Halloween is upon us! According to the National Retail Federation, more than 175 million Americans will participate in the holiday this year, and spending is expected to reach $9 billion. What does this mean for you and your business? It’s time to get in the spirit and start marketing towards those Halloween-lovers out there.

GET DECORATING
While it may seem like so much of your brand now lives online in your web pages or social media, don’t discount the importance (and fun!) of decorating your window front or placing some cobwebs along your front desk. The key here is figuring out what level of decor fits with your demographic and brand. Plan to engage both your current (and potential) clients with subtle nods to the holiday. Remember: You’re not a haunted house or a costume retailer, so avoid the more garish décor options out and there and instead focus on small details—think: spider decals on your windows or mirrors, spray-painted or glittery pumpkins on countertops or a wooden broom hanging from your bathroom doors. After all, if you’re catering to an upscale client, you want to provide them with a thoughtful, creative take on the holiday.

Also consider branding some t-shirts for the occasion and have front desk staffers and trainers wear them throughout the week(s) leading up to Halloween. Work with your original logo, but make the shirts black, white and orange instead, or add some ghostly details (witch’s hat, spider web, gravestone, etc.).

CREATIVE CLASSES
Subbing some themed classes into your schedule this month is a great way to get into the holiday spirit. As you get closer to the 31st, turning a few of your more popular classes (with a loyal following) into costume parties is a fun way to amp up the energy. You could set up a theme that students follow—80s workout, for example—and create a hashtag for the class, posting photos of the best costumes from each session.

It’s also a good idea to add a few post-Halloween, burn-the-candy-calories sessions to your calendar for the first week of November.

To lure in new customers, think about offering a special Halloween promotion on class packages. Advertise this both in your storefront and on your website and social platforms.

GET SPOOKY ON SOCIAL 
Giveaways are an effective way for brands to maximize engagement on your social platforms. Big brands ranging from American Apparel to Petco have done this in the past to great success, and you can tailor something similar to fit your studio. Whether your contest asks followers to submit their best fitness-related Halloween costumes or photos of them exercising in costume, a few musts apply. First, everyone has to submit their entry via a branded hashtag (like American Apparel’s #AAHalloween). Second, you want to promote this across all of your platforms daily or every other day, outlining the rules, deadline and prize. (Also promote in your studio and in any email blasts you send out.) Lastly, the aforementioned prize. People enjoy participating in contests because it’s festive and fun, so you don’t need to go crazy here. Remember that branded t-shirt we recommended? Throw one of those in with a Visa gift card and a free class and you’ll be good to go.

Another way to leverage your social presence is to post funny images or videos of you or your trainers working out in costume. There is no recipe when it comes to going viral, but trainers dressed as zombies cycling to Thriller could just get you there. Or decked out in Game of Thrones costumes while practicing barre. You get the idea—Halloween is the perfect time of year to showcase your studio’s personality and have some fun at the same time. Whatever you post, remember to research trending hashtags at the time (think: #Halloween #HappyHalloween #TrickorTreat), as this is your best bet to gain new followers.

DON’T FORGET YOUR WEBSITE
If you’ve got the bandwidth, adding some creepy elements to your homepage is another way to tie into Halloween. It’s doesn’t take long or cost much to add some spider webs to your logo for the month, and you’ll also want to advertise any promotions you’re running around the holiday on your homepage as well. Halloween is a top keyword search this month and the more times you have it on your page, the higher you will rank in search and the more likely consumers will find your site (and your studio!).

If your site encompasses a blog, write two or three posts about Halloween—healthy tips for avoiding candy or ways to get in a workout while trick or treating. Again, the more Halloween-themed content you have on your site, the better it is for your business.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH
Halloween night is also a prime opportunity to connect with your community. Volunteer to be a business trick-or-treat stop in your neighborhood and hand out candy—with a small flyer advertising your studio attached to each bag, of course. If you want to stand out, have a few staffers out there with you showing off techniques, blasting music and making the night as fun as possible for the kids and parents who stop by.