by Anees Mueller
October 29, 2021Living and breathing the marketing world every day allows me to see everything in a different light, including Halloween. Seems like an odd take, but stick with me for a 2-minute read and you’ll understand how closely they are related. Besides…tis the season, so if you’re interested in a treat, keep reading. The following marketing strategies are focused on the big event that happens on Halloween night, trick-or-treating.
Define your goals.
Understand what you hope to accomplish.
Seems like something odd to say about a kid’s event, but the strategy is always dictated by the goal you set. Parents like to stay in the neighborhood because it’s convenient and that’s where your community is. So if your goal is to hang-out with friends and visit with neighbors, well, that would be the marketing strategy of someone that doesn’t think about growing their business. What we’re going to discuss for the sake of this blog post is the goal of maximizing your candy potential.
Find the right audience.
Stake out the best neighborhoods that will help you achieve those goals.
Most people already know the most affluent neighborhoods around them. You know the people that have the most money, generally will have the best and the most candy. Their house was built to impress everyone in the neighborhood, they’re not going to want to be known as “the cheap-ass” that gave out fruit, or those gross black and orange taffy things. But, just in case you don’t know, it’s easy to do your homework. Drive through a few neighborhoods and check out the Halloween decorations. Those that put out the most decor, will follow it up with handsome amounts of good candy.
Get creative.
Make sure your costume is memorable and unique.
Just like in marketing, standing out creates more attention. Halloween is a great example of that. The plain sheet with the two holes cut out will not generate as much candy as the custom-made thought-provoking costume that is one-of-a-kind. You could also do a little research and possibly hit on current events that might be relevant to that neighborhood. For example, if you’re near a university, you could dress like a high-profile player, the mascot, or the coach. If you can create a unique twist you could be rewarded with a bigger handful.
Bonus points.
Make it personal.
If this happens to be your neighborhood, or if you can know at least the family name of the people living there, you might be able to get an extra handful by saying, “Happy Halloween Mr, Smith!” Before the traditional, “Trick-Or-Treat!” You’re in costume, so chances are they can’t recognize 90% of the kids coming to the door. The fact that you know their name will create the assumption that they are supposed to know you. It’s standard practice to give more to the people you know…just the way the world works. Just like in marketing, the personal message will create more engagement and yield better results.
Finish strong.
Be kind and courteous.
Especially in today’s world, it is important to be nice to people when interacting with them, regardless of what you get from their house. When there is a big crowd at the door, help the younger kids, show that you’re a leader, and be respectful of everyone around. Be sure to say your thank you’s before you walk away. This applies to kids and in business. Consumers do not want to give business to people that are rude, the same way a parent will get T-Rex arms when they see a child misbehaving at their door on Halloween.
So that basically sums it up. I hope everyone has a safe and happy Halloween. Feel free to use these tips to get more candy this October 31st. If you’d like to add more insight or share your kid’s costumes, please feel free to post them in the comments. If you’d like me to break down a marketing strategy for your business, please feel free to reach out to us on the learn more page.
Have a spooktacular Halloween!
