# Attracting More People?



## ShadyHallows (Jun 14, 2006)

I'm really un-sure how to bring more people into our haunt. We were in the paper last year and had a pretty good number of people but still not quite a constant flow. The majority of the people that came through were people we knew, dispite halloween. We have had a pretty good looking website running with info and what not and put up a skim amount of flyers, most of them around my highschool. How do you guys advertise and is like... a sign that says Haunted House this way outside the neighborhood a good pull in? Thanks again!


----------



## Eric Striffler (May 6, 2006)

We've got huge posters in all the towns around here on big wooden signs.
And there are flyers in windows of every shop in the towans around here.
Plus there's a front page article every year in the paper, but mostly everyone already knows about it anyway and it works through spread of mouth.
We're the longest running haunt on Long Island so most people know about it.


----------



## ScareShack (May 26, 2006)

Besides the schools, which u are doing, utilize anything free. Bullinten boards in laundrymats, grocery stores, craigslist are a few.
Seeing how u made the paper last year, I would contact them prior and have them do an annoucement as well...when its coming and such.
Just a few ideas.


----------



## Zombie-F (Apr 12, 2004)

I put up flyers around my neighborhood, usually on every other telephone pole. I do this for my street, and the 3 adjacent streets. This helps a bit, but you'll find that word of mouth will be your biggest draw. You have to remember, that the people who saw you this year, will tell their friends about you and that will increase your turnout next year.

Utilize any free outlets you have. Flyers around your high school is a good start, but see if you can get some posted in your local middle school, on a community bulletin board, etc. Also try to get the paper back again next year, but get them there a few weeks before you open so the article can run before opening night.


----------



## crossblades400 (Oct 30, 2007)

Those are good ideas guys. I would do that too, since I would like more people... but I feel paranoid giving out my address if its just a yard haunt, but a GOOD yard haunt. Any suggestions? Maybe just say "look for this house, on "blank" street" and describe it?


----------



## GothicCandle (Mar 26, 2007)

last year i made flyers. I geuss it worked because we had almost twice as many people come as the year before, and we only had to close because we ran out of candy!

I put a flyer at the local library. 200 people a day come in there and were sure to see it, now granted not all those people came to my haunt lol. but it means a lot of people saw the flyer and had the choice to come to my haunt.


----------



## Brckee1 (Feb 21, 2007)

ShadyHallows, are you a home haunt or a pro attraction?


----------



## tobmaster (Feb 21, 2008)

*Be careful what you wish for...*

Like you, we started small...in fact, nine short years ago, I had five wooden tombstones and a ghost made from a white sheet and a kick-ball...Halloween day, I spent in the basement starting to finish it....

Then I found the internet.....Eight years later, we are building like mad, spending tons of money, and have thousands of people to entertain. We have to work with the police for parking, volunteers to aid with traffic, security, and things you just wouldn't imagine. Once again, this is a GREAT hobby. I LOVE building and decorating....but be warned...it grows FAST. A few newspapers, then the TV, then it goes nuts...If you build it...they will come.


----------



## joker (Sep 25, 2007)

Word of mouth works great. I guess it helps that there are lots of kids in my neighborhood, and my son 7 has quite a few friends. Last year with no formal advertising we had around 150 kids in 2 1/2 hours and that was our first attempt ever for a haunt. We even had people who had gone to a local paid haunts (i wouldn't call them professional...lol) that claimed we had done a lot better job with less space and should be charging.


----------



## DarkShadows (Feb 6, 2006)

See if their is a website with local haunted attractions around your area... For instance, I advertise on the HauntedIllinois.com website. Word of mouth is the key tho. I dont feel safe putting my adress to my home on flyers and pass them out on cars/on bulletin boards. If it were a Pro haunt, then I'd be trying to make as much money as possible and advertising everywhere. As Toby said, it CAN get nuts, so be preparred.


----------



## ScareShack (May 26, 2006)

U can add your haunt also to:
http://hauntseeker.com/


----------



## ShadyHallows (Jun 14, 2006)

Brckee1 said:


> ShadyHallows, are you a home haunt or a pro attraction?


Our haunt is a home haunt, but in a way semi-pro. We have a corn trail and a haunted house, which everyone enjoyed and said was much better than a local pro haunt. We don't charge but suggest a $3 donation, there for they are not our responsibility.


----------



## Brckee1 (Feb 21, 2007)

I would say the grass roots style stuff people have posted would be the way to go. Web listings and fliers. Enlist kids to blanket the schools and local businesses.

