With Halloween fast approaching, a lot of websites are pumping out content related to the sugar-fueled holiday. Crafting relevant content in a time-sensitive fashion in order to take advantage of hot topics and current events can generate some nice traffic to your site, even if it’s fleeting. Hell, the Bedroom Intruder guy was even smart enough to cash in on his 15 minutes of fame by selling his own Halloween costume. Seriously, if a dude like this is savvy enough to capitalize on an opportunity, that doesn’t leave you with much of an excuse.
Even Sears has surprised the Internet by zombie-fying their website for Halloween, boosting their traffic levels and plunking them into the forefront of your mind:
This makes Sears, a company that probably hasn’t been regarded as being particularly “hip” or “trendy” for the past 20+ years, all of a sudden look pretty cool.
So what the hell does any of this have to do with you? Well, you don’t have to be a social media expert or some content-crafting genius in order to pump out some topical and fresh content for users and web surfers, but as a site owner, you should be aware of trends and current events that may benefit your sales. Even if that means pushing the orange and black products to the front of your site and calling it a Halloween special, it at least lets your users and customers know that you’re paying attention to what’s going on.
Sure, everyone craps out an “X Best/Worst/Sexiest/Most Creative/Etc” Halloween costumes list each year or highlights the funniest/craziest pumpkin carvings, but this is stuff that people expect to come across in October. The same goes for turkeys and pilgrims in November, Christmas trees and menorahs in December, and…well, you get the idea. Remember that arts and crafts schedule you followed in elementary school? It applies to web content too. We do the same things every year out of tradition and because it’s what people expect — pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving, green beer on St. Patrick’s Day, colored eggs at Easter — and as more and more people turn to the Internet to shop, interact, and pretty much live their lives, these traditions are expected to shift online as well.
It’s not just holidays you should pay attention to — the same goes for current events and pop culture that resonate with your audience. Show people that you know what’s going on and they may appreciate that savviness more than the dude who sells the same stuff on a stagnant, sterile-looking website.
This advice may not apply as much if you’ve got a site that is generating plenty of money without requiring you to update it, but if your site is heavy or even just moderate on content, it’ll give you an edge. Obviously the more creative you are, the better, but even if you’re lacking really awesome ideas, you can still do something relevant to give the semblance of freshness and timeliness. Even content-lite sites can benefit from a little creativity. Sears doesn’t didn’t even have to write anything — all they did was create some new banners and get silly with Photoshop, and they were still able to turn heads.
About the author...
Rebecca Kelley – who has written 31 posts on ShoeMoney.com.
Rebecca Kelley is the Director of Marketing for This or That, a user-generated comparison website. She also runs Mediocre Athlete, a hobby blog about exercising and training. In her spare time, Rebecca is a freelance blogger for hire, loves food and movies, and trains for marathons and triathlons.
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{ 113 comments… read them below or add one }
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First to comment on the test comment! Now what did I win?
Any updates on ER7? I just read about the available slots but seeing that was posted days ago I bet they’re all sold out by now.
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I really like this. Looking forward to more of your very well-written and entertaining posts.
What’s up with the test comments?
Don’t think about it too much. Shoe’s just making sure the comments section is working perfectly.
If you can dodge a wrench
I’m getting myself that costume. I think it would scare the kids more than my vampire suit.
I don’t know how he did it but he somehow made a stupid getup seem like a good choice for a Halloween costume.
goes to show that it pays to sell your ideas no matter how crazy it might look to others.
LOL! Whatever works.
That guy’s a perfect example of the infinite possibilities once a material goes viral.
I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing that costume.
I recently came across a post on Cracked.com about the most horrible Halloween costumes ever. Forgot the link though.
I’d still go for the classic scary/creepy costumes that most kids love.
Ahhh…Halloween! The time when you can wear the smuttiest apparel you can fin in your closet and nobody cares.
It’s not going to win the best costume award but it’ll do.
Nice read. I’m so loving the Sears website right now.
I know, right? This one looks simply awesome. It’s not exactly a new concept since a lot of other sites are doing it. But they somehow pulled it off quite nicely.
This oddly reminded me of the game my sons used to play on the PS3. Resident Evil, right?
makes me want to go shopping now
Seems like even the undead find shopping irresistible. Now I understand why my wife perks up even with just the thought of it.
Take her sometime to a diamond jewelry store and you’ll be in for a bigger surprise…
Awesome! Something that I didn’t expect from them. I can’t wait for their Christmas theme.
