Halloween is Big Business: What We Can Learn From It

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I’ll never forget my worst Halloween EVERRRR!

Picture it. I was four years old with poker straight strawberry blonde hair and bright bluey green eyes.

 

I was a tad short for my age, but I had a fiery personality. Okay, I talked a lot and that served me well sometimes, but most of the time it got me in trouble.

  

All I wanted to be for Halloween was a WITCH! And I was sure to let everyone know. No princess dresses or crowns for this girl. 

 

And I think my mom knew that. I fought her most mornings before pre-school to leave my hair alone and not make me wear a dress.

 

So perhaps that’s why she didn’t think I’d mind wearing a hand-me-down costume from our neighbors. 

 

Perhaps she couldn’t justify spending moolah on something that was destined for goodwill the following year.

 

Oh, and did I mention everyone on my block were boys, except for my best friend Amy. So the likelihood of them having witch costumes was next to none.

 

In fact, the only option was a skeleton. Yup...a full piece skeleton costume with an entire headpiece that covered my face.

I was mortified! But the temper tantrums didn’t help. Off to pre-school, I went dressed as a  skeleton. It was that or go as nothing. At the time both options were brutal, but I couldn't’ bring myself to not dress up.

 

I am stubborn, but not that stubborn. So I showed up to class and all the other girls were dressed as princesses, witches, fairies, my little ponies, and strawberry shortcake. 

 

Just to name a few!! 

 

It was the worst Halloween ever! But it didn’t change my love for this spooky holiday. Yes, I classify it as a holiday.

 

And I think there is so much we can learn from this BILLION dollar industry. I mean anytime an industry is performing that well there is always something we can learn.

So I’ve broken down some takeaways of what I think this industry does well and things you can apply in your business too.

 

Are you ready?

 

Let’s dive in!!

 

1.Experiences Matter

People always want to invest in entertainment (aka FUN TIMES). 

 

Last year I traveled to LA for a business conference. While there I visited with friends and they took us to the LA Haunted Hayride. I’ve learned this business earned close to $600,000 in 17 days. By offering an experience for its users where we had fun + got scared they were able to incur crazy amounts of sales in a short period of time.

 

I’ve also shared how I’ve focused my marketing on creating exceptional customer experiences that turn one-time customers into lifetime customers on The Workshop Podcast.

 

So how can you create an experience in your business that is entertaining for your audience?

 

2. Suspense Sells

I don’t include this as a technique to manipulate your audience. I freaking hate clickbait tactics. But suspense is a great way to spur interest to entice your audience to want to learn more.

 

We’ve all read a great suspense novel or watched a thriller. It kept us at the edge of our seats wanting more. If you can create that same feeling in your content it will keep people wanting more from you. And this is a good thing. I share more tips on The Screw the Nine to Five Blog.

 

How can you create a feeling in your audience that has them inspired to learn more? 

 

3. Human Interaction Always Wins

I feel lots of brands have lost the personal connection piece, or at least they aren’t doing it great. 

 

If you read my email on Tuesday, you saw a great example of how brands don’t always do a great job treating people like humans.  

 

Halloween still uses door-to-door human interactions even though lots of holidays and traditions have evolved because of our access to technology. Some traditions even disappear altogether. For example, handwritten letters, or telephone calls aren’t as prevalent now with emails and texting.

 

With evolution, I believe we lose that human connection and interaction. But I believe it’s vital for building a successful business. Here are 3 ways you can build connection and community around your brand. 

 

So now how can you personalize things in your business so your audience feels seen and heard? 

 

I hope this has inspired you to learn from industries and businesses that are doing things well. 

 

I’d like for you to share your biggest takeaway below. And how you plan to take action in your biz.