We met on Zoom at the 5 o'clock witching hour...
Double, double toil and trouble...
Fire burn and cauldron bubble...
2020 is aflame and fizzling...
A little Halloween magic is just what we need...
Normally this time of year, we celebrate Halloween by spooking it up at the office, planning theme costumes and decorating our file cabinets with creative pumpkins.
Alas, a pandemic derailed our usual plans, but that didn't stop us from brewing up a bewitching virtual costume party and pumpkin decorating contest.
Over the last 3 decades, our Halloween themes have spanned famous paintings to the mysterious characters of Clue, but with all that's going on in the world, we felt we needed to infuse some MAGIC into our plans.
At the stroke of post-work hours, by the light of the moon and computer monitors, we concocted our favorite elixirs and gathered on Zoom.
What magic did we each bring to the party? Take a look:
As designers and marketers, we may not possess real supernatural powers, but we believe there is art, skill, and a little magic to delivering the right content to charm the hearts and minds of the right people at the right time and bring forth results that stand up.
Spending a lot of free time experimenting with recipes during quarantine, we've even brewed up a not-so-secret potion to marketing success.
What's the magic potion to make your brand stand out? Here's our 7 steps to marketing success...
Step 1: Determine your audience needs 
Double, double, toil and trouble...To begin the potion, carefully place the heart of your ideal audience in the center.❤️ With each beat, listen and understand their deepest desires, pains, and needs. This step is imperative. You must be able to resonate and build trust with your audience in order to spur action.
Step 2: Review historical data
Blend in the ghost of business past. 👻✨ Transparent and telling, it should never be forgotten or it will haunt. Fully recognize and distinguish what worked and what didn't work in the past to be successful moving forward.
Step 3: Competitor Analysis
Sprinkle in the cobweb of a spider. 🕸️🕷️✨ Spun out in multiple directions, sprawling wide, it efficiently and elegantly catches its prey. Identify your competitors' strengths and weaknesses so you can be ready to capture opportunity and address threats. (Beware: Skip this step and you may soon find yourself abandoned and forgotten like a cobweb in a creaky, dusty old attic.)
Step 4: Be observant and think critically
Slowly and steadily stir in an eye of a tiger to see beyond the surface. 🐯✨ Be silent and proficient, forgo rushing and roaring. Be observant and think critically, that's what it's all about. Sense a deeper meaning and recognize emerging patterns in order to envision the bigger picture.
Step 5: Focus on the big picture
Melt down and mix in a magnifying glass. 🔎✨ Amplify the big picture, focus on the benefits you offer, cut out the unnecessary chatter and babble about the latest trends. When in doubt, simpler is better.
Step 6: Craft Your Narrative
Pour in the ink from a pen. ✍️✨After gathering knowledge and insights, it's time to write out your narrative that resonates and compels your audience to act.
Step 7: Measure and Optimize
Splash in the seed of a strong tree. 🌱🌳✨ Stir well and allow time for patient and steady progress.
While it may feel new and scary, like you're going into a deep, dark unknown abyss, it's essential to stay grounded. Fear of branding or building a new marketing strategy is a common feeling, but it should be seen as an opportunity to grow, innovate and renew.
Closely measure your growth and be sure to optimize and pivot as the world around you moves.
Follow the potion recipe methodically and bring to a vigorous boil to ensure your brand is memorable and your results are measurable.
And remember, never build your potion alone. It takes a great team of ghouls and a network of newts in your niche to be truly successful.
...And no MAGIC POTION would be complete without a sonically infused beat🎶 We'll give you just a few hints, to these audio ingredients:
Jack Skellington and our patriotic emblem
Would be thrilled on these 11 picks.
From sorcery to sand,
to Bill Murray's lethal dreamland,
These howlin' beliefs and myths
Pave the way to a less-than-normal family.
Only 9 of these tunes are truly needed, with bonus points to those who guess all pieces. 🤔
And now, for the annual pumpkin contest! Thank you to everyone who voted on our designs.
The 2020 winners were:
1st – Eye Voted by Jim
2nd – #SquashGoals by Stephanie
3rd – doom.us by John
And, here are all the entries:
Cubs Fan Cutout (Shout out to Minuteman Press Evanston for the help!) by Michelle
Left to Right: Eye Voted by Jim and Doom.us by John
Left to Right: Emotikins (OMG - Oh My Gourd!, TGIF - Thank God It's Frightday, BFF - Best Freaks Forever) by Carol and Pumpkin-20 (The World is Going Out of Its Gourd!) by Jonathan
Left to Right: "Wait, did you say pumpkin? Whoops... I made a pineapple" by Austin and #SquashGoals by Stephanie
As always, many thanks to everyone who joined in and helped us celebrate our favorite holiday! Much has changed this year, but our love for Halloween is as strong as ever as well are our magical marketing process.
Check out more of our Halloween fun on our Facebook Page!
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