It’s one of the scariest holidays we celebrate, but Halloween can turn out to be a sweet event for college stores who create promotions centered on the yearly event. This year, Washington and Lee University Store decided do just that with a Halloween Spooktacular!
The store posted a list of fun and engaging tasks to their Facebook and Twitter pages and awarded the first student who completed each of the activities with a prize. The list included everything from singing along to a Halloween tune to eating a heaping handful of candy corn in front of the store’s cashier.
“It’s been really popular,” said KC Schaefer, director. “We posted the promotion on Tuesday and, by Wednesday afternoon, more than half of the tasks were completed.”
In-store signs teased customers by telling them to visit the store’s social media pages to learn more about the promotion. According to Schaefer, that strategy paid off with more likes and follows.
“It’s always a good thing when we can increase our fan base, because it means the promotion has had a lasting impact,” he said. “It allows us to continue reaching those students with everything we do.”
Winners were awarded with a variety of prizes including beach towels, Tervis tumblers filled with candy, Under Armour apparel, a $13.13 store gift certificate and more.
“We keep a stash of items donated by vendors, so that we can offer our students high-value giveaways throughout the year without affecting our bottom line too much,” he described. “We really want to reward our students for being a part of our social community. If it’s all sales information and no fun, then people will eventually check out. These contests help us improve social retention.”
The Spooktacular tasks also allowed staff members to have some fun, as they witnessed student customers completing each activity.
“It’s been pretty entertaining!” Schaefer added. “It’s helped create a festive atmosphere, and adds a different flair to the store.”
Although the promotion ends today, Schaefer says that the concept behind it will continue in all of the store’s social media initiatives.
“We always try to do something new and fresh with the goal of creating a positive buzz for the store,” he said. “It’s all about getting students to talk about the unique things we’re doing with their friends.”