Why not apply a similar setup for your blog, Shoe?
Spook-tacular!
I just love the Zombie speak they integrated in the page.
Zazzah! Habhab! Brrrrrrains!
I may just have to take a leaf off Sears’ page. I imagine my site would look more interesting with a badass Halloween theme.
It’s a bit too late to jump on the Halloween bandwagon. Better start planning for the next big holiday.
Creepy but really nice. Two thumbs up!
I pretty much love anything zombie-related.
I couldn’t agree more. A little creativity can do wonders to any site’s content. It’s more fun and interesting to come across new perspectives even on topics that everyone seems to be talking about.
Coming up with something different is a good start. Same topic, unique and relevant take. Usually works.
Creativity at its best.
Too bad I seemed to have missed the creative gene that runs in my family. I often run out of inspired ideas to produce interesting content for my blog.
It’s great Rebecca emphasized the importance of innovation in this post. It’s what Friendster and MySpace forgot to spin out. Now they’re just forgotten in the playing field.
In short, you snooze, you lose.
Dead-on LOL
Great content always drive traffic. Regardless of how cool a product or service offering is, it never hurts to work on unique visuals and articles.
You’re right. Easier said than done though.
There are several resources, most of them available for free, that you can use to create interesting content.
I created a Google Alert to get regular updates on relevant Google results. It helped me find inspiring industry-related ideas and topics that I could write about.
Good idea! I’ll go set up an account now.
Engaging and useful. Those two are usually the hallmarks of great content.
Where’s the LIKE button when you need one?
This gave me an idea for my next post. Thanks!
Great post! I really enjoyed reading it. It made me think about my own site’s content. There’s a lot of improvement to be made in that department. I’m glad I read your post.
Rebecca nice article, I also just visited your site per your bio, thisorthat.com awesome site. Per Alexa.com your site is almost as ranked as mine. I get more pages views though lol..
I like your readers stuff, its been a while since your guest post on Jeremy site welcome back.
Her hobby blog got me thinking about setting up one. Should be fun.
Thanks for the This or That love! We only launched a few months ago so it’s a slow but steady build. I’ll throw down with you in a page views battle soon enough.
Apple’s Think Different campaign comes to mind every time I think about creativity. Because creativity is all about finding inspiration from various sources then thinking differently to come up with something unique based on those inspirations.
I remember that! It’s one of the best campaigns that really stuck in my head. I guess that ad reflects the creativity that produced products many people love.
The Shoemoney blog surprises me with amazing finds each time I check it out.
I’m not familiar with it. Can you share a link of the video or article?
Cool costume!
Graphics help make attractive websites. But I don’t have the talent and skill to create them so I rely mostly on videos and articles to enhance my website’s content.
What makes Facebook super successful is in its method of loading their pages with aesthetics, which in turn, make users clicking on links. Nice setup, eh?
Nice article! My site’s traffic started picking up when I started focusing on my content and got a lot of return visits too.
Useful tips especially for newbies like me. I’ll try to keep them in mind every time I need to create a copy or article.
Now you know why I am a loyal Shoemoney fan for three straight years!
This is very timely. I’ve been thinking about how best to develop content for the website I’m setting up. I learned something just by reading this.
The tips you shared will definitely come handy now that I’ve decided to monetize my blog. I’m sure developing engaging content will help generate more traffic to my website.
Obvvioouuusllyyyy, this is the Official Antoine Dodson Costume!
So first hide ya kids, hide ya wife and order it today! I just can’t forget that line, baby!
Just re-tweeted this from a Dobson fan in Miami:
You don’t have to come and confess
We’re lookin for you
We gon find you
We gon find you
So you can run and tell that,
Run and tell that
Run and tell that, homeboy
Home, home, homeboy!
Looks a lot more comfortable than the costume I was planning to wear in the Halloween race I’m joining.
I get an affiliate payout. Unfortunately the payout is in bandannas.
Interesting! Creativity is such a precious commodity. Good thing we’re all born with it. It just so happens that some cultivate theirs better than others. I suppose it’s high time I start harnessing mine.
I just don’t get the random zombie “jargons” they’ve inserted. It would have been uber awesome if they just posted “BRAINS!” or “AAAARGH!” as text. Simplicity is beauty.
Nice post! I’d like to learn more about content development. Do you have any related resources you can share on the subject? Thanks!
