Make the most of Bonfire Night and Halloween for your Small Business

People’s favourite scary time of the year is fast approaching, the time of the year where the clocks go back, the days become shorter, the leaves turn that beautiful colour and everyone reaches for that extra layer. Halloween is fast approaching and that is quickly followed by bonfire night a week later.

How much do Brits spend at Halloween?

Halloween has become big business for Brits in the last decade. We may not be as lavish or extravagant as our American counterparts, but it provides an excellent opportunity for business owners to run a promotional campaign or revise marketing strategies. Mintel reported that one in six consumers spend over £50 during this time of the year, and customer spending has increased by 39% from 230m six years ago in 2013, to 320m in 2017.

Promote your small business at Halloween!

It is important for small business owners to understand that just because the.y may not be selling Halloween merchandise or costumes directly associated with the event, it doesn’t mean they can’t capitalise on the event too. A simple email or SMS text to your existing database notifying them of a sale or offer can suffice.

Once Halloween is over and people put away their costumes, all eyes then focus on bonfire night. Many business owners are now tying this in with the Halloween period as an extended marketing approach. All across the UK there are many hundreds of firework parties across the bonfire weekend providing entertainment, food, drinks and fun for ages young and old. Firework night is often when the temperatures begin to drop and people wear their new autumn apparel.

How can small businesses benefit from firework shows?

Strange questions I know, but with so many firework events going on up and down the country and large volumes of people attending these, what does that mean for your small business? Take advantage of this opportunity to network and maximise revenue streams. With so many firework events going on, you could potentially set up a stall to reach out to the local community and secure new customers. You could run unique promotional gifts, and the best thing of all with Bonfire Night you aren’t restricted to one set age range. You could provide gifts which would be perfect for everyone – something for children and also something that caters for the adults.

Why it is important for small business owners to get their branding right?

Firework night provides a great opportunity to build some brand association. I’m sure if I mentioned the phrase “holidays are coming” you would be able to associate the famous global brand to the advert, and no doubt humming along to yourself. We see the advert every year, and many now associate the festive holidays with that choice of soft drink. Obviously on a small scale, but perhaps you could entertain something similar for Halloween or bonfire night? Ask yourself, what makes you stand out against your competitors locally. Dig a little deeper and look at ways you can engage with these potential customers.

What are the benefits of promoting your small business on social media platforms?

Promote your products or services with a relevant bonfire theme. Maybe a discount voucher with a Catherine wheel in the back drop? Sounds simple enough but it is relevant to bonfire night whilst conveying your business intentions. If you are not on social media why not create some business accounts for your small business. Various platforms include Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. You can now use apps which feeds relevant posts from one source to another saving you and your business time.  Social media might seem like a fun platform for people to share pictures, but used correctly it can be  an incredibly powerful business tool.

Small business owners shouldn’t be adverse to providing samples or taster treatments for their services and products. It won’t be for every business, but if you provide artificial grass for example it shows customers first-hand the potential product they may be purchasing. If you are a local IT company or specialist service provider, have you contemplated offering a free trial to consumers or clients to give them a taste of how beneficial your small business services could be?

Hiring a credit card machine for a Firework display

With all the talk of Halloween and Fireworks it’s also important to remember to make sure that customer satisfaction is still top of the agenda. Brits are now carrying less and less cash on them and being able to accept debit and credit card payments to pay for goods has become the norm amongst most people. Having card payments means you won’t miss a sale and you’ll avoid the awkward situation of saying you don’t accept card payments. Card machines are now steadily appearing at firework displays because of the convenience and safety is brings. It means less cash handling for people who are working on the gates and allows for a smoother flow of people coming through the gates. If you’re organising a firework display or Halloween event and need to accept card payments, please get in touch to see how we can boost your sales potential. We offer a simple, quick set up and offer the latest in payment technology.