Do you like Halloween? I was born in Hungary, where we traditionally don’t celebrate Halloween. In fact, during my childhood, Halloween wasn’t part of our culture at all. Instead, we have the 'Day of the Dead' on the 1st of November, which is a more solemn occasion - a time for remembering loved ones who have passed, especially in my family, as it is for many families in Hungary.

However, since moving to Ireland, I’ve happily adopted Halloween! It’s such a fun, creative holiday. If you know me a little by now, you will know how important creativity is to me. I love the decorations, the costume parties (extra points for homemade costumes!), and seeing kids walking to school in their fun outfits - it brings so much joy to the day. Although I must admit, I’m not a big fan of all the candy and sweets that come with it, Halloween adds even more colour to this already colourful season.

With that in mind, I decided to write some fun and creative ideas for Halloween marketing. As a virtual assistant who specialises in social media management and graphic design (check out my services here), I know how important it is for small business owners to seize the seasonal spirit and connect with their audience. Whether or not you have celebrated Halloween before, it’s the perfect opportunity to boost your brand with a touch of spooky fun!

Have a look at the following ideas. I'm pretty sure you will find one or two which you can adopt in your business and add to your marketing plan.

1. Spooki-fy your website and social media: make your landing pages Halloween-themed

Give your online presence a Halloween makeover! Update your website’s banners, fonts, or colours to reflect the spooky season, or add Halloween graphics to your social media profiles. If you run an e-commerce site, consider adding themed product images, fun skeleton or ghost icons for buttons, or even a “spooky” pop-up for limited-time offers.

Social media is where you can really let your creativity run wild. Try these ideas:

Post spooky “behind the scenes” images or videos of your team preparing for Halloween.
Share Halloween-themed memes or jokes that are relevant to your industry.
Create Halloween graphics featuring your products or services—think pumpkins, bats, or ghosts to give them a festive twist.
Use spooky music for your reels.

How it helps: This gives your audience a visual reason to stop and engage with your brand. Plus, a refreshed, seasonal look shows customers that you’re in tune with current trends, making your brand feel more dynamic and relatable.
(Do you need help to reach that spooky look with your graphics? Ask me about my Canva graphic design services.)

2. Offer spooky product names or themes

Take a look at your current products or services and ask yourself: how can I Halloween-ify them? This could be as simple as renaming your existing products to something more thematic. For example, if you're a book author, consider offering “Fright Night” editions of your novels with special spooky covers or even a Halloween-themed short story as a limited-time giveaway.

For small business owners, renaming your services for the season can add a playful twist. Think along the lines of:

“Creepy Consultation” for marketing or strategy services,
“Monster Makeover” for a website revamp,
“Ghoulish Graphics” for design services, or
“Witchy Workshops” for coaching or training sessions.

Here are a few more ideas to spice things up:

“Wicked Web Design” for creative services or website development.
“Potion Pack” for beauty or wellness products (or anything that can be packaged creatively).
“Boo-tique Bundle” for a collection of your best-selling items at a special price.
“Enchanted Editions” for special versions of your digital downloads, courses, or ebooks—make them Halloween-themed with spooky visuals or colours.
“Trick or Treat Flash Sale”: Offer a surprise discount, where customers receive either a "trick" (small discount) or a "treat" (bigger discount) at checkout.
“Mummy’s Madness Sale”: A flash sale targeting parents or mums that ties into the “mummy” theme.
“Zombie Revival”: For services like coaching or business consultations, offer a “revival” package to breathe new life into a struggling project or business.

You can also create Halloween-themed bundles or limited-edition products, like:

A “Trick or Treat” pack of your bestsellers, or
A “Pumpkin Spice Special” for fall-themed items or services.
“Haunted Mystery Box”: Sell a mystery box filled with surprise products, or perhaps create a limited-time service that’s only revealed once purchased.
“Spooky Subscription”: If you have a subscription model, offer a limited-time Halloween upgrade or exclusive seasonal content for subscribers.

How it helps: Creative naming grabs attention and creates a fun shopping experience. Your products and services become part of the holiday excitement, making them more memorable and enticing for customers. Plus, a limited-edition or seasonal theme encourages urgency, making customers more likely to buy now rather than later.

3. Host a virtual costume contest

We all know that engagement is key in marketing. What would be a better way to involve your customers than with a virtual costume contest? Encourage your audience to dress up, snap a picture, and tag your business on social media for a chance to win a spooky prize. If you have a book or literature-related business, you could invite the readers to dress up as their favourite character from a book!

