Halloween is a holiday reminiscent of plastic pumpkin buckets of candy and scratchy costumes, haunted hayrides, and the anticipation of a night or two of mischief. Its popularity has added to the tradition “Trunk or Treat” celebrations, teal pumpkins for food allergies, and retailers displaying Halloween items as early as August. Even if you’re not an early bird business boosting the Halloween specials, consider a few ways to incorporate the holiday…. if you dare!
The National Retail Federation anticipates Halloween spending to surpass pre-pandemic levels, topping out at a record $12.2 Billion in the United States. Businesses with no ties to the holiday don’t have to be excluded from the fun by considering a few creative ways to work the spooky season into the regular cadence of marketing.
One simple way to incorporate Halloween (for any kind of business) is through customization. Using Halloween-themed templates for communications like email, newsletters, and social media posts highlights seasonal offers and themed specials. These specialized templates are a fantastic way to get the word out about limited-time promotions or to ramp up sales all the way up until Halloween. Combining timed emails alongside entertaining social content works hand in hand to increase interest and create urgency.
Changing a business landing page to include Halloween themes and colors can also capture new interest (and emails), in addition to promoting holiday-specific offers. If it’s not an option to change an existing web design, consider a splash page that will capture the Halloween spirit. These animations and graphics, while temporary, must work well for both desktop and mobile browsers.
The beauty of a unique holiday like Halloween is tht it allows for creativity and language that just won’t work with other holidays. Remind customers that these deals “disappear” and that these “scary savings” won’t last. Play to the strength of creative templates and use fun language and memorable word play.
Special Halloween promotions shouldn’t be limited to the creativity of businesses! Consider running a Halloween contest for customers, which can be successful for both brick-and-mortar or online retailers. The contests are only limited to imagination, with a variety of options for encouraging participation. Challenge customers with costume contests, use of purchased seasonal decor items, or simply sponsor a giveaway for those who submit an email for further communications.
Decorating store windows and changing up retail displays can create more festive ways to engage customers to celebrate Halloween, and for stores with a smaller budget, this can have a big impact. In-person events like costume contests, parties, and special nights of shopping will drive foot traffic and engage the community.
Don’t be afraid to think outside the box when exploring Halloween-themed promotions. Local events like 5k’s and charity auctions look to sponsors to support philanthropic efforts. Halloween-themed charity events are a fun way to give back to the community and enjoy the additional visibility of becoming a sponsor.
What is scarier than Halloween? Not closing the gap of profitability at the end of the year. Don’t miss out on marketing one of the quirkiest, most enduring American holidays fueled by sugar and terror. It’s a boo-tiful thing.
For more on how to construct a successful Halloween campaign, contact the expert ghosts and goblins at Junction Creative Solutions (Junction) at 678-686-1125 today.