Who doesn’t love Halloween? Costumes, candy, parties, scary movies – there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Marketers love it too. Next to traditional “gift-giving” holidays, Halloween is one of the highest-grossing annual celebrations.

It may still be a month away, but it’s never too early to start planning a fun Halloween marketing campaign. Here are a few ideas to get your business noticed this Halloween and scare your competitors far away.

1. Contests: Halloween tends to lend itself to a lot of friendly competition. You can’t escape the costume contests and pumpkin carving contests – so if you can’t beat them, join them! Hold a contest of your own. Engage customers on social media and ask them to submit photos with a special hashtag, or bring people to your location and hold the contest in person (then share the pictures on social media). Whether or not they win first place, your customers will love the opportunity to show off their creativity and hard work. Pumpkin carving is a truly unique form of art (and scooping out all the seeds and pumpkin gunk can be quite a chore).
2. Trick or Treat: There is no such thing as too much Halloween candy, so offer your customers a sweet promotion with your logo on it. Branded treats are always well-received, but why stop there? You can also offer your customers branded trick-or-treating bags for the kids to use (in lieu of their pillow cases). You also might want to consider reverse trick-or-treating. Here’s a good excuse to go knocking on some doors – who can turn you away when you brought candy (and your business card)? Don’t feel like handing out candy? Offer your customers some sweet savings instead, like a Halloween sale or special promotion.
3. Sponsor an Event: Team up with some local businesses to sponsor the Halloween events in your area. This is an excellent way to get more involved in your community and have some fun as well. Whether you provide them with banners and flyers to advertise the event or branded merchandise to give out as prizes, your contributions will not go unnoticed. Partner up with local fall attractions such as apple orchards and pumpkin farms and you both will reap the benefits.
4. Engage Customers on Social Media: Creating a “Happy Halloween” post is a decent start, but why stop there? This is the perfect opportunity to share some of your workplace culture and give your customers a transparent view of your company. Decorate your office space and share the pictures on your company’s social media accounts. Are you having a Halloween party at the office? Share those pictures (the appropriate ones)! You can even go a step further and make a cute (or scary) Halloween video to share on your platforms. Or keep it simple and create some online polls to start up a conversation: “What is your favorite scary movie?” “What’s the BEST Halloween candy?”
5. Halloween Themed Giveaways: Instead of giving out the same predictable giveaways, bundle some promo items together into special Halloween-themed kits. A flashlight, stainless steel water bottle, first-aid supplies, multi-tools and some fun-shaped candies can be bundled together to create a “Zombie Apocalypse Survivor Kit”. A branded scarf, hat, sunglasses, sunscreen and SPF lip balm make the perfect “Vampire Care Package”.

Don’t be a scaredy cat this Halloween – give some of these ideas a try and you’ll be shocked at how effectively they can promote your business!

What Halloween campaigns are you using to spook your competition? Let us know in the comments below!