Boos, bats and…boosted posts? Oh my!
Halloween may or may not be your favorite holiday. But as a business owner, you can’t deny the impact holidays like Halloween can have on your social media marketing. Here are some creative ways you can use the holiday to your advantage on sites like Facebook, Instagram and more.
1. Host a Facebook contest.
A social media contest could help you generate a high volume of fresh content without you having to do much (if any) heavy lifting. Facebook works best, since most businesses have the highest number of followers on this particular social channel.
Costume contests are great, but you don’t have to force your customers to dress up to get in on the action. Alternative Halloween contest ideas:
- Pet services businesses: Ask for pics of your customers’ furry friends in costume. Most creative gets a free nail trim!
- Home improvement businesses: Request creative (or creepy) pics of how your customers decorated the homes you service! Scariest pic earns a free quote or service.
- Real estate businesses: Have customers send in their scariest home ownership stories. Reward the most cringeworthy with a free pumpkin or gift basket.
Can’t think of anything relevant to Halloween? That’s OK! Have a “guess how many” contest. Put a certain number of your favorite candy pieces in a jar, and ask your followers to guess how many there are. Closest to the correct number without going over wins!
Ask your audience to get in on the action by posting straight to your facebook Business Page, or by mentioning your Instagram handle. You can even create a fun hashtag that matches the theme or intent of your contest.
Pro tip: Make your hashtag, if you choose one, unique enough that you won’t have to hunt for your customers’ posts among posts of other Facebook and Instagram users. If you use a hashtag that’s too common, you’ll have to sift thru thousands of unrelated posts to find what you need.
- Not-so-good hashtag example: #halloweencontest
- Better hashtag example: #iwantspookyspastuff
2. Give scarily low prices with steep discounts.
If you’re coming up short when it comes to Halloween promotions ideas, consider a discount. But instead of a discount you’ve done before, think of a product or service you provide that you can afford to steeply discount—scarily so. Perhaps it’s a slower-moving product or a lesser-known service you’d like to get some eyes on.
Play up the shock value of how low you’re discounting whatever you decide to promote. Use Halloween-themed graphics and imagery as much as you can. Then use the actual date of Halloween to create urgency with October 31 as the deadline for your offer.
3. Don’t be afraid to boost your posts.
Speaking of offers and discounts, don’t be afraid of paying to boost promotions you think will be especially appealing to your target consumers.
What are boosted posts? Remember, on Facebook, boosting is a way of investing in advertising without having to create a strategy for Facebook ads. Boosted posts are typical posts (not ads) you create for your Facebook Business Page, for which you pay to get higher visibility.
4. Use the holiday as an excuse to try live video.
Live video has grown like wild fire in the social media space. If you’re looking to boost engagement from your audience around the Halloween holiday, live video may be your secret to success.
Stream live video of your staff’s Halloween party, or deck out your store with Halloween decor and show it off.
If you’ve yet to try live video, give it a shot at a time when anything goes, like Halloween! Here are our top tips for live video, specifically Facebook Live.
5. Create your version of pumpkin-spiced something.
If you’re tired of the pumpkin spice trend, you’re probably not alone. And if you also secretly wish you wouldn’t be judged for ordering pumpkin-spiced everything everywhere it’s available, you’re also not alone.
Whether or not you personally enjoy the pumpkin spice trend is irrelevant. Because it’s here to stay. And around Halloween, it’s really, really relevant. So even if you adopt a tongue-in-cheek attitude toward the pumpkiny trend, you’ll be able to get in on the hype.
Figure out how to relate a product or service you sell to pumpkin in any creative way you can. Then, promote it across your social channels!
6. Be trick-or-treat friendly.
Many neighborhoods and community organizations enlist local businesses to join in on creative trick-or-treat events. This is especially common in areas with high volumes of multi-family living communities and apartments, or where the homes are more geographically dispersed.
Let your social media audience know you’re ready to shell out some candy by joining groups and pages for these events. Then, share the social media promotions they post to spread the word.
7. Don’t forget the adults.
When it comes to Halloween, grown-ups really get the short end of the stick. Suddenly trick-or-treating isn’t exactly age appropriate. And if you’ve got kiddos, you devote the entire holiday to their parties and events (rightfully so).
If you want to stand out, offer something fun for adults! Use your social media channels to promote a special giveaway or freebie for anyone who likes your page the week of Halloween. Or if you’re open Halloween night, promote and host a small mixer with appetizers and beverages.
8. Showcase your team with a Halloween theme.
One of the best things about owning a local business is that local consumers want to get to know you. You, and your team, are the face of your business.
Use Halloween as an excuse to introduce your team or staff members to the world. Have them choose a fun fact to share about themselves, and take pictures of them in action. Bonus points if you can get them in costume for the holiday!
Need help?
Need help creating social posts or coming up with inspiration this holiday season? Thryv lets you connect social media pages like Facebook to one software, and it helps you push out content from one screen.
