Brooke Shields eulogy for Michael Jackson

 Brooke Shields, longtime friend of Michael Jackson, delivers this emotional eulogy at his public memorial service on July 7, 2009. “smile though your heart is aching”

RTE's Way to Go - Death and the Irish

So last night (July 1st 2014) RTE (I believe in association with the Irish Hospice Foundation) showcased a documentary on death, dying, loss, grief and the Irish.

I was very excited to see this documentary, albeit a little frustrated that I didn't get interviewed or asked my opinion or to participate in any way shape of form. As someone who has been a point of contact for many of the papers and radio djs when it comes to the subject of death and considering how much of a spotlight I have put on the subject with my book, my blog, the press received and my approach to it on social media - I really think having a completely independent (of any supplier) young person give their take on preplanning would have added substantially to the documentary but then this is RTE we are talking about here.

As I have said time and time again, in Ireland, historically, we dealt with death quite well - in fact we are world renowned for our wakes but in the last couple of decades we seem to have lost this fantastic 'celebration of life' in favour of a more demure and sad 'mourning of a death'.

The Irish Hospice Foundation do fantastic work and when I needed some questions answered at the time of my book (Say Farewell, Your Way) writing, they obliged. I (very clearly) have an avid interest in Funerals and Funeral Planning and I had hoped this documentary would start a conversation on twitter, on facebook, online in general and around the dinner table. I think it will start SOME conversations for sure and if it does that, then it has succeeded. But what I saw (and I could be wrong) was merely people like me and the IHF and people who worked for the IHF and in the death industry talking online. This was, for me, sad to see. It shows that we still have a way to go to get the Irish talking openly about death, dying and loss.

My other 'grip' as such with the show was the TYPICAL Irish media personas that appeared throughout and even the fact that Norah Casey presented it. Now I liked Norah on the Dragons Den (so much so I approached her outside it with the original Funeral Planning idea) but with most Irish Celebrities her 'brand' has been diluted so much that she doesn't necessarily bring anything to a show anymore. I know this might sound harsh because I understand why she was involved in the show and from that point, interviewing her ON the show would have been imperative but for her to present the show did not make sense to me. Then there was the scattering of Irish celebrities throughout.....personally I enjoyed the real-life 'nobody' stories alot better. That lady Noreen was fantastic - more airtime for her please.

All in all I am delighted the show presented this topic to the public in such a way and at a vital air time (although the world cup games may have filtered a little). We NEED to talk about death openly, honestly and more often. It WILL happen to all of us at some stage and so lets put into place as much of a plan as we possibly can to make that easier on us and our loved ones. I really hope to see more shows like this in the future.

Donating a body to Science

I was watching the Billy Connolly UTV/ITV show - Billy Connolly's 'Big Send off'.

And in the second episode he investigated the whole concept of donating ones body to science for research, exploration, medical development and education. I have to say before I saw this episode I was with Billy in that I "didn't want anyone looking at my wobbly bits" when I wasn't there to defend them. But what was interesting and mind blowing for me was the sincere thanks and appreciation that the deceased received from those who had 'used' their bodies. A little thank you note to someone who can't read it might seem a little silly but I was genuinely moved by this and I thought if I was able to see this Thank You note and it belonged to someone I knew who had donated their body, I would be moved once again by how much that person meant to me and still does in death.

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.

ecoLegacy - the unveiling

Last March I was invited to the unveiling of brand new technology - ecoLegacy. In case you didn't read my book (shame on you) or have never heard my chatter on ecoLegacy - briefly it is a form of body disposition set to rival burial and cremation. It is similar to cremation but without the fire. 

So last March when I was invited to 'test run' this new technology, I jumped at the chance. We would get to see this new 'non flame cremation' in action. That we did - Already deceased (very important) animal remains were reduced to a non toxic inert ash without any flame in this ecoLator - an accelerated natural disposition unit. Pretty impressive. Below are a couple of exclusive insider pictures of the event. More info and interviews coming soon.

Some of the ecoLegacy Team, investors and visitors

 Kirsten doing a demo with some of the crew

 

 Hip and knee parts that will be recyclable with the new technology.

 The mastermind new unit is unveiled!

 The machinery on view then (in March 2014) will be far from what will exist in Funeral Homes when the units roll out next year. They will decrease in size. The units are still in development stage. The product's physical appearance will develop over the coming months to a much sleeker and visually stimulating model. The ecoLegacy team are as much into the 'look' of this baby as to the operational abilities and how they market the product will be key for its success.

 The remains - if it's cremains from cremation - is it ecolains for ecoLated remains??

CEO and founder of ecoLegacy Tony Ennis and I at the ICCFA in LasVegas in April.

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.

Graham Chapman and John Cleese

Graham Chapman's Memorial Service
John Cleese doing a hilarious and apt eulogy