Complete Halloween spending within the US is anticipated to hit a file $10.6 billion in 2022, with the typical family planning to splash out greater than $100 on the spooky vacation.
That’s a complete lot of jack-o’-lanterns, Spider-Man costumes, and sweet corn.
What’s extra, figures from the Nationwide Retail Federation present that 69 p.c of Individuals plan to have a good time Halloween this yr. For comparability, that’s a better proportion than a number of different huge seasonal holidays, together with St Patrick’s Day (54 p.c) and Valentine’s Day (53 p.c).
Huge ranges of participation? Widespread attraction that cuts throughout demographic divides? Huge quantities of cash being spent? No marvel Halloween is such a giant deal for retailers.
That will help you capitalize on “spooky szn”, I’ve rounded up seven of the very best Halloween advertising and marketing methods I’ve seen this yr. Be happy to select your favorites from my record and use them as inspiration to your personal Halloween campaigns.
1. Develop Your E mail Record With Seasonal Popups
Should you’ve ever learn any of our content material earlier than, you’ll know we’re huge proponents of e mail advertising and marketing.
(And for those who haven’t, I hope you want what you’ve seen thus far.)
In response to Litmus, e mail advertising and marketing delivers an unparalleled ROI of 36:1. It’s too vital a channel to disregard at any time of yr, and Halloween is not any completely different.
However e mail advertising and marketing will solely work for those who spend money on constructing your e mail record.
With out an ever-growing database of present and future prospects desperate to be taught extra about who you’re (and what you promote), you’re not going to see the outcomes you want.
So how do you construct an e mail record to help your Halloween campaigns?
Probably the greatest methods is to add an e mail seize popup to key pages in your web site. If you can also make it at the very least considerably Halloween-related, all the higher.
Now, I do know what you’re pondering. “Skeletons, pumpkins, and cobwebs aren’t a terrific match for my model. I don’t wish to splash them throughout my homepage and class pages.”
Don’t fear—you’ll be able to at all times take a barely extra refined method by using a easy, seasonal-themed popup.
On this instance, BlackMilk Clothes makes use of a fall-related popup to seize e mail addresses:
This popup feels sufficiently seasonal with out being off-putting (or off-brand).
My favourite factor about this popup? The usage of imagery.
Not so way back, we analyzed a couple of billion web site popups. Our analysis discovered that image-based popups convert 83.57 p.c higher than popups with out pictures:
Certain, a 3.8 p.c conversion fee may not sound large. But it surely implies that for each 10,000 individuals who go to a webpage containing a popup, you’ll be able to anticipate so as to add one other 380 names to your e mail record.
Stick with it and you’ll rapidly seize 1000’s of precious e mail addresses from potential prospects who’re prepared and ready to listen to about your Halloween provides.
2. Run a Halloween-Themed E mail Marketing campaign
Okay, so that you’ve constructed up your e mail record.
Now it’s time to capitalize on all that onerous work by sending a Halloween e mail marketing campaign. There are many ways in which would possibly work. As an illustration, you might:
- Launch a flash sale
- Invite prospects to share user-generated content material
- Supply Halloween-themed product suggestions
- Promote a Halloween-related product launch
- Run a Halloween competitors or giveaway
First up, right here’s an instance from clothes model Johnny Cupcakes, which promoted a special Halloween-based product launch every single day for 2 weeks:
Certain, this method isn’t going to work for each model. For a few of you, Halloween simply isn’t a sufficiently big deal to justify that stage of consideration.
However bear in mind, this can be a vacation with mass attraction. And with 67 p.c of Individuals planning to spend cash on costumes forward of Halloween 2022, it’s an actual slam dunk for attire entrepreneurs (as a result of not each “costume” has to contain fancy costume).
In my expertise, this kind of multi-day marketing campaign is a improbable approach to construct engagement. If somebody opens the primary e mail within the marketing campaign, there’s an excellent probability they’ll click on all of the others too.
Simply be sure to kick off your e mail sequence with an interesting topic line that clearly explains the marketing campaign, like Johnny Cupcakes did right here:
Not solely does this e mail topic line make it clear that this can be a multi-day marketing campaign, nevertheless it additionally makes use of actionable language (“prepare…”) to encourage folks to work together.
(N.B. Need extra inspiration? Take a look at our roundup of essentially the most artistic Halloween e mail examples we’ve seen.)
3. Construct a Halloween Touchdown Web page
Let’s say you’ve taken a leaf from Johnny Cupcakes’ e-book by launching a complete assortment of Halloween-themed merchandise.
Naturally, you’re planning to advertise them by way of e mail advertising and marketing.
However you additionally wish to show them prominently in your web site all through spooky season.
The answer? Construct a devoted Halloween touchdown web page, like this one from underwear model Shinesty:
This method has a pair advantages:
- It provides you an apparent vacation spot web page to your Halloween emails.
- You possibly can add the class web page to your web site navigation, making it simple for guests to search out your Halloween-related merchandise.
- It helps usher in search site visitors by supplying you with a web page to focus on seasonal key phrases.
On that final level, we will see that Shinesty’s touchdown web page ranks within the prime #5 on Google for precious phrases like “Halloween lingerie” and “Halloween underwear”, which generate 1000’s of searches all through September and October:
4. Promote a (Spooky) Model Collaboration
In search of a approach to give your Halloween advertising and marketing technique a little bit X-factor? Take into account teaming up with one other model for a co-promotional marketing campaign.
