers onto your blog and Facebook page.

It can also help you to understand your market

We can do polls, ask questions on social media, get feedback and generally begin to understand your market more. It’s about opening a two-way conversation with the people you serve every day.

Why should you use Blogging/Social Media for your funeral home? P1

The online world is fast and crazy and without the right approach, or the right tools it can easily become a serious problem and bad PR for your funeral home.

If a Facebook page is created incorrectly, or created and not maintained then this actually creates a negative impact upon your reputation online.  The same applies to a blog or Twitter or any social media accounts. These sites should not be started, if they cannot be maintained and equally there is no point to them if they are not generating the right conversation amongst your target market or on a higher level, if they are not generating leads. 

Boost SEO

Statistics show that businesses who blog and use social media will increase website traffic by up to 60%. The more people on your website the more awareness your community will have of the services and products you sell and the resources you can offer.

One of the biggest benefits of blogging is getting your website to rank better for relevant keywords on search engines. And your Funeral Home’s Facebook page should be seen as another website for your business. It will often rank as high if not higher on Search Engines because of Facebook’s Domain. Look at your Facebook page as an interactive website that encourages a two-way conversation with your target market.

Show you are human

Most people have a negative view of a funeral home – the idea of the grim reaper, dark, dim, stuffy rooms and often ‘ambulance chasers’.

Blogging can help you dispel the myths and show people your funeral home’s heart. What better way to get ahead of the competition than showing people you genuinely care about them? Would you buy from a friend or a stranger? People buy from people they know and trust and blogging and social media help the public to see a funeral home as a group of people with the aim of helping and caring for the community when a death occurs.

The Community

You are at the heart of your community. Yes, you want your community to automatically think of you when it’s time to create a funeral service but to do that you need to build awareness of your funeral home, your expertise and gain their trust. Showcase this on your blog. Become the go-to website for their questions. Link up with the community on events and help support their events by promoting them on your blog and social media. Give testimonials, reviews and recommendations. Show your love of your community and that message will spread.

The Disney Files - Tim Burton

Timothy Walter "Tim" Burton (born August 25, 1958) 

American film director, film producer, writer, artist and animator. He is famous for his dark, gothic, macabre and quirky take on horror and fantasy style movies such as

• Beetlejuice 
• Edward Scissorhands
• The Nightmare Before Christmas
• Ed Wood
• Sleepy Hollow 
• Corpse Bride
• Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
• Dark Shadows
• Frankenweenie 
• Pee-wee's Big Adventure
• Batman, its first sequel Batman Returns
• Planet of the Apes 
• Remakes - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Alice in Wonderland
• Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

Burton is known for using recurring collaborators on his works; among them are Johnny Depp, musician Danny Elfman, who has composed scores for all but five of the films Burton has directed and/or produced; and actress/partner Helena Bonham Carter. Also Danny DeVito, Jeffrey Jones, Michael Keaton, Christopher Lee, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michelle Pfeiffer, Alan Rickman, Christopher Walken.

He also wrote and illustrated the poetry book The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories, published in 1997, and a compilation of his drawings, sketches and other artwork, entitled The Art of Tim Burton, was released in 2009.

Burton has directed 16 films and produced 12, as of 2012.


Burton's successful short film 'Stalk of the Celery Monster' attracted the attention of Walt Disney Productions' animation studio, who offered a young Burton apprenticeship at their studio where he worked as an animator, storyboard artist and concept artist on films such as The Fox and the Hound, The Black Cauldron and Tron.

'Stalk of the Celery Monster'

While at Disney in 1982, Burton made his first short 'Vincent' a six-minute black-and-white stop motion film. The film was produced by Rick Heinrichs, a guy Burton had befriended while working at Disney.

Burton's next live-action short was a black and white movie called Frankenweenie which was released in 1984 and a little dark by Disney standards - it tells the story of a young boy who tries to revive his dog after it is run over by a car.  After this film was completed, Disney fired Burton, claiming he spent the company's resources on a film that would be too scary for children to watch.

Before I Die - Dublin's Bucket List

Zach Sobiech

Zach Sobiech, aged just 14, found out he had a rare form of terminal cancer (Osteosarcoma). 

Life tried to beat him down but he lived it anyway - the way and for as long as he could.

He passed away - May 20, 2013. Watch his beautiful story.

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The Elephant in the Room

June Rogers took to the stand as a Christmas tree!

We had our stand at the Over 50's Show at the weekend and it was a great success! We have loads of pictures but these were our favorites.

A nun adds her piece to the board

The Elephants in the Room were:

Liam Keane
Liam Keane and Partners

Joanne Smith
Secure Financial

Jennifer Muldowney (me!)
Farewell funeral planners







Joanne Smith of Secure Financials, Jennifer Muldowney of Farewell Funeral Planners and Liam Keane of Liam Keane and Partners Solicitors joined forces as ‘The Elephant in the Room’ for Ireland's only dedicated event for older people - the Over 50's Show. The aim was to get those attending the 2012 show talking about the elephant in the room, which in this case refers to end of life planning.

The Before I die wall

Exclusive to the show this year The Elephant in the Room stand included a global interactive art project called ‘Before I Die’ where people shared their hopes and dreams for the future.

For more info see www.elephantintheroom.ie

Joanne and Liam - Elephants!