Happy October! This month is known for many qualities: cool fall weather, pumpkin carvings and the ever-favored hayrack rides. October is perfect for apple picking, big sweatshirts and toasty hot chocolate as we prepare for the cold winter ahead. 

For small businesses and individual professionals, October provides the perfect opportunity to increase your marketing efforts, connect with potential customers and grow your organization. Are you feeling stumped on how to market this October? Check out our 13 ideas to get started marketing and growing this month.

1. Hold a costume contest. Because who doesn’t love a good old fashioned costume contest during October, right? It gets customers engaged, having fun and intrigued with your business.
    
2. Sponsor a Halloween event. If you’re not into the costume contest idea, a simple Halloween event is always a good route to go.
    
3. Offer an Oktoberfest beer special. Keep it family friendly, of course. Unless that’s not your style. In which case, go all out.
    
4. Share a pumpkin carving contest. This is definitely the family-friendlier option. Pumpkin carving is a great way to share your business with others while still offering a great time this fall.
    
5. Decorate your storefront. Have some fun with spooky decorations this month. The bigger you go, the more likely you are to have community members stop by to see what the fuss is about. This is a great way to drive foot traffic! 
    
6. Spook-ify your marketing efforts. Whether it’s an email, direct mail piece or social media post, get into the spooky spirit this October with your design efforts. Find a way to add a pumpkin to your logo (for one time only). Offer a scary-good deal on your next marketing piece. The sky's the limit! 
    
7. Support a fall sports team. There are so many popular sports during the fall. See if you can sponsor a team to engage with the community and show off the caring side of your business. This helps give you recognition in your community.
    
8. Get creative on holidays. Halloween isn’t the only holiday this month. Get a little creative with the holidays during October to stand out from the crowd. For example, have you heard about Sweetest Day, October 21st? Look up some of the other holidays observed this month, no matter how obscure they may be.
    
9. Engage in a trivia contest. Everybody loves a riveting round of trivia. Offer up your location or get involved with a local contest to network in the community.
    
10. Give out Halloween goodies. More than just candy, giving away Halloween goodies is a spooky way to interact with customers and remind them of your business. Don’t be afraid to throw in some swag items branded by your company! 
     
11. Do trick or treating. Whether it’s handing out business cards with candy or keeping your storefront open, trick or treating is a great marketing opportunity for your business.
     
12. Offer early Black Friday specials. Black Friday isn’t for another month, but you can get ahead of the curve by offering some “early” specials in October. This is a sure way to stand out from the competition. 
     
13. Give back to a cause. October is the perfect month to support various causes in your community (e.g. Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Domestic Violence Awareness Month, National Diabetes Month). Give back to a cause this October and increase marketing efforts.

Happy October! We hope these ideas will help you jumpstart your marketing efforts into the end of the year. Try out some of these tips to share your mission and grow your personal or professional business.