This technique places you in entrance of your associate model’s viewers, giving you a chance to promote to individuals who would possibly by no means have thought of shopping for from you earlier than. And with analysis from Visible Objects revealing that 71 p.c of customers take pleasure in co-branding partnerships, it’s simple to see why a rising variety of manufacturers are open to collaborations.
After all, the success of any model collab hinges on discovering the suitable model to associate with. The aim is to associate with a model that:
- Has an identical viewers to yours…
- However doesn’t have the very same viewers…
- And isn’t a direct competitor.
It may be powerful to discover a prepared collaborator that ticks all these packing containers.
Nevertheless, BarkBox obtained it precisely proper this yr by becoming a member of forces with one of many spookiest “manufacturers” I can consider—the hit Netflix sequence Stranger Issues:
It is a nice match. Not solely is it instantly related to Halloween, nevertheless it additionally performs on the shared traits of each audiences, as I’m about to display…
Stranger Issues is hottest amongst youthful audiences, with 31 p.c of Individuals aged 18–29 saying they watched each episode, and an additional 17 p.c watching at the very least a few of the present.
So it’s a giant hit with Gen Z and Millennials.
Conveniently, Millennials occur to signify the most important share of pet house owners within the US, with 32 p.c proudly owning a pet. They usually’re additionally extra possible to purchase items for his or her furry mates than different demographics, with a 2020 survey revealing that the typical US Millennial deliberate to splurge $51 on their pets in the course of the vacation season.
Taken collectively, these shared traits make for an ideal model partnership.
5. Use Gamification to Drive Engagement
Maybe greater than another vacation, Halloween is about having enjoyable.
Few, if any, of us plan to trek throughout the nation to spend October thirty first with our dad and mom. As an alternative, it’s about attending events, carrying fancy costume, going trick-or-treating with the youngsters, and customarily overindulging in sugary snacks.
That sense of enjoyable is unquestionably one thing to lean into along with your Halloween advertising and marketing campaigns.
One method is to make use of gamification—including typical parts of game-playing, like factors scoring or competitions, to in any other case mundane actions. Analysis revealed within the Journal of Enterprise Analysis exhibits that buyers discover it extremely participating, with the authors concluding:
“The outcomes indicate that gamification can positively have an effect on model engagement and additional improve model fairness, and that gamification seems to be an efficient method for model administration.”
MAC exhibits us how this would possibly work as a part of a Halloween advertising and marketing technique:
Relatively than merely providing prospects a set share low cost, it provides them an opportunity to “win” a special prize every single day all through October by spinning a (digital) wheel on its web site.
The added aura makes this a extra compelling provide than a traditional limited-time provide.
6. Goal Final-Minute Buyers
Google Traits exhibits us that shopping-related searches on the subject of Halloween climb all through October, solely peaking on the day itself:
What does this inform us? That for a lot of buyers, Halloween purchases are an (extraordinarily) last-minute choice.
When you concentrate on it, this isn’t stunning. Certain, a lot of us love Halloween. But it surely’s not precisely up there with Christmas when it comes to shopping for priorities. Most individuals don’t begin panicking about their Halloween procuring record weeks or months prematurely.
Use this information to your benefit in your Halloween advertising and marketing technique by sending emails concentrating on last-minute buyers—individuals who completely want a fancy dress, meals and drinks, or a pumpkin-shaped mini waffle maker days earlier than October thirty first:
This e mail from Mattress Bathtub & Past acts as a helpful reminder for patrons who haven’t fairly obtained spherical to purchasing their Halloween necessities but.
Not solely that, nevertheless it additionally successfully leverages the sense of urgency to compel buyers to act now. As with all type of shortage advertising and marketing, this method permits Mattress Bathtub & Past to drive purchases with out having to supply a reduction.
7. Be a part of the Dialog
We all know that Halloween is a giant procuring occasion, and one which appeals to a broad vary of viewers demographics.
However that doesn’t robotically make it an ideal match for each model. Your prospects are theoretically enthusiastic about shopping for one thing for Halloween, however your merchandise may not function on their procuring lists.
So what do you do?
My recommendation is to be a part of the dialog, like Greetabl does on this Halloween e mail instance:
Greetabl sells playing cards and items. Let’s be trustworthy: neither of these classes is a pure match for Halloween. I’ve been to my fair proportion of Halloween events, however I’ve by no means as soon as thought to purchase the host a greeting card.
However by merely sending a Halloween-themed e mail, Greetabl provides itself the chance to generate a bunch of gross sales that it in any other case wouldn’t have seen.
Should you’re in an identical boat, watch out to not overdo it.
To this point in October, Greetabl has devoted 50 p.c of its advertising and marketing emails to Halloween—a far decrease proportion than a few of the different manufacturers I’ve talked about. As an illustration, 77 p.c of Johnny Cupcake’s October emails have been Halloween-themed.
Identical to at any time of yr, your aim right here is to faucet into broader tendencies whereas staying true to your model.
Keep in mind why folks purchase from you, comply with your social channels, and signal as much as your advertising and marketing emails—and provides them extra of what they need.
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Hopefully, my roundup of Halloween advertising and marketing methods has demonstrated the worth of constructing an engaged e mail record.
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