<p>Halloween is right around the corner, apart from contemplating what costume you might wear to your annual party, have you thought about how you might use the holiday to the advantage of your business or brand? While the obvious holidays, such as Christmas and Valentine’s Day, rarely get forgotten, many companies forget the growing impact smaller holidays such as Halloween can have. The 31st October proposes a lot of opportunities for promotional ideas available at Stay Sourced, not only because of the tradition of dressing up and attending frightening parties, but because it also falls close to or during school holidays. You can make the most of upcoming seasonal events by preparing well in advance, here’s how you should go about it…</p>
<p><img src="https://medusamagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Prepare-for-Seasonal-Events-in-Advance-600x399.jpg" alt="Prepare for Seasonal Events in Advance" width="600" height="399" class="aligncenter size-Correct wp-image-7238" /></p>
<h2>Establish a link</h2>
<p>Before you begin considering budgets, quantity and target audience, you must work out a way to tie in the holiday with your brand. Halloween normally provides opportunity for brands to create a gimmick and is often approached lightly, so think about how you might be able to turn some of the Halloween traditions, such as trick or treating, into effective marketing strategies that will get your brand’s message across.</p>
<h2>Plan how you can be different</h2>
<p>Many companies will be thinking along the same lines as you, trying to work the upcoming holidays and events into their promotional marketing strategies, so it is important that you come up with some more innovative ways to promote your brand. Think outside the box and reinvent the holidays around your brand, to ensure you stand out from the crowd.</p>
<h2>Find the perfect product</h2>
<p>There will be many themed products available, and it is important that you pick some that will make a lasting impression. Consider branding sweets to offer to your clients or customers as if they were trick or treaters, or bespoke items that are in keeping with the theme but are branded with your company logo, such as witches hats. The great thing about marketing products toward specific seasons is that any merchandise you have left over can be used again the following year.</p>
<h2>Give yourself enough time</h2>
<p>When preparing for any promotional merchandising campaign, it is important you give yourself enough time to prepare for it, so that you can establish a budget, consider quantities and work out how best to distribute your products. The more time you can allow yourself, the better. Some people are already starting to prepare for next year’s World Cup! How ahead of the game are you?</p>

How to: Prepare for Seasonal Events in Advance
