A Florida-based marketing company with a soft spot for direct mail carried out a two-part Halloween campaign that consisted of a postcard, a YouTube video and a bit of mystery.

First, the company mailed a personalized postcard with their website and these five words: "They are coming for you, (Name)". They also added a "creepy" YouTube video on the landing page. "We wanted to come up with a cool Halloween campaign," says the firm's marketing director. "It's important that we come up with something innovative rather than just offer a money-off discount to drive sales. We want to impress the pants off of our customers."

Over 5,900 personalized postcards were sent to top current clients who had ordered from the company within the last six weeks, and over 97,000 e-mails were sent to their entire client database promoting the campaign. Ultimately, they received over 2,570 visits to the landing page, and new order numbers from the campaign totaled $137,748. "With this campaign, we really wanted to leave the impression with current clients that we're a fun and creative marketing company," says the marketing director. "This plays an important part in improving the affinity they feel for us, and that will hopefully translate into long-lasting client relationships for us."

If you want to scare up your own business this Halloween, follow these tips from this campaign's marketing director: "Have fun and connect with your clients. Write a fun e-mail and send out pictures of your staff dressed up, or hold a themed contest for your clients with a great prize."