This is not only fun for your audience but also gives you plenty of user-generated content to share across your channels, building excitement and encouraging others to join in.

Here are some other Halloween-themed contest ideas:

Best homemade costume competition;
Scariest costume competition;
Face painting competition;
Spooky story contest: Invite your audience to share their best spooky stories or Halloween memories. You can set a word limit and ask participants to submit their entries via social media or email. The best story could win a special prize, like a gift card to your business.
Pumpkin carving contest: participants can showcase their best creations. Ask them to submit photos of their carved pumpkins and share them on your social media. You could offer a discount or a small prize for the best designs.
Halloween trivia challenge: You could post questions on your social media, and those who answer correctly can be entered into a drawing for a prize. This not only boosts engagement but also educates your audience about Halloween.
Photo scavenger hunt: participants need to find and photograph specific items (e.g., a black cat, a pumpkin, a witch hat) around their neighbourhood. They can share their photos on social media with a designated hashtag, and the most creative or quickest participants can win prizes.
Decorate your space contest: Encourage your audience to share photos of their Halloween decorations at home or their business. This can create a sense of community, and participants can vote for their favourite displays. You could reward the best-decorated space with a prize or a discount on your services.

How it helps: This type of contest increases customer interaction, extends your brand’s reach through social sharing, and creates an exciting community around your business.

(Need help managing your social media presence or organising a contest on social media? Learn about my social media management services here.)

4. Share a spooky story (with a business twist)

Storytelling is a powerful marketing tool, and Halloween gives you the perfect opportunity to use it in a spooky but engaging way. Create a fun, ghostly tale that somehow ties back to your brand or product.

For authors, this is your chance to write a quick Halloween-themed short story for your readers, giving them something to enjoy that also showcases your writing style.

For other small business owners, share a playful “horror story” about a business challenge you’ve overcome—like the time you ran out of stock during a big sale or faced a terrifying customer service situation. Add humour and valuable lessons to make it relatable!

For example, you could start like:

Freelance graphic designer:
“Last year, just before Halloween, I received a frantic email from a client asking for a last-minute flyer for their spooky event. With only hours left and a toddler in tow, I had to channel my creativity quickly. I grabbed some crayons and started sketching ideas that I could digitise later. Little did I know, my son would become my unexpected muse…”

Yoga Instructor

“On Halloween morning, I was preparing for my yoga class when I noticed that my usual playlist was missing the perfect spooky soundtrack. I quickly gathered my favourite Halloween tunes and decided to turn my class into a ‘Costume Flow.’ The results? A blend of laughter and relaxation that led to some of the best yoga photos I’d ever shared!”

Photographer

“Every Halloween, I offer themed photo sessions, but last year was particularly memorable. As I set up a haunted backdrop, my son accidentally knocked over the decorations! Instead of getting frustrated, I rolled with it and turned the mishap into a ‘Behind the Scenes’ video. The playful content became a hit on my social media, showing clients the fun side of our photo sessions.”

How it helps: Storytelling connects with your audience on an emotional level and helps humanise your brand. Plus, a Halloween story with a business twist will make your content stand out from the usual marketing noise.

5. Collaborate on a spooky giveaway

Halloween is the perfect time for collaboration. Partner with another business or artist/creative to create a spooky-themed giveaway. This could include a bundle of Halloween goodies from both businesses or a set of products that work well together for the season.

For example, an author could team up with a local candle maker to offer a “Creepy Candlelight Reading” gift set. Or a beauty brand could collaborate with a costume shop to create a “Halloween Glam” package.

How it helps: Collaborative giveaways expand your reach to new audiences while adding more value to your promotion. It’s a win-win for both businesses and creates excitement around the holiday.

Haunt your competition by standing out!

As you can see, Halloween isn’t just about candy and costumes - it’s also a time for creativity and fun. By adding a spooky touch to your marketing efforts, you can create memorable customer experiences, boost engagement, and most importantly, set yourself apart from the competition.

Which tip/tips are you considering trying this Halloween? Let me know If you need any help to make your business “boo-tiful”.

If you’re looking to boost your marketing efforts or need assistance with your business, I'm here to help!

Read 20 Creative Birthday Marketing Ideas for Small Business Owners here.