Halloween Marketing Ideas for Your Small Business

The growth and popularity in Halloween has grown enormously in the UK in the last decade. A report in 2017 from Mintel stated that Halloween spending in the UK was set to reach £320 million, and 2018 looks set to surpass that.

In this fun blog we will have a brief look at some light hearted Halloween marketing ideas for small businesses in the UK whilst also throwing in some dreadful puns and poor jokes. So let’s kick off with some suggestions.

Dress up your store accordingly

It doesn’t have to be anything excessive but why not contemplate giving your store a makeover with a fun filled Halloween theme? You could also incorporate this into a window display to stand out from the competition whilst remaining relevant and gaining prominence. If you’re a retail store why not redress your entrance with a spooky or Autumnal theme. Adding a few simple touches can go a long way and remember sometimes less is more. A simple design can entice customers inside or show off your products in a fun new way.

Utilise Hashtags

Nowadays it is important for businesses to maintain a presence on social media and utilise the correct hashtags. With Halloween in mind why not introduce a unique or dedicated hashtag for customers to share or show off their recent purchases and offer an incentive or a prize to be chosen at random.

Add Autumnal related flavours to the menu

If you work in food or hospitality or your business sells some form or food or drink, you can potentially rework your menu and add an Autumnal twist. People often associate apple, cinnamon, chestnuts, pumpkins and squashes in and around Halloween. If you serve drinks what about a nice mulled apple cider or spicy ginger drink or a thick butternut squash and pumpkin soup? On a cold day food can be very comforting and these flavours can help you with new custom, try and be creative in your approach.

Add Halloween Elements to Your Branding

Sounds simple enough doesn’t it. One of the easiest ways to get your business in on the Halloween amusement is to incorporate simple Halloween symbols within your businesses branding. Why not contemplate getting a customised till roll with a spooky logo. If you are working on a limited budget something as simple as a Frankenstein or ghost signage can have a big impact. If your business is largely web based why not introduce a different spooky theme on your website for October.

Offer deals or special offers

To drive custom and traffic through the website why not contemplate introducing Halloween-themed deals? They are a perfect opportunity to get more foot traffic and clients. The fact of the matter people in the UK are prepared to spend money on Halloween and the figure is rising year on year. Only last year 300+ million was spent. If you don’t capture this lucrative trading period you could ultimately be missing out on potential sales.

Move away from cash

Of the 300million spent on Halloween in 2017, a large proportion was unsurprisingly spent using debit and credit cards. If you operate as a “cash only business” isn’t it time you moved across to join the revolution in accepting card payments? Not only do Wireless Terminal Solutions offer small business a super quick set up on accepting card payments, but we have some spook-tacular offers to entice you with flexible payment terms on the latest card machines.

Spook-tacular savings on card machines

If you are a small business and are contemplating accepting card payments there a many reasons why you should consider making the switch as we draw towards the end of 2018.  First and foremost you are giving your customers flexibility and allowing them the option to pay with a card. More and more customers are preferring to pay using plastic by not offering them this option you are potentially losing sales or alienating customers. Our card machines are used by many thousands of businesses in the UK for businesses big and small. One of our customers is a leading locksmith in Brighton who uses our POS equipment on a daily basis to accept payments from customers.

Card payments are also a great way for businesses to eliminate queues during busy Halloween trading periods. With the introduction of contactless, a customer can pay and leave in seconds. If a customer ever asks why should I be accepting card payments, a good simple view point is to think about your own personal experience in business settings and apply it to your business.

Did you hear about the vampire business owner who lost his home? It was a grave problem……..we’ll get our coat. As ever we’d love to hear your thoughts and tips on Halloween marketing Ideas for Your Small Business. Comment below or email us. Alternatively you can contact us on 0345 459 9984. That reminds me………What do skeleton’s use to text? A Cell-bone.