Halloween wasn’t even a thing when I was a kid; in fact, Trick or Treating was actively frowned upon. At best it was a form of scrounging and yet further evidence America was corrupting our youth; at worst, it was nothing short of harassment and a likely cause of heart attacks in the elderly and infirm.
In recent years, however, the spooky season seems to have taken off here in the UK. And why not? It’s just a bit of fun, after all. An excuse to dress up, have a laugh, and put a creepy twist on your business offering for a few weeks of the year.
But is it always a good idea to jump on the ghost train – or are you digging your own grave with your Halloween marketing?
Halloween marketing – it's scary stuff
The reason I’m asking this question isn’t because I’m a party pooper – it's because, last week, I saw a local solicitors had gone all out with its Halloween decorations – and I was, quite frankly, horrified.
There were pumpkins lined up in the window; cobwebs, spiders, and paperchains dangling from the ceiling; a bloody handprint smeared across the glass door, and a whole procession of cardboard skeletons dancing down the foyer.
I mean, A for effort. If it had been any other business – literally any other business – they would have been killing it. But a solicitor’s office...?
No.
In an industry that deals with life and death and finances, there is no place for severed limbs, even if they are made of plastic. Accept it: Halloween marketing isn’t for everyone. And that’s okay.
Autumn marketing alternatives
So, if you are in a line of business where celebrating all things spooky just isn’t appropriate and a Halloween marketing strategy is out of the question, what can you do this time of year to shake up your marketing whilst still bringing a seasonal twist?
Change is good
As the leaves start to turn and the nights draw in, autumn is the perfect time for quiet reflection.
Use this as an opportunity to invite existing and prospective clients to review their current circumstances or provision and ask them: is it time for a change? A thoughtful newsletter or blog post is the ideal way to get people ruminating. You could even follow this up with...
A cosy coffee
Making autumn your season for face-to-face catchups and free consultations will solidify your offering to new customers and strengthen ongoing client relations.
There are lots of ways to evoke an autumn feel without busting out the Halloween decorations. A couple of scented candles, a complimentary pumpkin-spiced latte, and a slice of carrot cake, and you’ve got that cosy feel to really put clients at ease and make them feel valued. All treats – no tricks!
Seasonal discounts
Black Friday and Cyber Monday may have originated in the USA, but they have as much marketing power over here in the UK now as Halloween.
Whether you want to stick to these names or come up with your own autumnal marketing promotion, this is the time of year people have come to look for and expect discounts, and there’s no harm in tying some seasonal offers into your marketing.
Black Friday this year is 29th November and Cyber Monday is 2nd December 2024, so aim for the end of November for this window of opportunity.
No more marketing nightmares
If Halloween marketing sounds too nerve-shattering an undertaking, contact the expert team at Formation. Alongside autumn marketing ideas, we have seasonal marketing solutions for every kind of business, and our specialist experience with accounting, estate planning, and solicitor firms means we won’t resort to tacky decorations or scarily bad puns.
