Halloween is a fantastic opportunity to attract customers, new and old, increase foot traffic, and create an unforgettable experience for your bar’s patrons. Everyone is in a mood to have fun and let their guard down, and it’s the ideal holiday to put your bar on the map. It’s time to hold a spooky soiree!
Whether you’re going all-out and hosting a themed party or simply serving eerie eats and devilish drinks during the holiday, promoting your bar will require some effort.
An effective email marketing strategy can cast a powerful spell on your audience, helping you increase footfall and revenue.
Let’s explore all there is to email marketing for your bar’s Halloween events.
Effective Email Marketing for Halloween: The Complete Rundown
Email marketing delivers a high return on investment (ROI), with around $36 for every $1 you spend. It’s a cost-effective, lucrative strategy that can do wonders to promote your bar for Halloween and other events and holidays.
If you want to harness the powers of email marketing, here are some things to help you create an effective campaign:
Halloween-Themed Email List
Before sending out marketing emails, you need a well-segmented and targeted Halloween-themed email list.
Offer exclusive Halloween promotions or freebies to those who sign up for your mailing list to help you build your target audience:
- Trick or Treat welcome offers: New subscribers can receive special offers such as a complimentary Halloween-themed cocktail or a discounted ticket to your Halloween party.
- Contest and giveaway: Encourage participants to sign up for your email list by hosting a Halloween-themed contest or giveaway.
Once you have a mailing list, segment it based on metrics such as age and demographics, customer preferences, and past Halloween event attendance. This will help you send more personalized and targeted emails.
Spooky Subject Lines to Increase Open Rates
The subject line is the first thing recipients see when they get your email, so make it captivating to increase open rates.
Here are some Halloween-themed subject line ideas:
- Join us for a frighteningly good time on Halloween night!
- Have a haunted Halloween with us at <Bar Name>!
- Have no fear, a spooktacular Halloween is near!
You can be as goofy, spooky, and creative as you like; just remember to keep the subject line short and simple!
Announcement Emails to Set The Tone
Before launching your email campaign for Halloween, announce it to your subscribers.
You can set the tone with a mysterious and intriguing teaser. Hint that you will be unveiling something special and providing details very soon. This will generate buzz and let recipients know that you have something brewing, so they will keep an eye out for future emails.
Event Details
Once you have announced your upcoming Halloween event, provide all relevant details about what to expect. Make sure this information is clear and easy to understand.
You don’t have to put everything in one email. Of course, the date, venue, and time should be included in all communications about the event. However, other information can be spread out in individual messages:
- Themed menu: If you are offering special drinks and food items for your Halloween event, you can share this in an email detailing the menu. This will pique patrons’ curiosity, particularly if you use enticing visuals and descriptions.
- Special offers: If you have special Halloween offers for regular patrons or email subscribers, promote them in a separate email. You can thank them for being loyal to your establishment and provide a discount or freebie to express your gratitude.
- Discounts: Offer event-related discounts, such as half-priced cocktails for the first hour of your event or 1+1 drinks for the first five or ten customers. These incentives will encourage your subscribers to attend your Halloween event.
Consistently sending promotional emails will help maintain recipients’ interest and increase open rates.
Use creative Halloween email templates to make your messages unique and fun.
Quizzes, Polls, Trivia, and Games
You don’t want every single email you send out to be for marketing purposes. It’s best to encourage patrons to have fun and let loose. A great way to do so is to mix up your marking emails with engaging and exciting activities, such as:
- Halloween-themed quizzes and puzzles
- Polls asking readers to vote on things such as best costume from the previous year
- Trivia and “Did You Know” emails outlining fun facts about Halloween, including spooky stories, mythological creatures, and urban legends to set the tone
- Simple games, such as a Halloween-themed crossword puzzle
You can send these kinds of emails just for fun or ask subscribers to send their answers to quizzes, puzzles, and games for a chance to win a prize. They can also send their entries for Halloween stories and polls. This boosts engagement and can be phrased as a CTA (call to action).
Reminder Emails
Reminder emails are critical—even those genuinely interested in your event may forget about it because of their busy schedules.
Send reminder emails a week or so before your event, then three or four days prior. And finally, send a last-minute reminder 24 hours before your event and first thing in the morning.
If your bar isn’t overfull, you can send another email at the end of the first hour. Offer an incentive during this period: “Our special discounts last through the night! Head over to <bar’s name> now!”
Follow-Up Emails
Send these emails after the event:
- Ask attendees to provide feedback and suggestions to improve future events
- Show your gratitude with a thank you message for those who attended (you can also include a discount code to entice them to visit your bar again)
- Highlights from the event to give attendees a fun memento of the evening
These are great ways to garner direct feedback and ensure attendees feel their presence was important to you.
Final Thoughts
Email marketing is a tremendous opportunity to promote your bar and attract customers during Halloween. The key is to use eye-catching visuals with the help of a graphic design platform like PosterMyWall, along with well-written content.
With just a little work, your bar is sure to be a success!
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