Halloween Video Ideas So Good They’ll Getcha (and Your Customers!)

Boo! It’s time for some scare-tactics for 2016!

This post has been updated for Halloween 2016! Why? Because, like those black and orange wrapped toffee candies kids are bound to get in your candy haul every year, this post never goes stale. These Halloween video ideas are still perfect for 2016, and I’ve added some new, awesome ideas that you won’t even have to get dressed up to get! So let’s get right to the goods…

Halloween is coming quickly, and the creepy/crazy/awesome holiday is a perfect opportunity to have some fun entertaining your leads and customers.It goes without saying (but I’ll say it anyway) that if they’re entertained, they’re more likely to remember you and engage with your brand. That win is better (okay, almost better) than free candy.

Mmmm…caaaaandy….

Oops…I mean…I digress.

Maybe you’re thinking, “Our brand is too serious to have some off-the-wall Halloween video”, or maybe you’re thinking, “It’s just Halloween, you can’t do anything worth the effort that will have any real impact.” Maybe, you’re just plum (or pumpkin) out of fresh ideas.

Well, Halloween is one of those rare times when brands can be silly, scary, creepy…or whatever. Halloween lets you be whatever you want to be. Your video doesn’t have to be boring, and it certainly can have an impact on your audience. Here are some ideas for a memorable Halloween 2016 video:

It’s spooky what video can do for your whole business in 2016

At Vidyard, we STRONGLY believe that video can achieve amazing results for your whole business (and we’ll get Dracula to bite anyone who says otherwise!) There is a plethora of Halloween video ideas for marketing (for some of the best ones, see below). But video isn’t just for marketing! Imagine the effect you could have on your audience if you used video for sales, internal communications and training, and even customer service and support. Like what? The possibilities are endless, but here are a few ideas to get your fresh, juicy brains going:

• Sales can try sending fun videos telling leads they will stalk or hunt them until they call them back or answer emails. (Just keep it light and jokey, and don’t get too scary – we don’t want any restraining orders!) Sales videos can even be as simple as a screen capture video (like through ViewedIt) showing the sales rep’s face and screen – but the rep could be in costume! It’s a great chance for reps to show their personality and have some fun with prospects and leads, and could help encourage call-backs – wouldn’t you want to speak to an angel or a devil or Babe Ruth or Jamie Lannister?
• What about video for internal communications? Get your employee audience engaged by creating a fun culture video about everyone’s halloween costumes, and let your employees rate the best one!
• Internal training teams can have their own fun with a Halloween video: how awesome would it be to get a notice that you have to watch a “mandatory training video” on how to survive a zombie apocalypse? It prepares your employees for the inevitable while also helping them feel more connected to their personal, relatable and fun company.
• In support or customer service? Imagine how freaked out you could make your customers if you told them you were “killing” some aspect of the product that everyone loves? Maybe your customers could have a chance to “save” your product by signing in or taking some other action within a certain time frame. Or, if you need to refresh any part of your product – you can kill one aspect that needs improvement or has bugs, and bring the product back (in a sort of Frankenstein way, bigger and better).

Video gives your whole business the power to really engage, excite, spook, and connect with your audience. So encourage different teams in your company to get involved – it’ll be a real treat!

Personalized creepiness for each viewer

You know what video viewers eat up faster than a bowl of candy? A personalized experience. Any day of the year, customers want to feel like they’re recognized and understood as the unique person they are, not marketed to as part of a mass group or list.

So give them what they’re ravenous for on Halloween: with a personalized video, you could add right into the video unique details about that specific viewer, like their name or company logo for example. Your customers would be blown away! Put a creepy spin on it (think: “We’re watching you, Blake”, or “You’re next, Katie!”, etc., etc….imagine the possibilities!), and your customers will be freaked out…and even more engaged, watching a story that includes them all the way to the end.

Are you wondering, “Holy crap, I could do something like that for my video?! HOW???!” I’m not just playing a trick on you…discover personalized video for yourself and you’ll be amazed!

Choose your own spooky adventure

Go even further with your Halloween story by allowing your audience to interact with you and determine how the story progresses. How can you do that? Through multiple players and calls-to-action. Here’s how:

The viewer watches your initial video, which ends with a CTA containing several options (that are actually links). Ask them brand, product, campaign, or story-relevant questions, and provide clickable options that each link to their own video player (What should the character do next? Where should he go? What should he buy/eat/wear/build etc?). When an option is clicked, the linked player plays in the same frame on the page. Then the new player can its own CTA options that link to even more players, giving the viewer a real “choose your own adventure” experience. Who wouldn’t keep watching a video like that? It’s the perfect way to get past audiences’ ridiculously short attention spans.

Share a product or service message

Your awesome, entertaining, or spooky Halloween video doesn’t have to live outside your brand or relevant messaging. There may be a ghoulish slant to your everyday marketing – in the telecommunications industry? Pretty much every horror movie includes a phone that doesn’t work or a phone that rings off the hook with a freaky voice on the other end. In the software industry? What if a computer was doing something all on its own? That might be exciting and intense for viewers who then learn that it isn’t actually a ghost doing it, it’s just your awesome software that’s programmed to do the work itself. You get the idea.

Check out this video from IKEA that shows how simple and effective this can be.

Or LG’s video that shows how realistic their screens are.

But sometimes it’s fun to just…have fun

Sometimes a special day calls for a light-hearted fun video that acts simply as (very) top-of-funnel, brand awareness content. Audiences love to get inside, behind-the-scenes looks into an organization; it humanizes a brand and can help your viewers relate to you. These types of videos are often shared as well, and while view counts don’t matter in the greater scheme of converting leads to customers, getting your name out there never hurts!

You can create a haunted video that doesn’t necessarily include product messaging, like the one Vidyard released for Halloween last year:

Keep it even simpler, if you want. Film your halloween office party, for example. Videos don’t have to be a big production. After all, Jimmy Kimmel’s audience videos weren’t exactly Hollywood material, but they were a great success for the late night show!

What ideas are you excited to try for your Halloween video? Let us know!

The post Halloween Video Ideas So Good They’ll Getcha (and Your Customers!) appeared first on Vidyard.

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