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While Halloween doesn’t quite carry the same amount of importance in the world of retail as the holidays of November and December, it’s still a great time to come up with a great marketing campaign to drive more people through your doors. Halloween is fun for just about everyone, and allows you to show off some creativity and stir up more interest in your store.

Halloween promotions are also perfect opportunities to prepare for your more important marketing efforts during November and December. So take a look at these 10 Halloween marketing ideas to get your store ready for the most important time of the year.

1. Host a Halloween Related Contest

Contests are an easy way to encourage participation and engagement from your customers. They are also equally accessible for any type of business, no matter how big or small.

Halloween is a day to truly get creative. Dressing up, carving pumpkins, baking treats, and decorating are all part of the holiday fun. Get in the spirit and encourage your customers to do the same.

Host an in-store contest for the best costume or carved pumpkin, for instance. This will bring in more foot traffic and open your doors to children with their families.

You could also create the contest on a social media page. Choose your most popular platform and offer a prize for posting the best picture or video of their costume or pumpkin.

2. Update Social Media Accounts and Add Trending Hashtags for the Holiday

Speaking of social media, update all of your accounts with Halloween-themed branding. Tweak your logo or cover page to add some Halloween-related elements. And make sure to make a few posts acknowledging the holiday and advertising any contests, events, or promotions.

Also, make sure you’re keeping up with your social media marketing hashtags. Do a quick Google search to find out what hashtags are trending and find ways to incorporate them into your posts. Remember, hashtags are another way to increase your store’s online visibility.

3. Add Halloween Specifics on Online Ads

If your business advertises online, change the ads to be more Halloween-themed. Google or Bing ads and social media advertising make it easy to add some flare to your images or a mention in the copy.

Even better, combine the two. Add a new cover image with text over it. These will show customers that you’re taking part in the spirit of the holiday and also alert them of any promotions or deals that your store is running. Spend time crafting the copy to be direct and have a clear call to action.

4. Make Some Products More Halloween Themed

Not all stores are as well suited for Halloween promotions as Party City is. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t participate in the fun all the same. 

Find a handful of products that you can add a Halloween twist to:

• Arts and crafts retailers can advertise materials as ways to make DIY decorations or costumes.
• QSRs can add some Halloweeny drinks or dishes.
• Markets might have a display that contains every ingredient needed to make a Halloween dish.

5. Go Wild With Decorations

In addition to making your products more Halloween-themed, do the same for your retail space. Many stores take this opportunity to go the extra mile and really deck the place out. Decorating for Halloween is always a lot of fun, so don’t hold back.

Decorations on the exterior and sidewalk are also a great way to attract more attention from passersby. Add a colorful sign and window display to your storefront, like the pumpkin city below.

Inside your store, group Halloween-related products together in a designated section of your store. This little store within a store will make customers more curious and will also make it easier for Halloween shoppers to find what they’re looking for.

Do the same if you have an eCommerce store. Remember, it’s important to think of your eCommerce marketing in much the same way as you would with a brick and mortar store.

6. Send Out a Themed Email Marketing Campaign

Email marketing campaigns have a great average return on investment. With modern email marketing services, It’s easy to generate a list of subscribers and compose a basic email. 

Check out our extensive guide to email marketing and start composing a few to send out before Halloween. 

Add holiday photos and videos to make it clear what the email is concerning. If you’re advertising an event or promotion, make it clear. And for eCommerce stores, design a simple and concise call to action button(s) in the email.

7. Add Fall Flavors to Your Food or Drink Menu

If you operate any business that serves food or drink, design a few items that are Halloween-related. You don’t need to repeat the Pumpkin Spice craze; there are plenty of small ways to add some holiday flair to your menu.

• Bars and pubs should consider adding a fall cocktail list or beer menu.
• Coffee shops might put together a few fall espresso drinks.
• Theme parks and museums could change up their QSR menus to incorporate the holiday.

8. Put Together Halloween Product Bundles or Promotions

Bundled promotions are a great way to move slow inventory and give shoppers gift ideas. Pick out a few items and package them nicely to create a bundled deal. Spend some time creating an attractive display, too. It’s another opportunity to create a part of your store that’s dedicated to the holiday.

Add some products to the area around your POS system too. Point of sale marketing is a smart way to get shoppers to purchase some small, last-minute items. Use it as an opportunity to remind them of the upcoming holiday and what they should purchase.

9. Throw a Party and Be Ready for Trick-or-Treaters

Hosting an in-store event is always a great way to build a relationship with the community that you serve. It will bring in regular customers as well as potential new shoppers.

A Halloween party or small event also allows you to interact with customers on a more casual and personal level. This will let you show people a different side of your business and why you’re passionate about it.

Also, make sure you’re prepared to hand out candy to trick-or-treaters, such as the creepy headless kid below. Making your space kid-friendly means that families will be more likely to come shop with you.

via GIPHY

10. Get Started Early With Holiday Marketing Ideas!

At this point, It’s certainly not too late to get started with your Halloween marketing, but don’t put it off for too long. These things have a way of sneaking up on us, so it’s important to plan early.

A new marketing campaign isn’t something that can be thrown together overnight. It’s important that you spend the time to measure and anticipate the performance, sales, and margins. Don’t forget to check out our other seasonal/holiday marketing guides below:

Use your point of sale system to help plan all of this. Inventory management, product analysis, and sales reporting will help you identify products that need to move, break down overall performance, and display your bottom line. To learn more, click below and reach out to us. We’ll walk you through how each feature works!

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