Why not check out Shoe’s previous posts about getting your message home? I think he published it a few weeks ago…
I think the UK equivalent in terms of stores would be John Lewis. I reckon they could learn from Sears. Although we aren’t so big on Halloween over hear, the seasonal, finger on the pulse message is still relevant.
Somehow Sears did an unexpected move for its website. Now they deserve 5 stars for effort and style!
I think it is a great idea to keep my websites current with different yearly themes like holidays. I have an idea of something to do next presidency campaign also. thanks
I only have minimal Photoshop skills so I’m not sure if I could pull off something interesting. But it’s worth a try. I can’t wait to start working on my site’s theme for Christmas.
HaHa great ad for the holiday
Using the term “great” is just an understatement. LOL
wow…this is awesome ..good read indeed
He’s climbing in your windows
He’s snatchin your people up
Tryna rape em so y’all need to
Hide your kids, hide your wife
Hide your kids, hide your wife
Hide your kids, hide your wife
And hide your husband…
(Hilarity ensues!)
Sears really took their site to the next level. Choosing zombies instead of witches and pumpkins was certainly inspired.
You can never fail with great content. It’s not often easy to create one though.
Great’s a big vague word for me when used in reference to content. I’m more interested about specifics on how to differentiate my content and make it “great”.
As long as you know how to keep users engaged, you’re definitely good to go. “Engaged” is not a vague word, is it?
Here you are just in case they still don’t get your message, brother:
Definition: occupy oneself; engross
Synonyms: absorb, allure, arrest, bewitch, busy, captivate, catch, charm, draw, embark on, employ, enamor, enchant, enter into, enthrall, fascinate, give a try, give a whirl, go for broke, go in for, go out for, grip*, have a fling at, have a go at, have a shot at, imbue, immerse, interest, involve, join, keep busy, monopolize, partake, participate, pitch in, practice, pre-engage, preoccupy, set about, soak, tackle*, take part, tie up, try on for size, undertake
I get a lot of ideas from reading posts like this. This one’s timely since I’m currently working on developing unique and relevant content for the website I’m going to launch soon.
It think it also helps to develop a content strategy. A lot of marketing campaigns depend on the quality content. The strategy allows you to define your goals more clearly so you could focus on researching relevant topics that you can write about.
Sounds like a lot of work.
Not necessarily. It’s different for everyone I guess. What works for some people may not turn out to be the best solutions for others. So it’s up to you to find out what would work for you.
As long as you’re enjoying what you’re doing, you won’t be tired easily.
It took a lot of work when I was starting out. But it eases up especially once you begin to get a grip of what you’re doing.
It’s a bit of a challenge to stay fresh and original especially with a lot of recycled ideas on the web. Working on topics and ideas that many others have already written about needs a unique approach.
I hear you. Rehashed articles are a dime a dozen these days.
That’s why fresh and original stand out. People take notice when you have interesting but different to offer.
Great article! I can’t wait to read more of your posts.
Thanks! Shoe’s wrangled me in for a new post each week, so hopefully I won’t disappoint (much).
A well-written piece. Thanks for the insights!
Learned a few tricks today. Thanks to this post. I’m so looking forward to another great post soon!
Carpe diem, baby! This is one of the most intuitive posts I’ve ever checked out today.
Easily one of the sassiest and funniest, too. Hope to catch another post from Rebecca sooner or later.
Has anyone seen the teaser for The Walking Dead? I am just itching to watch that show.
I heard a some good reviews about it. I’ll probably go watch it too.
Night of the Living Dead was the first zombie movie I watched when I was a kid. I remember it scared the wits out of me.
I haven’t seen the trailer yet. Is it good?
Is it just me or does anybody else here that is reminded of Plants vs Zombies while reading this post?
yeah, thought of that too
The zombified site’s very creative. And the zombie language adds a nice touch. They clearly covered all their bases in creating such an interesting design.
Got brains?
Plants vs. Zombies, right? My daughter’s a fan.
Very entertaining read! Keep them coming!
MMmrrrrr….Brrraaiinn…. I mean…. I applaud a mature brand like Sears for trying something like this… and the videos are quite funny. I wrote a full review of the campaign here: http://www.headstandmedia.com/sears-goes-zombie/
hi Rebecca first thanks this wonderful post. your post is very nice.so
keep it going .
Great stuff from you, man. Ive read your stuff before and youre just too fantastic. I love what youve got here, love what youre saying and the way you say it. You make it entertaining and you still manage to keep it smart. I cant wait to read more from you. This is really a great website.