Have you ever noticed the enormous amounts of Halloween décor that hit the stores right after Labor Day? Why are there so many items to dress up your home and yard for the creepiest of holidays?
Simply answered…because they sell.
Getting into the Halloween spirit at your business can help you amass a following, have some fun, and bring in more revenue. Here are several ideas on how you can do that without spending a lot of money.
Dress Up Your Business
Add some spooky décor to your place of business. If the city allows you to, make it visible from the road and not just inside your organization. Keep your audience in mind and use something age and scare appropriate. For example, if you’re a pediatric dentist, keep the gore and fright factor down to a minimum.
Run a Social Media Costume Contest
Host a social media costume contest for people or pets. You can award various age groups or several types of costumes, like funniest or scariest. Ask people to upload pictures to your Facebook page and/or use your business hashtag. Prizes can be a gift card to your business or something you sell. You can even crowdsource the winners for greater engagement. Encourage entrants to tell their friends to vote for them.
Tie What You Do into the Mix
The best type of Halloween celebration is one that ties what you do into the marketing campaign. For instance, if you run a gym, allow people to bring in a designated amount of candy to get a free workout or time with a personal trainer. Or if you own a tea store, create an artisan drink mix that you call “Witch’s Brew” that’s only available in the month of October. Use your creativity to tie your business into Halloween.
Host a Trick or Treat with Neighbor Businesses
If you want physical traffic to your business, consider hosting a family-friendly Trick or Treat on your business block. It will bring people in and will make the kiddies happy. Give the kids some candy or some business swag and give mom or dad a nice discount to get them to spend while the kids are munching or doing a Halloween-themed activity.
No matter how you decide to celebrate Halloween in your business, know that these ideas all provide opportunities for reaching a larger audience through social media. Make sure you’re taking pictures and posting them to your social pages. If there are kids involved, it’s wise to get approval from parents before posting pictures (unless the kids are all hidden by masks).
A successful event or contest can give you enough content for the entire month of October. Don’t forget to share pictures of your own staff (or their pets) participating in some ghoulish activities.
Christina R. Green teaches small businesses, chambers, and associations how to connect through content. Her articles have appeared in the Midwest Society of Association Executives’ Magazine, NTEN.org, AssociationTech, and Socialfish. She is a regular blogger at Frankjkenny.com and the Event Manager Blog. She’s a bookish writer on a quest to bring great storytelling to organizations everywhere.
