Meet Paul Birkett
I built Independent Funeral Marketing because I saw a real problem: independent funeral homes were being failed by generic marketing agencies that had no idea how to speak to grieving families, or how the funeral profession actually works.
My background is unconventional, Formula One, Hollywood visual effects, then 15 years building digital marketing businesses. That breadth is exactly why IFM works. I bring serious creative and technical expertise to an industry that deserves it.
Founder & Consultant
Independent
Funeral Marketing
An Unconventional Road to Funeral Marketing
Before IFM, there was Formula One, Hollywood, and 15 years of SEO. Each chapter sharpened a different edge, and all of them matter to how I help funeral homes today.
1997–2003
Formula One Photographer
Travelled the world with Formula One Management, photographing the sport at the highest level. It taught him how to work under pressure, how elite organisations operate, and how to tell a story through imagery.
2003–2010
Oscar & BAFTA-Winning Visual Effects
Retrained as a VFX compositor and worked at The Moving Picture Company, Cinesite, and Double Negative on films including Harry Potter, Batman Begins, and Children of Men. His team won the Oscar and BAFTA for Best Visual Effects on The Golden Compass.
2010–Present
Blue Square Management & IFM
After building his own website with SEO and seeing results first-hand, Paul founded Blue Square Management to help businesses grow through digital marketing. After working with independent funeral directors and seeing how badly they were being served by generic agencies, he launched Independent Funeral Marketing.
"Independent funeral homes are the heart of their communities. They deserve marketing that reflects that, not generic PPC campaigns and copy-paste content written by someone who has never met a funeral director."
Paul Birkett, Founder, IFM
Why the Funeral Profession?
Working with an independent funeral director opened my eyes to how underserved this profession is when it comes to marketing. Here were dedicated, community-rooted businesses, some multi-generational, being sold cookie-cutter SEO packages by agencies who treated them the same as a plumber or a pizza restaurant.
The funeral profession demands a different kind of care. Families searching for a funeral home are in some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives. The way a funeral home appears online, the words it uses, the trust signals it carries, the speed at which it loads on a phone at 2am, all of it matters enormously.
IFM exists because independent funeral homes deserve a specialist, someone who understands both the marketing mechanics and the human reality of what they do every day.
15+
Years in digital marketing
Oscar
Best Visual Effects, The Golden Compass
7
Branch funeral group already on board
UK
Specialist, US expansion underway
What You Get When You Work With IFM
IFM is a one-person specialist practice, not an agency with layers of junior staff managing your account. When you work with IFM, you work with me, directly, every time.
- Every campaign is designed for the funeral profession, not adapted from something else
- All content is written with the sensitivity and dignity your families expect
- You will always speak directly with Paul, no account managers, no handoffs
- No lock-in contracts, results are how we earn your continued trust
IFM is built on the foundations of Blue Square Management, my digital marketing consultancy established in 2010. Blue Square has helped businesses across multiple industries grow their online presence, IFM applies that same proven expertise exclusively to the funeral profession.
Ready to Work With a Specialist Who Understands Your World?
Book a free 30-minute strategy call. No obligation, no sales pressure, just an honest conversation about your funeral home and what better marketing could do for it.