13 Halloween Marketing Ideas to Brew Up Social Media Action
Halloween is just around the corner, and that means tons of fun content opportunities for your social media feeds. Ghosts, goblins, vampires, and more are coming soon to a street near you, and you can (and should) participate in the fun!
Remember how last year you had all these great Halloween advertising plans, and then all of a sudden, you looked up, and it was already October 31st? You don’t want to let this holiday pass you by again. As a business, there’s no time like the present to start thinking of the perfect Halloween marketing ideas.
To kick off your inspiration, here are some marketing tricks to ensure your Halloween campaign results are full of treats!
Getting started
Getting organized and planning early can often be difficult for small businesses. There’s so much going on, so much to do, and often our ideas can get lost in the back of our minds.
This is all the more reason to get started and plan early! Halloween will be here before you know it, and you want ample time to create, plan, and promote your Halloween specials BEFORE October 31st this year. And that’s where we have you covered!
From special promotions to awesome video content, Halloween is one of the more marketing-friendly holidays out there. So if you’re looking for inspiration, try these awesome Halloween marketing ideas fit for saving time, having fun and seeing those engagement numbers rise.
1. Create and share holiday content
The streets are not the only place where Halloween is celebrated. Social media feeds will be full of holiday-packed content, and your business can easily join in the fun. From wishing your followers a spooky Halloween to sharing a video of a childhood Halloween throwback of you or your co-workers, this holiday is a great opportunity to engage in a more sincere and intimate way with your followers.
If snackable content is more up your alley, try creating a fun Halloween GIF from video or us our Meme maker for even more fun. Both are sure to get tons of engagement when done right!
2. Sponsor a holiday event
Halloween is all about significant events. Among them are parties, haunted houses, hayrides, zombie crawls, and more. Just about every city holds one, if not more, during the Halloween season.
Some of these events are professionally financed. However, most high schools, community centers, and charities will run their attractions during Halloween; and they’re ALWAYS looking for local businesses to get involved.
In exchange for your support, you’ll be able to promote your business to the local community. And if there’s one thing we know about haunted houses, they’re going to be jam-packed come October.
If you’re having trouble finding an event to get involved in, you can always start your own! Sure, a haunted house or a hayride can be expensive; but a pumpkin carving contest doesn’t have to be. Neither does a themed Halloween party which is a MUST for bars and restaurants.
3. Host a costume party
Whether you have a physical store or operate online, this marketing campaign is a relatively easy one. Physical stores can host the contest at their location. Can you think of a better way to get people in your door than a chance to show off their brilliant costume ideas?
Online businesses can host the contest via social media, especially Instagram and Facebook. For bonus points, ask participants to use your product in their costume if applicable. Prizes can range from coupons and discounts to free shipping or a gift bag full of your products. Remember, a key component for an incredible outcome is to plan this event far enough in advance to give yourself time to promote it.
4. Halloween-ify a helpful guide
Businesses of all sizes love creating product guides as opt-in offers. You’ve seen them before, right? “Give us your email address, and you can download our FREE ebook: 10 Reasons Why You Need X, Y, Z,” right?
These guides are awesome, and they’re a great way to build an email list. However, let’s be honest: sometimes they can be a little ho-hum. If you want to boost your opt-ins, give your guide a Halloween makeover!
You know what’s more enticing than an ebook called “10 Rules On Investing For Your Retirement?” An ebook called” 10 Must-Know Tricks and Treats When Planning For Your Retirement.”
This can be done for other holidays as well:
- “Christmas Shopping When Saving For Retirement.”
- “What You Need to Know About Saving For Your Retirement in the New Year”
- “This Fourth of July, Declare Your Financial Independence.”
The best part? It can pretty much be the same content each time with a few minor tweaks and formatting changes to make it themed to the holiday you’re celebrating and reusing your content in creative ways! You’re approaching some next-level marketing stuff now.
5. Give your store a holiday makeover
Decorating for the holidays is a no-brainer, but it doesn’t have to be limited to a physical store. Websites and social media channels can get a makeover too! A new cover photo (or video), some spooky music, etc. Even adding a few cobwebs or a jack-o-lantern to your logo can be fun!
Don’t be afraid to get into the Halloween spirit, and most importantly, have fun with it! Inviting your staff to dress up is also a common way to celebrate. If you’re an online store, consider updating your company bios with photos of the team all dressed up in their favorite Halloween costumes.
6. Trick-or-Treats with every purchase
Whether you’re a physical store or an online one, everyone loves a treat. It can be as simple as a package of Halloween candy or as elaborate as a goody bag filled with all sorts of goodies for customers to enjoy.
If you want to get bold with it, have candy made special for your business with your logo on it and include it with every purchase. Want to up the stakes a little bit? Add a buyback coupon as well!