If you could afford to donate money raised, or something else to a charity, I would bet you might get better word of mouth and also attract some local media attention. I think a good local charity would be the best choice.


----------



## ShadyHallows (Jun 14, 2006)

A local charity would be a great idea I agree, but on the other hand we need the donations to be put back into the haunt. I'm 15 and no job at the moment so it would be kind of hard to keep a haunt this size on a steady improvement rate without putting atleast some donations towards it.


----------



## Lilly (Jun 13, 2006)

what about a donation of say 1 or 2 bucks plus a can a food?
you can then donate food to local pantry and then a portion of money to them also or a dif charity.


----------



## ShadyHallows (Jun 14, 2006)

Now that's not a half bad idea. What have some of you done if anyone has for like... charity type of donations?


----------



## wandererrob (Aug 8, 2007)

be sure to check into the legalities of taking financial donations though. I've heard some mention of it landing you in the realm of a "business" even if it's directly for charity and not for yourself. I could be way off, but like I said, I've heard it mentioned.


----------



## fg4432 (Sep 18, 2007)

*How do you attract?*

Be aware of your target audience and get visible to them. Do what you did last year and try a few new tricks that people suggest.

A web site is only as good if it gets on the first page of a search engine and how well you advertise it beyond that?

Flyers are only good if you don't mind putting the exact address and put them in places early enough for people to see and make the plans to stop by or head for your subdivision on that night.

Paper, I would have thought that was pretty good, but are you reaching the kids that want to come to it or the adults that are inundated with Haunted House ads like crazy around that time?

I would try doing something that would reach the kids and get them interested, maybe work with the schools or the local drama club at the high school or a community organization.

Chances are the best thing is going to simply be time. 1st year is slow, 2nd gets better, 3rd or 4th is probably about where you will want it. My first was pretty good, 2nd was even more people and I am working on my 3rd is coming up this year.

Best of luck,
Felipe


----------



## turtle2778 (Jul 9, 2006)

This will be my second year doing my display. I have talked to the drama teacher and principle of the local highschool to see about getting volunteers to help for next year. I dont think I will be quite ready for helpers this year, but they said if i needed a couple of kids they had some. Which was cool. And I thought since I have seen others do it if I do use the kids I will ask for donations and the proceeds go to the drama club. As far as people go, Id say I had a good first year. My neighbor said the year before we moved in they had 25 TOT's and this year we had close to 170.   Im hoping we wont be here in this house this year though and will be in our OWN house. I do have a webpage, but I havent kept up on it. Its a LOT of HTML for me and Im thinking I may just have someone redesign it and keep it updated for me. We shall see. Im not a big believer in flyers, BUT this year because my schools are wonderful I will have a flyer going home with the kids telling them to come by our display. I am having a little something for the parents ala wormyt and want them to come back next year. So maybe check with yoru school see if you can send a flyer home with the kids at your cost of course on say the second week of the month. That gets to your target audience without having to deal with parents showing it to the kids. The kids get it and then nag the parents to come Im hoping it will be very sucessful. Or it could bring all the jerks to wreck my stuff  I can only hope my busy body neighbors are in full swing by that time


----------



## pyro (Oct 7, 2006)

cool T also being in a free local paper helps-this year im doin a map of my town and all the haunts are going to have a pin plus # and on the side of the pick all info of the haunts--there is like10-12 haunts/ displays here so lets get this town jumpin--plus posting signs for the haunt near by dont hurt--kinda point them in the right direction


----------



## Vlad (Aug 2, 2005)

I would say that the best way to increase your traffic is to have a good haunt/display every year in the same location.


----------



## Haunted Bayou (Feb 16, 2007)

A house in my neighborhood has a large charity haunt every year..I don't know how they advertise but they get a good turn-out every year.
They accept food donations for a local shelter and have volunteers put together the haunt.

The Spirit Halloween store always has posters for local haunts on their door every year.
Maybe you could do something like that.


----------



## ShadyHallows (Jun 14, 2006)

Well I'm not sure if this is legal, but what about a large sign with glow in the dark paint on a pretty busy road outside the neighborhood kind of pointing people in?


----------



## Stratusfear02 (Oct 1, 2006)

For the past 2 years i've made my own radio broadcast using an FM transmitter and a few signs around my house ( fairly busy street). A use a modded Belkin Tunecast 2. and a cd player that loops


----------

