You’ve made a second run for Halloween candy after you ate the first batch. You’ve already spent twice your budget on costumes and you’ve gotten into a permanent state of hyperactivity after making pumpkin spice lattes a daily habit.
But too much Halloween? Not a chance!
Today, Monday Morning Coffee jumps into the spooky fun to take a look at a few marketing lessons we can apply from the creepiest holiday of the year. Take a look:
Be the Right Kind of Distinct: As a kid, everyone knows the house that gives out full-size candy bars. The news travels across sidewalks in just a few minutes. They also know who’s dropping raisins into kids’ bags. (Raisins? Yum. Raisins on Halloween? No way.)
Your brand is unique, and you want to be known for it. But make sure that what makes you stand out is matching your intention for standing out. For instance, that raisin mom wants good health for all the kids in the neighborhood, but instead, she’s known for being kind of lame on Halloween.
Likewise, maybe you want to be known for providing solid, trustworthy information on social media, but instead, your posts are mind-numbingly boring. Oops, your brand is a raisin mom.
Build Relationships: There is exactly one night a year that it is socially acceptable to bang on neighbors’ doors and ask for candy. And people who want to get to know their neighbors see this as a fantastic opportunity to chat for a minute with parents and get to know their kids. It’s a rare chance to say hello and get connected.
You should look at marketing the same way. When someone engages with your brand, don’t miss the opportunity to build a relationship. When someone comments on your social post, makes a purchase from your online store or even calls with a complaint, you have a fantastic chance to build connections. And if it helps, throw in some candy!
Be Flexible: Your youngest kid moved into middle school and is suddenly too cool for the Halloween scene. With little time to plan, you decide to project a movie onto your garage door for her and her friends and set out bowls for candy for them to hand out to trick-or-treaters.
Like any other holiday, your traditions around Halloween will change depending on your stage in life. And just like you have to be flexible and roll with the times on Halloween, marketing demands the same. You might have a fantastic run with live video, where every edition seems to bring in leads and receives a lot of positive reactions from your audience. Then, one day, it starts to fade. Before long, you’re realizing it’s just not a hit anymore.
It’s okay. Just like you keep adjusting Halloween traditions, your marketing strategy will continue to change, too. It requires some flexibility, but it’s always supposed to be fun.
Whether you’re dressing up to scare the kids or closing the blinds and turning off your porch light, there are plenty of Halloween lessons that work for marketing, too. When you’re ready for new ideas, contact us at SJC Marketing.