Just because Halloween will look a little different this year, doesn’t mean we have to miss all the fun.  There are plenty of ways to take your spookiness virtual while still building that coveted sense of community amongst your residents.  We’re here to show you how you can invoke that competitive spirit to showcase the most creative fur friends this trick or treat season.  Grab your craft cocktail and Halloween supplies and get ready to show your pet’s scary style. Host a resident Halloween pet costume contest at your apartment community!

How to Host a Resident Halloween Pet Costume Contest

 

1. DESIGN THE EVENT

Create categories for the award winners: most creative costume, scariest get up, best DIY style, for example. Make sure to feature dogs, cats and any other exotic pet they may have living (legally) in their apartment. With so many people working from home this year, they can use that extra time to create a pet costume masterpiece worthy of a prize!

2. INVITE RESIDENTS

Invite your residents to dress their pets in their Halloween finest. Dogs as superheroes – check.  Cats with vampire capes – Yessss.  Bonus points if you coordinate your costume with your favorite pets.  Spread the word with eblasts, flyers, signage and social media posts (we can help with this if you like!).  Come up with a hashtag so your residents will be able to share it online.

3. COLLECT CONTEST ENTRIES

Decide which social sites you’d like to post the photos on. Use Facebook and Instagram to feature all of the resident pics and have residents vote away for their frightful favorites. Residents can email their photos to the management team or post directly to social media with the contest hashtag.

Want this exact flyer customized to the branding of your apartment community? Shoot us an email with the logo and contact info and we would be happy to customize – or make a unique design just for you! 

How to Award Prizes for a Pet Costume Contest

Everyone loves a good prize. Tally all the votes and offer up some thrifty rewards.  A few months of waived pet rent feel nice for that pet’s owner.  You can go with a pet store gift card.  There are national chains or, even better, if it’s a local store or pet salon you can support.  You can also do a donation to your closest animal shelter in the winner’s name.

Since the winning pet will obviously be very photogenic and insta worthy, ask the resident if you can feature their pet’s photo is some of your marketing collateral or social posts.  Owners love showing off their pets and now you’ll have great brand ambassadors for your property – all those who participate in the resident Halloween pet costume contest!

How to Promote a Resident Halloween Pet Costume Contest

There’s a reason why pet events are the most popular type of events.  No one can resist a witchy pup on his way to collect Halloween treats.

Invites can be done through eblasts and social media.  You can even set up a Facebook Event so you can invite your residents through your property’s page.  You’ll want to post flyers and signage around the property.

FREE DOWNLOAD ALERT!

Here is a collection of FREE resident halloween pet costume contest stock images that we’ve curated to help get you started in promoting your event!

Download Free Stock Images

Of course, if you’d like help with all of the graphics and signage, we can take care of that piece to make sure your brand is on point. Contact us for custom branded designs!

Once you have all the pictures, make sure to post them together on your social media sites. Residents can support their pet and vote on others. They should also encourage their friends and family to vote, vote, vote for their favorite pet.

Ways to Celebrate Halloween with Your Residents who Don’t Have Pets

 

While your pet owners are coercing their dogs into black spandex for the resident Halloween pet costume contest, don’t forget about ways your pet-free residents can participate in the festivities.

Competitive carvings or pumpkin painting can provide a creative outlet this time of year. Pumpkin carving enthusiasts can show off their knife skills.  Painting pumpkins can impress with less mess.  Gather all the resident pictures and create a Facebook album where other residents can vote up til Oct 31st.

You can also challenge residents to a Halloween décor contest.  Who turned their balcony into a spooky graveyard?  Who’s celebrating a spider and bat infestation in their studio?  If your property is lucky enough to have enough decorations and nice weather this month, you can have residents grab their masks and walk around the property scoping out the decorations.  End the walk with some candy in the clubhouse.  Individual goodie bags or treats make it easy to grab and go.

Download Free Stock Images the gallery of pet stock images or reach out to zipcode creative to personalize your Halloween marketing materials. Use the button below to request a custom branded event flyer for Halloween celebration.