Read about the promotional opportunities that the Halloween season can offer to any company looking to spice up its social media platforms!
By: Amy Friedlander
Holidays can be the perfect way to lighten up and refresh a company’s social media account. Halloween, especially, is a very playful holiday that has the potential for many different opportunities on professional social media accounts that are otherwise less lighthearted. It is estimated that Halloween produces the most social media coverage and interest out of any holiday and generates the second highest consumer spending, amounting to $9.1 billion, right behind Christmas. By implementing creative tactics, businesses from all areas can make connections to Halloween to escalate their social media presence and PR/marketing messages.
Below are 5 ways to incorporate Halloween themes into a promotional opportunity.
1. Create online tutorials and DIYs that incorporate your company’s products.
This would be especially useful for makeup and clothing stores. For example, Sephora could post short video clips outlining ways to turn yourself into a fairy, using a particular glittery eye shadow sold exclusively at Sephora. Forever 21 could post “5 last minute costume ideas” that incorporate inexpensive pieces of clothing sold on their website or in stores. For example, they could have Rosie the Riveter shown on their website with a link to a red bandana and a denim button-down shirt.
2. Design a contest that has a specific connection to your business.
If you are in the food industry, come up with a contest that involves Halloween inspired foods or treats. You could even make a contest amongst employees to see who could bake or cook the best Halloween food and post the winning creations on your social media platforms. The company could even have customers help judge the contest to increase interaction, which will add a personalized feature. A company could host a competition that is open to the public to increase its word-of-mouth and social media presence. One idea could be to create a contest to see who could make the most creative Halloween logo using the company’s current logo for a cash prize. This will create free advertising through the increased viewership of the logo.
3. Hand out branded promotional products.
One way to spread company awareness could be to give out promotional products using the company’s logo. Your logo can be printed on various Halloween items ranging from candy bar wrappers, flash lights, trick-o-treat bags, sweatshirts, and much more. Dispersing free promotional products at the time of a purchase can go a long way in promoting a brand. For instance, if you hand out a free flashlight at the time of purchase, someone may be more inclined to return knowing that they were given a free item when they made a purchase.
4. Decorate your office to be Halloween themed.
This is a great way for a company to get creative! Companies that require customers to come into the store could transform the storefront into a haunted house or a Halloween extravaganza. They could promote this set-up on social media and use hashtags to spread the visuals around Instagram and Twitter.
5. Create a Halloween event.
Companies can host events that are Halloween-themed to generate interest during the weeks leading up to the holiday. Companies in the culinary industry could host a cooking class event for any age that teaches the customer how to make Halloween-inspired treats. They could make witch fingers out of pretzel rods, ghosts out of Milano cookies, eyeballs out of olives, and many more fun treats that could be for young children or even adults who want to recreate these foods if they host their own party. A wine and design company could even have Halloween scenes as the painting templates for the classes that they hold, and a nail company could have Halloween designed nail art lessons for customers.
There are so many creative ways to incorporate Halloween, or any festive holiday into a company’s business to generate interest and increase revenue leading up to the holiday. With a little creativity and innovation, any company can strategically play off of a holiday to spin their every-day business into a special promotion or event.
Sources:
Ithaca College PRSSA 