Halloween preparation has already begun for most of us, since customers start buying their Halloween items throughout September. Statista, the online marketing statistics site, reported that 28% of shoppers start their Halloween shopping in September, with 43% completing it in the first week of October. If you haven’t started your Halloween preparations, NOW is the time.

While you’re preparing your storefront and inside your shop with spooky Halloween decorations and offers, make sure to give a lot of attention to your online marketing too—that’s where many of your customers will be looking for Halloween ideas. Here are a few tips to make sure your online marketing is ready:

1. Optimize your website for mobile shopping. With 23% of Halloween shoppers using mobile in 2017 and 35% in 2018, it’s a sure bet that this year mobile shopping will be huge. Check your website’s functionality on mobile devices and make sure it’s fully compatible so you don’t lose any potential sales. And make sure your emails and promotions are all mobile-friendly.
2. Run Halloween contests on social media. Use Facebook and Instagram as key marketing tools for Halloween. Make sure to get your customers involved: Have them share their best Halloween costume photos with a prize of a free arrangement for the winner. Share every photo across social media and even on your website, and don’t forget to create a hashtag specifically for your store that you use in every post.
3. Use Influencers in your Halloween marketing. Social media influencers are a great way to get your product noticed by large numbers of people. Find a local influencer and partner with them to promote your flowers this Halloween. You’ll be amazed at the response you can get from a shared image of an influencer receiving a gorgeous Halloween arrangement in your store!
4. Promote your Halloween events online. Since Halloween is the kickoff to all the other fall and winter holidays, it’s a great time to get as many people as possible into your business so that you can continue to promote to them throughout the rest of the year. Why not throw a fun Halloween party in your store and share it all over social media? You can also hold a workshop so customers can create their own Halloween floral arrangement. The key here is to promote the events on social media and then show pictures of the events afterwards.

Follow these tips now and have Spooktacular Halloween sales!