The Story of Death Goes Digital
The Story of Death Goes Digital
It was 2015. A time of tweeting, sharing, and streaming to entertain, engage, and sell everything. By then, I’d been involved in starting an online TV and radio station. Even blogging at a simple level myself as The Artful Speaker. I discovered a curious anomaly: many funeral directors, those given the role and privilege of organising the last farewells of our loved ones, seemed absent from the digital world.
‘Why don’t funeral directors use social media and the internet?’
This was a persistent question I couldn’t understand.
This mystery set me on a journey through the heart of long held traditions. I started on a quest to find out why often funeral directors didn’t see the need for a digital presence for their business. That quest gave me the opportunity to write a book and launch a website. Also, the opportunity to chat with people across the world through a podcast.
Launching Memorable Words Eulogy Writing Services marked a pivotal moment in my career. I worked as a busy local funeral celebrant. The next step was to offer my skills to families across the world, writing eulogies for their loved ones.
But the nagging question, as well as my curious entrepreneurial spirit, wanted to see what opportunities were available to develop. It was a mystery to me. Most funeral directors I was working with saw little need or reason to be visible on the internet. Some didn’t even have a website at all. Why? It seemed something was missing.
Curious about the reasons I embarked on my quest to find answers, and this lead to the inception of Death Goes Digital.
The Digital Landscape for Funeral Directors in 2015
In 2015, I was surprised to learn funeral directors communicated with local crematoriums still via fax machines. Despite the availability of xcellent CRMs, client accounts and funeral arrangements remained paper systems. It made little sense to me. So I started on a quest to find out why. I also pondered whether a business opportunity lay amid the mystery.
Rooted in tradition, the funeral marketplace in the UK saw little change over decades. The growth of a secular society ushered in the decline in religious services. Burials were less, and cremation services held by celebrants, rather than ministers of religion, were growing.
What changed little in decades was the way families chose and contacted a funeral director to arrange a family funeral.
In many towns, independent funeral directors often had generations-old family histories. That badge of honour often being how unchanging the business methods were. Families used the same funeral directors for generations. Why look for others online? ‘We don’t need to advertise online,’ was often what I would hear when asking the funeral director the question nagging at me.
National companies such as Dignity and Coop Funeralcare were strong in the marketplace. However, early adopters of online funeral directors were experiencing growth. 2015 was the year when Pure Cremation entered the marketplace. Challenging funeral industry traditions, proving that culture around funerals was ready for an alternative option. That has certainly proved true. Direct cremation makes up 20% of all funerals, a figure set to rise.
My Personal Quest - Death Goes Digital Begins in 2015
I seized the opportunity and purchased the domain www.deathgoesdigital.com. I built the first website. I added blogs and then launched a podcast.
Here was an idea of the time - yes, you have a Facebook page, but what happens to all those cat videos, Christmas party snaps and photos of meals you’ve posted when you are not around anymore? There were many heartbreaking stories I found. Some of password locked laptops holding a lifetime of memories in jpeg files unable to be accessed again. Others of lost bank accounts and investments.
I wrote and published Death Goes Digital: How Funeral Directors Can Use LinkedIn To Demonstrate Professionalism, Build Reputation and Create Visibility.
I would meet with the owners of funeral businesses at regional funeral directors association meetings. I even gave the President of one of them a signed copy of my book. But most times, funeral business owners were skeptical of the need. Why change something that has been working for decades?
My book received some fantastic reviews on Amazon:
Peter has written a great book with relevant and engaging content! A book with advice not only for funeral directors. But for others wanting to gain an insight into social media and how it can build a business! Peter has a wealth of experience and this shines through each chapter, a great read!
Since I’m not in the funeral industry, I thought this book wouldn’t have much to offer me directly. I was wrong! I found it enormously insightful and helpful. A couple of highlights for me were:The author has a thorough understanding of the funeral industry and seems genuinely interested in addressing the unique needs of folks in that market. But his suggestions are relevant to anyone building a business. He gives great advice about how to use LinkedIn (and social media in general) to build an online presence that draws customers directly to you. Overall, excellent book; I highly recommend it.
How Can I Grow The Brand and Business?
Between 2015 and 2020, I focused on blogging and, podcasting to grow the brand.
Launching Death Goes Digital aimed to unlock speaking opportunities. I had been a recognised public speaker and public speaking coach for many years at conferences around the world. It worked. I spoke at the Digital Legacy Association Conference in London, Sussex University, the University of Chichester, and Legacy Foresight, a fundraising advisory organisation to the charity sector. Even there, I received encouraging reviews of speeches.
Peter is a wonderful and inspiring speaker. I had the pleasure of inviting him to talk at a workshop recently and the audience was enthralled. Peter really knows how to connect with people and is always at the forefront of trends. He is also a pleasure to work with. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend him. (Sue Pedley)
In 2016, The Good Funeral Awards even nominated Death Goes Digital for the "Oscars" of the funeral industry.
Starting out with excitement, I soon learned that even with clear critical needs, solutions might not always motivate action.
Your Digital Legacy - Does It Really Matter?
So What Happened Then?
While the issues of digital legacy, online funeral directors and alternative funeral service options were growing, I couldn’t gain enough visitors to the website, speaking engagements or consulting work to make any money from the project. So I stopped adding content to the blog and the podcast.
Was that my mistake?
