7 Halloween Marketing Strategies to Boost Sales
It’s SPOOKTOBER! The season of horrors, pumpkin spice lattes, and… seasonal marketing??? That’s right! Halloween offers a unique opportunity for businesses to boost engagement and sales through the power of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). As consumers become more eager to participate in seasonal celebrations, Halloween marketing strategies that gauge this psychological trigger can drive sales, increase brand visibility, create memorable interactions and most importantly… more $$$. 🤑
So, what is FOMO?
FOMO stands for “Fear of Missing Out,” and it’s that nagging feeling you get when you think everyone else is doing something cool or getting in on a great deal, and you’re not. Thanks to social media, FOMO is more common than ever. You see your friends posting about parties, trips, or hot new products, and suddenly, you feel like you’re missing out. Because of that, you will make sure to keep an eye on the next event or anything similar so you can show the world ‘Hey, I’m fun too!’.
In marketing, FOMO is a powerful tool. Brands often use FOMO to create urgency by offering limited-time discounts or exclusive items, pushing people to act fast so they don’t feel left out. It’s all about tapping into that fear of being on the outside!
Since Halloween is all about the spooks and fears, here’s how your brands can effectively use the F in FOMO in Halloween marketing strategies.
1. Limited-Time Offers (LTO) with Exclusive Deals
During Halloween, LTO (limited-time offers) is a great way to integrate FOMO in your marketing strategies and they can boost sales up to 34%. Brands can create urgency by highlighting that these deals are only available during the Halloween season.
💡Ideas:
- Flash Sales: Promote spooky-themed flash sales, which run for a few hours or a day. This makes customers feel the pressure to act quickly, adding a sense of urgency to the purchasing process.
- Exclusive Halloween Products: Launch limited-edition products that are only available for a short time during the Halloween season. This can range from Halloween-themed merchandise, to costumes, or even branded treats. For example, Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte is a seasonal favourite that customers rush to buy because they know it will only be around for a few months. Because of Starbucks’ other brands also have their own Pumpkin Spice variations in both food and non-food products.
2. Seasonal Content with that Spooky Spice
Consumers are looking to be entertained, especially around Halloween. A study by Sprout Social found that 65% of consumers are more likely to engage with brands that have a robust presence and post entertaining content on social media. Brands that create seasonal content can capture the spirit of Halloween while also promoting their products or services. These may include fun and entertaining skits or even games and puzzles. This would be perfect to market towards Gen Z and you can read all about it in this article.
💡Ideas:
- Themed Social Media Challenges: Create user-generated content campaigns where customers post their Halloween costumes or haunted house experiences. The more interactive the content, the more likely people will want to participate so they aren’t left out.
- Halloween Quizzes and Polls: Offer interactive quizzes or polls on your website or social media channels, asking questions like, “Which horror movie villain are you?” This boosts engagement while subtly encouraging customers to connect with your brand during the spooky season.
3. Influencer Marketing Strategies to Leverage Social Proof
Partnering with influencers for social media marketing during Halloween is an effective way to tap into their loyal audiences and spread FOMO. Halloween provides the perfect theme for influencers to showcase spooky makeup tutorials, costume ideas, or haunted décor shopping hauls. Want to know how to plan a proper influencer marketing campaign, read it all in this article.
💡Ideas:
- Collaboration with Niche Influencers: Work with influencers who specialise in Halloween-themed content. Whether it’s a makeup artist doing a special effects look like shahirazlan or a decorator showing off eerie home transformations like The Makeover Guys, these influencers can inspire their followers to get involved and buy specific products.
- Exclusive Event Access: Brands can give influencers access to a Halloween-themed event or experience (such as a haunted house) and encourage them to share their experience in real-time. This allows followers to feel as though they’re missing out on the event, prompting them to engage with the brand or take advantage of similar offers.
4. Ghostly Giveaways to Boost Participation
Spooktober is a fantastic time for giveaways and contests, which create excitement and engagement as part of the Halloween marketing strategies. By offering attractive prizes, depending on your target audience, brands can encourage participation. Combined with engagement content in point #2, it would help boost engagement and sales.
💡Ideas:
- Scare-to-Win Contests: Host a costume or decoration contest where customers share photos of their Halloween efforts, tagging your brand. In return, offer themed prizes like gift cards, exclusive merchandise, or tickets to Halloween events.
- Limited Entry Windows: For a more intense FOMO factor, ensure that contests or giveaways are only available for a short period, such as a weekend or even a single day.
5. The Haunted Email Campaign
Email marketing can take a spooky turn with well-timed, fear-inducing messages designed to nudge your audience toward a purchase. According to Salesforce, almost 68% of holiday shoppers said they pay more attention to email marketing from companies during the festive period. This is a great chance to remind your customers of upcoming seasonal offers they don’t want to miss.
💡Ideas:
- Countdown Emails: Send emails with countdown timers leading up to Halloween or the end of a special sale. Adding lines like “Only 48 hours left to claim your spooky deal!” creates a sense of urgency.
- Abandoned Cart Email: A study by Moosend shows that abandoned cart emails get 45% open rates, and 21% of them receive clicks. Of all the clicks, half of them completed a purchase. This is the perfect time to encourage your consumers to empty their carts and boost your sales.
6. Pop-Up Events for FOMO IRL
Although much of the marketing aspects have gone digital, pop-up events are a fantastic way to generate buzz and create real-life FOMO. When customers hear about a Halloween-themed pop-up event but can’t attend, it can spur greater engagement with your brand’s other offerings. Malaysia might not celebrate Halloween as much as other countries but we still have a bunch of fun Halloween-themed campaigns like IPC Mall Spookynista, Legoland Brick-or-Treat, and many more.
💡Ideas:
- Pop-Up Stores: Create a temporary pop-up shop offering Halloween-exclusive items or experiences, such as spooky snacks or haunted house tours. Promote the event with influencers, digital ads, and email campaigns to attract foot traffic.
- Themed Experiences: If your brand doesn’t have physical products, you can still host Halloween events, such as virtual haunted houses, webinars, or online escape rooms. These events give your audience something unique to experience and share online. This is where you can also invite influencers to further spread the word about your event.
7. FOMO in Social Ads
Halloween-themed digital ads can create FOMO with the right messaging and visuals. Incorporating phrases like “last chance,” “only available until Halloween,” or “while stocks last” in your ad copy can encourage your audience to act quickly.
💡Ideas:
- Geofencing for Local Events: If you’re hosting a Halloween event, you can use geofencing to target customers near your event location, delivering FOMO-inducing ads that highlight what they’re missing. This is the perfect to attract people within the vicinity of your outlet or event venue.
- Instagram Stories & Reels: Make use of Instagram Stories or Reels, showcasing brief, engaging clips of your Halloween products or events. Stories work well for FOMO, as they disappear after 24 hours, creating a sense of urgency.
Final Thoughts
Using FOMO in Halloween marketing is a powerful and fun way to engage customers and drive conversions. By creating a sense of urgency and scarcity, brands can encourage customers to act quickly, whether through limited-time offers, influencer collaborations, or interactive content. This Spooktober, let your marketing campaign haunts your audience in all the right ways, turning potential FOMO into a real sales boost.
Want to make your audience feel FOMO over your promos? Let’s talk preferably while wearing our Halloween costumes.