The ghoulish holiday is not limited to costumes, candy and the odd decoration; the obsession with Halloween extends to many retail segments, including everything from toys to food to pet supplies. So whether or not your business has products that are directly related to Halloween, here are 5 ideas to get your business and customers “in the spirit”:
1) Get the Caldron Boiling with a Contest
At its core, Halloween is about dressing up in your favorite costume and showing off. The exhibitionist nature of the holiday lends itself nicely to a contest, and with a mobile device in every hand, your customers could snap a photo or shoot a quick video for a chance to win some cool prizes. This user-generated content builds excitement among customers, generates online traffic and provides you with great content to share.
For example, a pet supply retailer might hold a pet costume contest. Entrants photograph a costumed dog, cat or other furry creature and submits the picture for a chance to win a year’s supply of pet toys and treats. The retailer would then promote the contest on their website, Facebook page, Twitter and potentially have their followers vote for the winner.
2) The Black Magic of Bundling
Bundling products together is a great way to sell items during the Halloween shopping season and attract curious site visitors. As an example, a specialty food supplier might offer Vampire Survival Kits that include a selection of pastas and garlic-rich sauces shipped with wooden bowls and stake-shaped utensils or an outdoor equipment merchant selling a Werewolf Hunting Kits, including red-lens flashlights, neck gaiters, and crossbows.
Start by reviewing your product line to see what items would make an interesting themed bundle, then go create some buzz on your social media channels, infuse into your online advertising campaigns and promote via email.
3) Give Your Customers a Treat
Find a low-cost product that's small and easy to ship with every Halloween order -- such as pumpkin carving kits or a simple face painting kit. These incitements will push reluctant customers to make purchases, and will help regular customers feel like they’re getting something special.
If your company doesn’t normally offer any Halloween-related products, these freebies will lend more credibility to your holiday-themed marketing.
4) Online Deals to Scream About
Give the recommendations above some added legs by injecting them into your online advertising campaigns. Promote the bundles, leverage the pictures that your customers submitted and generate additional traffic to your contest. All of this will increase interaction with your products and your brand in a fun, engaging way.
Then give them something to scream about by giving them an offer they cannot pass up like “Buy One, Get One Free” promotion or a “Save 30% On One Item” or “Free Shipping”. Do not forget to create a Halloween themed code ("BOO2014") for tracking and ROI analysis and to promote via your social channels and online advertising campaigns.
5) Scare Up Some Local Business
Halloween is a holiday that brings communities together. Just look at trick or treating – what other holiday has kids knocking on neighbors’ doors asking for candy? This means it’s a great opportunity to promote your brand in the community. Host a creative pumpkin competition and invite customers to bring in their carved pumpkins into your store to display or keep your doors open on Halloween night and offer a special treat for the neighborhood kids and their parents.
We hope these ideas will keep you from being a marketing zombie and get your customers, employees and you into the Spooktacular swing of things!
Have more ideas to share? Please post them or tweet them to us @withNTENT, so we can keep the conversation flowing.
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