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Halloween marketing is already on overdrive (you know this if you’ve been anywhere near a grocery store or pharmacy recently). So it’s time to get your local business in on the action. After all, by the very nature of trick-or-treating, Halloween is all about bringing the neighborhood together.
Here are some fun Halloween marketing ideas.
1. Dress up your store
You don’t have to be selling costumes to deck out your store for Halloween. Try spooking things up with a Halloween-themed window display or storefront. If you’re a retail store, for example, style your window with orange-and-black outfits. If you’re a hair salon, put up a cutout of Elvira or Wednesday Addams with a Happy Halloween message. A bit of Halloween goes a long way in letting your customers know you have a sense of whimsy, which helps make your brand more endearing.
And don’t forget the pumpkins. Venture away from the generic jack-o-lantern and instead carve something related to your business. It’ll require skills, yes, but impressive pumpkin art is an easy way to show your Halloween spirit and provide social media candy for passersby (hey, free marketing).
2. Update your website to get in the spirit
Don’t forget to dress up your web presence, too. A lot of people are planning to stay indoors this Halloween season, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t in the Halloween spirit. Add a Halloween-themed banner to your homepage or update photos on your online store. You can add some spirit to your email marketing as well, using preexisting templates or by designing your own spooky surprises.
3. Halloween-ize your products
The start of chilly weather means that fall flavors are on people’s minds. (Evidence: pumpkin-spice latte mayhem). Think about what types of items you can offer to help people get into a Halloween state of mind. If you’re a bar, spice up your drink menu with Halloween cocktails (witches brew, anyone?). If you’re a restaurant, offer a Halloween-themed dinner (here’s some inspiration). If you’re a bakery, whip up some Halloween cookies.
This is especially important in the days leading up to Halloween (and day of), since people are in a festive mood. Be sure to let people know that you’ll have these things on tap. Social media is a great way to promote your Halloween-themed product offerings. Snap a picture of your item and post it to Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. A fun hashtag gets you bonus points (aka more likes) and helps encourage followers to use your hashtag on their own Halloween post. You can also let people know about your Halloween items through Square Customer Engagement, which has a built-in email marketing template for announcements.
4. Offer specials or deals
Halloween-themed deals are a perfect opportunity to get more customers. An enticing, timely offer gives people a reason to choose your store over others. Think about offering discounts both in person and online for items or services that will get people Halloween-ready. Square’s email marketing tool has a template specifically tailored for discounts and promotions, which makes this easy.
5. Dress up
Another photo op ripe for social media: a dressed-up staff. To take it to the next level, do it around a theme. If you’re a salon, for example, it’s time to do up some crazy hair. Marge Simpson, Cher, and David Bowie (that is, Labyrinth David Bowie) are always solid options. If you’re a bakery, maybe get your employees to dress up like the Swedish chef from The Muppets.
We hope these ideas get your creative juices flowing. But we want to see what you’ve got. Post a picture of what your store is doing for Halloween (be sure to tag us), and we’ll give you a shoutout.