Persisting into a void is challenging. Continuing to believe you have a message when nobody else seems to. Eulogy speech writing services and celebrant work continued to grow and tens of 5 Star reviews posted by families who were so grateful for the words I had written about their loved ones.
Then COVID Arrived!
The onset of COVID-19 was a pivotal moment for Death Goes Digital. Overnight, it forced funeral directors online. They had no choice. Amid the chaos of those early days, some flourished, and some barely survived. I remember hearing how quickly there was a need to transition online.
Those who had been building a presence digitally were ahead of the game already. It caused the rest of the funeral industry to adapt to communicating with families by Zoom, and organising ‘Online Funeral Services.’
I too had to adapt. I created several products to meet the unprecedented challenges the pandemic created for celebrants and families facing funerals during that time. Online memorials, zoom funerals and virtual eulogies.
I resumed writing blogs and podcasting, pondering if the ideas time had come? I launched The Art of Memorialising Newsletter and podcast to share the growth of all these ideas.
Another eighteen months’ work and still no traction. Those transitions to an online marketplace for funerals receded a little as the waves of the pandemic subsided. But many remain. A new awareness and acceptance for families to use online planning for funerals is here, and that is not going away. Nor will direct cremation. That has become the biggest threat to traditional funerals.
Navigating all the intricacies of digital legacy has brought me to a crossroads, prompting a period of introspection and decision-making about the path forward. For many reasons, among them, the cost of maintaining an online presence without little return, as well as finding new subjects that capture my interest more. There is, after all, only so much time. There are other books I have written and want to write.
The decision - it’s time to call time on Death Goes Digital for me.
The subject is fascinating. Perhaps now it’s coming into its time? I track news via Google Alerts. There are more and more each day. Everyone who has ever used a website, joined a social media platform, opened an online account of any description and has a digital legacy. Tying up loose ends after someone dies creates unending problems for the bereaved. The problem is only going to get bigger for most people. But taking action is another thing.
Have you thought about what will happen to your digital footprint after you pass away? In a world where our online lives are as rich as our physical ones, it begs the question: How prepared are you for your digital afterlife?
The Financial Times reports nearly half of UK adults don’t have a will. Writing a will acknowledges you are going to die and people don’t like to do that. Many don’t believe they have anything to leave, assume descendants will automatically inherit, can’t afford to write a will, or believe they have plenty of time to deal with those issues when they are older. In speaking with will writers, it seems some are still not including the steps necessary yet to plan for a digital legacy. Why, I can’t understand as it is as critical as writing a will. I can understand why it’s not very interesting, however important it may be, to talk about protecting your digital estate.
However, the time will come, but not for me.
What About The Future?
There is one area within the marketplace I will continue to observe, write about, and look for opportunities. This is the growing market for creating our digital immortality. Maybe this is more interesting? Rather than creating plans and decisions for after you have died, what about taking steps that enable you to live forever? Albeit digitally? ABBA, KISS and Elvis can be avatars, we can see perform in a show. Why not you and I choose the same option to live forever in a digital format? It’s not the realm of science fiction anymore. It’s here now and Bruce Willis thinks it’s a great idea to become an AI actor. Why not us? Imagine a future where your digital self continues to interact within a virtual world. What stories would you want it to tell? What memories would you want it to preserve?
The idea of creating digital twins is both creepy and captivating. The Art of Memorialising Newsletter is where I will continue to write and curate information about the subject.
But the questions remain and become more important the longer we use the internet. What legacy do we leave behind in the digital ether, and who will curate or delete it? How would you want your digital presence to be remembered and celebrated?
So What’s The Conclusion of The Story?
I’m proud of the body of work. The book might not reach great heights of literary achievements, yet I learned so much in writing that first book. The conversations on the podcast were a wonderful way to meet people who found the subject as fascinating as I did. Some of those guests have continued to study and write on the subject, creating ongoing academic research, which is remarkable in its discoveries and observations.
Thank you to everyone who supported me in this project over the years, from the guests on the podcast, to comments and emails. I’m grateful to have met many fascinating people. Thank you.
I am going to concentrate on Memorable Words eulogy speech writing service, funeral celebrancy, and ghostwriting memoirs.
It’s one of the most comprehensive workbook on eulogy writing. On launch, it gained several top ten rankings on Amazon and wonderful reviews.
Reading through Peter’s work, you get the sense that he’s not just an expert in the field but someone who genuinely understands the emotional rollercoaster that comes with loss. And he translates that understanding into straightforward guidance that anyone can follow. Practical tips, easily digestible advice, and real-world examples that will help you honour your loved one’s life in the best way possible.
Along with recording the audio version of the book; I have plans to create a series of planners and guides to support my eulogy speech writing. I’m working on some fiction for the first time. As well as developing memoir ghostwriting. Something I’ve been working on for a while, but now is the time to expand.
As I write, ‘The End’ to this chapter of Death Goes Digital, I’m aware despite I didn’t achieve some goals I hoped around generating income, the awareness it raised about our digital afterlives remains. We all have a digital afterlife. Either we, or our loved ones, will have to organise it. Pause for a moment and reflect: What legacy will your digital footsteps leave on the internet? It’s worth taking some time to reflect on that question.
FOR SALE - Death Goes Digital Domain
The domain deathgoesdigital.com is for sale. If you are interested in purchasing the domain, please contact me on info@peterbillingham.com