10 Halloween Promotions To Use in Your Marketing

Fall is approaching. The colors change, the air gets brisker, and the spooky season nears. The entire month of October is 31 days of fantasy and celebrating fear. The greatest scary movies come out during this time, and parents start helping their kids choose costumes for trick-or-treating.

As a retail business owner, it’s wise to throw your hat in the ring and have customers looking at your merchandise for preparation. Check out these 10 Halloween promotions to use in your marketing.

Stick With the Theme

If it’s spooky season, your store needs to reflect and represent the holiday. You can’t hope for customers to stop by if the store looks like it’s stuck in the summertime. Transform your store so it screams, “Happy Halloween!”

Decorate every inch, and start with the display windows. Find decorations that assimilate well with the merchandise you sell inside your store. If your main supply is candles, place pictures of decorative candles on the windows. Advertise smells that appeal to the fall season, like apple cinnamon or pumpkin spice.

Try and make the decorations appeal to all ages so you can get a wide range of visitors to your store. Keep in mind that Halloween means more than fearful and scary themes. If your store does not focus on this type of theme, explore the other options to work with your business.

Give Back to the Community

Consider throwing a charity drive or a few free giveaways for people in the community. Try and collect costumes for kids and teens and offer a giveaway for a small donation. Inform your customers where the proceeds will go, and partner with an organization that has a popular following and blends well with the morals of your business.

Participate in the Dress Up

Encourage your staff to dress up for the month of October. When your employees get in the mood, it makes the atmosphere of your store more festive. They don’t need to dress up every day or wear a full costume, but appealing to Halloween with their wardrobe will draw attention to your business.

If you want to keep things more uniform, have a theme every other week or weekend. Halloween is about fantasy and playing dress-up. Consider a decade’s theme for a weekend, encouraging your staff to dress in clothes popular during that era. Another option is a theme that caters to a popular TV show, like Games of Thrones. Always try to appeal to what is trending in the media at the time.

Customize Your Bags and Products

Instead of sending off your customers with your standard bags, try customizing them with spooky season ideas. You can pair each bag with a different themed product in your store, or consider customizing them as trick-or-treat bags.

Children will practically drag their parents to your business just so they can have a special trick-or-treat bag. Make a limited edition of products only offered during this month. For example, if you own a restaurant, consider having a themed meal or dessert that pertains to Halloween. Imagine serving soup that smokes while it comes out. People will go crazy for it!

Offer Discounts and Deals

People love discounts and deals, especially on products they have a high interest in purchasing. There are always deals associated with Christmas and Thanksgiving, and Halloween is no exception.

Offer discounts on your Halloween-themed products. Consider a buy one get one (BOGO) free or half-off option. Place a door sign holder in your store to promote the deals.

Offer a Wide Selection

It’s important not to deviate too far away from your business’s theme, but it’s also a good idea to offer a wide selection of products. Scope out your competition and see how they’re participating in the holiday. Don’t copy or mimic their tactics, but observe them and see how you can improve on their ideas.

For example, if you sell clothes that normally appeal to young adults, consider including a section for smaller children. Almost everyone loves Halloween, but little kids really get into the holiday. It’s important to know your market and target audience, but also consider catering to those who have the most fun during Halloween.

Host a Contest

Aside from a costume contest, you can host another one not affiliated with a party. There are limitless options you can choose from. Encourage all your customers to participate by offering an incentive at the end. Have them take a survey to see what sort of prizes they would like.

Depending on the responses, you’ll know which is the most popular. Consider hosting a pumpkin carving contest or a fall-flavored pie contest. Have an image or theme in mind and see who is the most artistic one in the bunch.

Welcome Trick-or-Treaters

Halloween is about fantasy and mystery, but it’s also about candy. Everyone loves something sweet, so offer candy to whoever enters your establishment. You can do this every day until Halloween. It’s one of the most effective and easiest marketing options.

Post on Social Media

If your business is not on social media, you are doing it a disservice. The world is on social media, therefore, you should be too. Make a weekly post on social media of a different Halloween fun fact or an image of some new products you’re promoting. Advertise the limited-edition products and the approaching festivities.

Interact with your followers and include them in some of your posts. Invite customers to share their favorite Halloween memories or the things about the holiday they love most. Try to incorporate some of the most popular ideas into your store to gain a stronger following.

Throw a Party

Everyone loves a party, and more importantly, everyone loves a costume party. Take this as a sign to host one. Tell everyone who enters your establishment about the party and designate with a theme. Inform them it’s a costume party and offer a special prize for the best-dressed attendee.

Plan for the party towards the end of the month, but not on the actual date of Halloween. People might have prior engagements, and you don’t want to run the risk of no one attending your party. Consider having a prize for first and second place winners. Make them prizes with your best-selling products or goodie bags with some promotional items.

Offer food and refreshments at the party and have a playlist with a mixture of trending music and popular Halloween songs.

Here at The Global Display Solutions, we have several marketing ideas to help your store, not just related to Halloween promotions. For more information, visit our website.

Here at The Global Display Solutions, we have several marketing ideas to help your store, not just related to Halloween promotions. For more information, visit our website.