Marketing Tricks: How to Earn More Treats

Take down the real cobwebs, it’s time to hang up the fake ones! 

Do you remember going trick-or-treating as a child? I didn’t grow up in the US, and we didn’t have Halloween in my home country, but I have been taking my children trick-or-treating ever since they could walk. Besides the joy of seeing them have fun (combined with the dread of the impending sugar rush,) Halloween is a great opportunity to watch and observe: who’s got the best costumes? The scariest? Who’s collecting the most candy? What kind of candy? What’s their strategy for filling up their bag of treats? Do they even have a strategy?

Here are three lessons we can learn from trick-or-treating and apply to your marketing tricks:

#1 Just show up

That’s the most important lesson. You don’t have to have the best costume. But you should show up in one. 

In marketing, you also have to show up, and be in ‘costume’ (your branding, of course). Put yourself out there, whether on social media or at your local Chamber of Commerce. If you show up without a costume, chances are you’ll be mistaken for an average Joe and you won’t get any candy. Don’t be average, be remarkable!

#2 Knock on those doors 

It’s Halloween, so if the house has spooky decorations up and the lights are on, they’re likely expecting trick-or-treaters. So go ahead and knock! 

Interruptive marketing is so last year. No one wants to be interrupted by your unsolicited ad, your pop-up, your cold call. That’s like the door-to-door salesman knocking. But if you’re there for them when they expect you, and – even better – when they need you, you win the marketing gold! So go ahead and be there when and where people expect you to be: in Google’s search results, when they’re looking for your service; locally, at relevant community events where you can share your expertise; in your social media, offering advice and tips. Some examples could be, if, say, it’s fall and people should clean their gutters to prevent water damage, or, maybe it’s winter and they should know how to prevent frozen pipes to avoid a bigger disaster. Give them what they need, when they need it.

#3 Know your target

Trick-or-treaters don’t want boxes of raisins. Successful trick-or-treaters know which houses give away the cheap stuff versus the full-size candy bars, and they show up early enough to those prime spots, before the other trick-or-treaters clean them out! 

Do you know who your ideal client is? Do you know where to find your most desirable audience? Is it on Google, on Facebook, on LinkedIn, or at a local event? When you do know, make sure you target them in every marketing message you put out there, and see that your message – words, pictures, videos etc. – speaks to them, addresses their concerns and inspires confidence. 

And there you have it, these are three Halloween-inspired marketing treats to add to your toolbox of marketing tricks: be on-brand, show up where people expect you, and know your audience.