Eek! Halloween is almost here. As one of the top 5 most popular holidays in the United States, there’s no shortage of spooky events, movies, and music that crop up during the month of October. One of the most iconic things associated with Halloween is costume parties. For both the young and young at heart, dressing up and getting in the spirit of the season is a yearly tradition. 

Of course, everyone wants to have the best costume. There’s no better way to choose a winner than hosting a costume contest. But how can your business turn this friendly competition into a successful, engaging activity for staff and customers alike? We’ve got some tips on how to transform your costume contest into a mood-boosting, marketing success. 

Crafting the Perfect Contest For Staff

Halloween-related activities have been proven to be a great way to boost morale and improve teamwork. Costume contests in particular are a fun way for employees to get excited about the holiday and workday alike. Even remote employees can partake, by either hopping on a scheduled Zoom meeting or sending in a photo of themselves in their spookiest attire. 

While everyone is vying for the coveted place of “Best Costume”, it may be beneficial for your business to include other winning categories, like:

  • Best Group Costume
  • Most Original Costume
  • Scariest Costume
  • Funniest Costume
  • Best TV or Movie Character

Allowing your employees to vote on their teammates’ costumes means the results are in their hands! Once you’ve chosen the winners, display their victorious costumes where everyone can see their great dress-up skills. This can be done via digital signage at your on-premise location, via email if you’ve got a remote team, or through social media channels, allowing your customers to catch a glimpse of all the fun. 

How is a silly costume contest a marketing win for your business? Employee satisfaction has been shown to have a direct impact on the customer experience and overall perception of a company. The more fun your employees are having, the more likely your customers are to trust your business and return for future purchases. 

How to Use a Costume Contest to Engage With Customers

It doesn’t have to be just employees breaking out their witchy wardrobe or vampire attire. Inviting your customers to participate in their own costume contest can be an excellent way to draw attention, interest, and conversation to your business. 

Here are a few ways to invite your customers to don their best costumes: 

  • Offer incentives like a sample of your newest product or a percentage off of your most popular food items to those ghouls and gals who dress up and visit your business. 
  • Promote the competition on social media and encourage your audience to tag your business in their costume posts, peppered liberally with appropriate, branded hashtags.
  • Feature their photos–with their permission, of course–on your on-premise displays.
  • Allow visitors to vote on their favorite costumes via interactive kiosks or through surveys that will be delivered to them if they join your WiFi network. 

With these tips in mind, your business can maximize the impact–and fun–of the traditional Halloween costume party. 

However, customer engagement is key all year round, not just on Halloween. Does your business need to work on the customer experience it’s providing? Schedule a demo with Spectrio today to learn more about how we can help shake the cobwebs from your engagement strategy and performance.