Halloween has long been a popular celebration in the UK, but in recent years has crossed over into other markets.

While the focus for eCommerce businesses remains to push Halloween-themed candy, treats, decor, and costumes, brands in other industries can also benefit through clever marketing that piggybacks off of the popularity of the holiday season. That’s the power of using topical content wisely!

We have collated some interesting Halloween marketing ideas to get inspired and ‘scare up’ sales for your business.

Run a Themed Email Marketing Campaign

Tease your buyers with some ridiculously good offers and get creative with your email content! If your mailing software supports it, try playing with GIFs to add some spooky surprises to your imagery.

If you deal with healthcare, a dentist for example, you can share posts about the risks of too much Halloween candy, or the type of candy your children should avoid. A brand selling security services could share tips on how to stay safe on a scavenger hunt or when hosting a trick-or-treating event.

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And if you want to do more than just raising brand awareness with your Halloween-themed email marketing, don’t forget to include an exclusive discount offer for one or more of your products or services, and top it all with some great Halloween specific branding.

Sprinkle Some Halloween Magic over Your Google Ads

Halloween is a big event for small and big businesses alike, so specifically targeting Halloween-related keywords could be a little heavy on your pockets for effective PPC campaigns! However, you can start early with your keyword research.

At the very least you can identify some keyword combinations you haven’t previously thought of, and you may still be able to target a few Halloween specific keywords for not much more than you usually spend.

Even if you aren’t directly targeting any Halloween-related keywords, your copy can still be updated to include mentions of Halloween. But make sure to keep the content relevant to your industry and/or the products and services you offer.

Additionally, if you have any Halloween offers or even Halloween specific products, it’s the right opportunity to promote it through ads. It’s good to create a sense of urgency by mentioning the number of days left until the promotion ends.

Be creative with seasonal campaigns to drive engagement

One of the scariest things about Halloween is its aftermath. Reportedly, more than 18,000 tonnes of pumpkins are thrown away each year! Riding the awareness drive, Tesco took it upon themselves to set up 10 ‘pumpkin rescue stations’ across north London to save them from going to waste.

This campaign saw a 58% overall lift in positive brand sentiment across social media. That’s a good use of content and creativity to generate a positive impact!

Running a themed contest is another way to get some User-Generated Content in action. What could be a better time to do this than Halloween?

Invite customers to participate in your Halloween costume photo contest, share stories of their attempts at making Halloween treats like cupcakes, or their pets dressed up for Halloween.

Run these contests on your top social media platforms, create a unique hashtag and encourage entrants to share the posts to make the most of your contest.

Launch a Limited-Edition Halloween-Themed Product

One of the ways to create the much-needed hype around the busy time is to launch your limited time collection.

For instance, Clipa – a simple but very effective handbag hanger – launches a limited edition Halloween Clipas every October, and they always sell out. It does wonders for brand recall as your customers look forward to seeing the launch around the same time every year.

So there you have it – spookily effective Halloween marketing ideas to bolster your online sales. We hope that you get to use all these ideas this year and get that extra boost in engagement and sales that you’re looking for! Do leave your comments below to let us know about your favourite halloween campaign! Check out more resources on building your digital presence during the holiday season.