October 31, 2022 Happy Halloween! Today is one of those “unicorn” marketing days…  It’s a holiday and it’s a work day! That can mean one of two things for you… You are counting down the hours until you are done working and can go have some Halloween fun. While you’re excited for the festivities tonight, you are also seeing this as a great opportunity for your business! If you’re in camp #1, let me convince you why today is a day you don’t want to rush through… and why it’s not going to be just another boring work day either… And if you’re in camp #2 then you’re already hankering for what I have for you next. Read on to learn how to make the most of today… and how you can enjoy doing it too!  Today’s marketing idea is to have fun! This may not seem like a marketing strategy, but trust me, it’s more important than you think. The more genuine and loose you are, the more approachable you are… and the more approachable you are, the more business you’ll generate from social media. So make sure to have fun today on your social media platforms! Last week I shared ten marketing ideas for you for Halloween. Need a quick reminder of what those were? Here they are again: 1. Get Involved in Your Community’s Trick-or-Treat Night 2. Run a Costume Contest 3. Send Out an Interactive Direct Mail Promotion 4. Create a Spooky-Themed Email Series 5. Develop Halloween-Themed Product Bundles 6. Host a Spooky Scavenger Hunt on Social Media 7. Generate a Local Halloween Event Guide 8. Publish Halloween-Themed Content 9. Build a Limited Edition Halloween Product 10. Produce Halloween Party Favors for Your Top Clients However, there’s a chance this last week got away from you and you didn’t execute on them yet. If that’s the case, it’s not too late! You can still fire off one (or all!) of these campaigns from the list without too much preparation: 1. Get Involved in Your Community’s Trick-or-Treat Night If you have time to do nothing else, hop in the car, buy some candy (there has to be at least one bag left on the shelves!), and give out candy. If you have a few extra minutes more, print out some vouchers for a discount on a service you offer or grab some business cards and drop those in with the candy you give out. 2. Run a Costume Contest Keep this simple. Ask your audience on Facebook to comment with a picture of their costume today (or their kids in their costumes!), then ask everyone to vote by liking the comments. Whoever’s picture gets the most comments wins a prize! 3. Publish Halloween-Themed Content Whether it’s a costume contest, today’s content prompt (more on that below!), or just wishing everyone a Happy Halloween, don’t let today go by without posting something Halloween-themed on social media, on your blog, or in an email! Whatever you do, the whole point is to engage and have fun!  You’ve received so many ideas from me above and last week that you probably already know exactly what you want to post today to engage with your followers. But in case you don’t, we’ll just keep things simple. Today on social media, in a blog post, or in an email, finish this sentence: “My favorite thing about Halloween is ____… what about you?” That’s it! It can be simple – like candy, costumes, or scary decor…  Or it can be something more than that… Do you have a tradition of serving the community or something else that you enjoy doing with your family and friends? Does Halloween mark the first day of fall baking – which means your house officially smells continuously delicious? Do you have happy childhood memories that Halloween reminds you of every year? Whatever your favorite thing is, talk about it. And ask your audience to comment or reply and tell you their favorite thing. I know you and your people will learn some great things about each other!  Why Companies are “Debranding”! – Have you noticed recently a change in company logos? Now that we are all trying to fit our entire brand into a little box that can show up on social media, it has forced companies to simplify. Watch this fascinating short clip to learn more about the change! Read More 5 Ways to use Email Marketing to Grow Your Business – It’s never too late to start reaching your audience through email marketing, but you won’t get the most out of it unless you’re using it to its fullest potential. Here’s some quick tips to make sure you see the growth you’re looking for. Read More Why Email Automation is Ideal for Improving Internal Team Processes – I am huge on automations… in fact, I devoted an entire month to automations in my VIP group just last month! Automations, specifically email automations, increase response time (making your clients happier) and cut down on time and effort spent on emails for your team so they can spend their time elsewhere. It’s a win-win for everyone 🙂 Read More No matter what you’re dressed up as or what you do for your marketing plan today, I hope you have a safe and wonderful Halloween! Alex Branning |