5 Fun Halloween Marketing Ideas for Your Small Business Ready for some scary-good inspiration? Think about 'Halloween-izing' your products ahead of the holiday.
By Syed Balkhi Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
The spookiest time of year will soon be upon us, and consumers will soon be getting into the Halloween spirit. So, if your small business isn't celebrating this festive holiday, you're missing out on a huge opportunity to connect with customers.
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Halloween is a great time for you to get more shoppers to your door or website, by implementing some hauntingly effective marketing ideas. In fact, according to the National Retail Federation, over 35 percent of consumers perform online searches to find Halloween inspiration for costumes, decorating and entertaining; so the holiday is the perfect chance to be discovered by swarms of potential customers.
But if you're worried your business can't stand up to the big-box stores that spend millions on their Halloween marketing, don't worry. This is the perfect time of year to try out some creative and unique marketing ideas that will work for your small business and get people excited to shop with you.
Ready for some scary-good inspiration? Here are five fun Halloween marketing ideas for your small business.
Halloween-ize your products.
If your small business doesn't sell any Halloween-themed products, you might be scratching your head trying to figure out how to get a boost in revenue this holiday season. But even if your business isn't spooky in the slightest, you can still Halloween-ize your products or position items in a festive way to bring in those trick-or-treat loving shoppers. For instance, if you own a restaurant, offer up themed specialty desserts or drinks; for retail clothing, display some Halloween costume ideas based on your items.
As an example, Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken advertises Halloween-inspired mini doughnuts, featuring flavors like pumpkin pie and candied apple to get its customers in the spirit.
Image credit: Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken Halloween-ized products
Be sure to let customers know about your new Halloween offerings by posting photos on social media that will tempt and convince them to stop by your store before All Hallows' Eve comes to an end.
Host an online trick-or-treating promotion.
Boost user engagement and conversions by hosting an online trick-or-treating promotion. By holding a fun, gamified online promotion, you can invite shoppers to participate in your Halloween festivities from the comfort of their own homes; and you'll make shopping on your website an entertaining and rewarding experience.
Related: 10 Chains Scaring Up Business With Free Food & Other Halloween Deals
New York jeweler Kendra Scott does this well by offering customers the chance to search its website for hidden pumpkins that reveal store discounts.
Image credit: MyEmma Blog description of a Kendra Scott trick or treat promotion
This trick-or-treat scavenger hunt is a fun idea for shoppers, but you could also send an email marketing campaign where customers have to choose between two secret offers to reveal whether they receive a trick or a treat -- meaning a small discount or a larger discount. There are endless ways you can turn your online promotions into more exciting, Halloween experiences to ensure you capture the attention of customers.
Halloween-ify your online presence.
Add some festive flair to your online presence: Let the Halloween spirit take over your social media accounts, like Facebook and Instagram, by posting Halloween-themed images and messages sure to attract many likes and shares from your Halloween-obsessed followers.
Dogfather & Co., a retail boutique and dog grooming spa, Halloween-ifies its Instagram account with photos of its furry clientele, to get viewers into the Halloween spirit.
Image credit: Dogfather & Co. Halloween Instagram posts
Also decorate your website for the holiday so that users landing on your home page are filled with festive feelings from your brand. Just make some simple tweaks to your site by, for instance, adding a Halloween-themed image which utilizes a spooky font and festive elements like pumpkins or spiderwebs. Don't want to hire a graphic designer? You can easily transform your regular website images Halloween using a tool like PicMonkey.
Publish Halloween-themed content.
Drive more holiday shoppers to your website by publishing Halloween-themed content readers will love. According to Demand Metric, content marketing generates approximately three times as many leads as outbound marketing and costs 62 percent less, making it the perfect strategy to boost sales for your small business this season.
Create content for your readers that will help them solve problems and ease their stress during this busy time. Blog post ideas, for instance, could include "Halloween Costume Ideas for Kids," "DIY Halloween Decor Ideas" or "How to Host an Awesome Halloween Party."
HQhair posts a ton of Halloween-themed content for its readers, including posts that not only help readers but suggest products that the company sells.
Image credits: HQhair Halloween blog
You can also craft content that includes product recommendations from your store that encourage people to buy but aren't too pushy. Sprinkle in some holiday and buyer keywords throughout your post to make sure it gets seen by consumers who are in the shopping mood. And remember, when you provide useful and entertaining content to your readers, they'll be more likely to share it with their family and friends, too.
Hold a Halloween costume contest.
Holding a Halloween costume contest is a great way to get people into your brick and mortar business. If you don't have a physical business, you can hold a costume contest on social media and still get a ton of engagement.
For example, the Texas theme park Kemah Boardwalk utilized Instagram to hold a Halloween costume contest that gave its followers a chance to win weekly prizes or a grand prize.
Image credit: Kemah Boardwalk Costume Contest
You can hold a contest that encourages people to submit photos of their Halloween costumes, or even just ask them to share your post or tag their friends for a chance to win a prize. Don't forget to utilize Halloween-themed hashtags so that you can widen your reach and connect with a bunch of potential new customers this season.
Related: Starbucks, Chipotle and 6 More Food Chains Scare Up Business With Halloween Deals
Over to you
These fun Halloween marketing ideas prove that your small business doesn't need to spend a fortune to hold an awesome Halloween "party" that delights customers and boosts your revenue. Start planning and scheduling your seasonal marketing campaign as soon as possible so that by the time the most haunting night of the year rolls around, you'll be able to focus on turning trick-or-treaters into customers -- instead of your being frighteningly swamped.