Above all else, make sure your customers KNOW that if they order during the promotional time, there’s a treat in store for them. There’s no use running a promotion if people don’t know about it! This is an excellent opportunity to use videos to promote your offering.
7. Host a social media user-generated content contest
Costume contests aren’t the only way to get customers involved. There are plenty of Halloween-themed contests to choose from! Ask your followers to give your logo a spooky makeover, take spooky pics using your products, or share pictures of them carving your logo into a pumpkin. The possibilities are endless.
Promote the contest well in advance and encourage customers to share the images with you on their social media platforms. This serves two great purposes.
- You’re getting customers engaged with your business page, which increases organic reach and makes your content more likely to show up in more of your followers’ news feeds.
- User-generated content is a great way to keep your page fresh and updated.
It’s a win-win. All treat and no trick!
8. Send a Halloween themed email
One of the biggest struggles for small businesses is filling their emails with content. A frequent question is, “how often should I be emailing?” While there’s no number we can throw out, the simple answer is that you should email customers whenever you have something to tell them.
When it comes to Halloween, you’ll have something to tell them! Best of all, most email programs have awesome Halloween-themed templates, making it easier than ever to let your customers know just what tricks and treats you have in store for them this holiday!
9. Add hashtags to everything!
Around every holiday, special hashtags come out. #Halloween #CostumeContest #HalloweenDeals and more will be trending on Twitter and across the world. When promoting, ensure your posts, images, and videos are correctly hash-tagged to spread the word!
This works exceptionally well for online businesses whose customers are more likely to be frequent internet users. However, it can work well for local companies as well. Try some local hashtags such as #HalloweenNYC and help group your content and gear it towards a more local audience.
10. Be a trick-or-treat stop
If you have a physical store, it’s always a great idea to let your customers know you’ll be waiting with the candy come Halloween! However, as great as it is for the kids, let’s not forget mom and dad!
The kids come for the candy, but mom and dad might want a glass of water or a quick snack while they rest their feet. Of course, they might also like a gift card, coupon, or discount code in their own Halloween basket as well. This serves a dual purpose.
- If parents know you’re providing candy and a place to rest, you’ll get mom and dad into the store at least once (on Halloween), where they might potentially buy something.
- A coupon or gift card for a later visit increases the likelihood of them coming back at a later date.
11. Theme your menu
A no-brainer for restaurants and eateries, this one tops any list of Halloween marketing ideas. Themed cocktails or menu items are hokey, sure. But people love them! If you don’t want to go all out and change the menu, think of a few funky, unique dishes you can make from items you already have on hand.
There’s a reason why Pumpkin Spice flavors make an appearance this time of year and not just during the holiday season. Best of all, “pumpkin spice” is not unique to Halloween. Instead, you’ll find Pumpkin Spice items throughout the autumn season. If you can extend offers for the entire season, the more, the better!
This doesn’t just work for restaurants, either. Any business that can customize can change product names or add Halloween themes. Barbershops and salons can offer hair and makeup specials for the occasion; car washes can use orange soap, etc.
Think outside the box. How can you Halloween-ify your products?
12. Host a pumpkin scavenger hunt… On your socials
Scavenger hunts are fun and challenging for everyone. But hey, it’s the 21st century, and we do these things online now. So, why not turn one into a marketing opportunity? The rules are simple:
- “Hide” a certain number of pumpkin pictures/icons on your website or social media pages
- Make sure to include a few on desirable pages, such as your rewards program page or the product page for your best-selling product.
- Challenge your customers to visit your site/page and find as many as they can.
- Whoever finds the most wins!
There can be more than one winner, of course. Or, if no one finds them all, you can select the closest guesses as winners. Prizes can range from discounts to free items to coupons and more.
Of course, what you’ve done is promote your website and get your customers to spend some time scouring your product pages with earnest, perhaps reading about products or services they hadn’t noticed before.
13. Promote your Halloween marketing specials
Whatever Halloween marketing ideas you go with, don’t forget to PROMOTE them! Any event or deal that isn’t promoted is a waste. Since it’s Halloween, you’ll want to theme your marketing content. This includes posts, pictures, and of course, video!
Create a spooktacular video to advertise your contest, promotion, or sale. It’s excellent for running video ads to drum up interest and opt-in no matter what your plans are. Here is an entire collection of ready-made video templates for your Halloween marketing.
The bottom line
So there you have it! 13 awesome Halloween marketing ideas for you to choose from. It’s still early enough to get everything ready, and make sure you don’t pass up the opportunity to capitalize on this unique and exciting holiday.
Whichever Halloween marketing idea you go with, make sure to plan and promote it using awesomely themed video content in your email marketing, social media pages, and however else you communicate with your customers.
