[ducdukgoose68]

The last few years we've had 14 ToTs and I would really like to have more.

I'm thinking about hiring someone to stand at the end of the street on Oct. 30th and early on the 31st with a sign pointing to my haunt. The person would be dressed up. I got the idea from the people you see standing on corners spinning signs around tax time. Has anyone used this before?

I also plan to post flyers and maybe take an ad in the local newspaper, and hope the website - lostsoulscemetery.com - will help direct people to the haunt.

 

[Wolfman]

One word, buddy; School.

Approach the Principal at your local Elementary School with flyers. Sell her on the Haunt and she will take it from there. But the Haunt had better be good...

 

[Busterbryant]

on a side note I just checked out the website and thats a pretty awsome place to have a haunt. Awsome story behind it.

 

[Tumblindice]

Very cool design with the website! I love it... good sense of humor my friend.

 

[Sychoclown]

Tots are like moths , run a strobe and they will come.

 

[Bubbels]

Tots are like moths , run a strobe and they will come.

LOL


I don't know if you need to hire a guy. I am putting out signs this year just like I would garage sales. Nothing fancy as I am calculating that there is a 50% chance they will be vandalized after dark.

The other goal is to try and complete the front side of my haunt by early october. Hoping to create a buzz around the neighborhood.

 

[OpenTrackRacer]

I live in a neighborhood that is bordered on two sides by a canyon. It consists of many short streets (with some larger connected sections) on the fingers of each canyon and is divided by a four line road. Getting ToTs is very tough. Last year I posed fliers on every mailbox in the neighborhood and also put out a sign off the main street. We had a very decent turnout. This year we're doing the fliers and sign again but I've also gotten a piece in the HOA newsletter that'll be sent at the beginning of October. I'm hoping that'll boost attendance even more. I may also have an in with a local TV station for a story but I'm not counting on that.

Another good way to advertise is craigslist. The problem becomes how many people do you really want and what sorts are you going to attract with wider advertising? That's my current dilemma.

Oh, great web site! I love the story!

 

[Junit]

Can you hand our flyers at schools? My brothers school wasn't even allowed to have Halloween parties anymore, they had to have a "harvest celebration." God luck though! Maybe putting up signs in town, on telephone poles, stores if they have bulletin boards. You could put flyers on windshields, in mailboxes, or just hand them out to people when you see them...

 

[ducdukgoose68]

There is an elementary school down the street from my house. I'm hopeful that signs will help getting the information to the kids and their parents. I have not checked to see if I can work something out with the school. Maybe they have a school newsletter that is sent to parents and I can get an ad in the newsletter. I plan to place a large sign (around 5' long) at the end of my road where a lot of the students go by. I'll probably make two so when the first one is stolen or destroyed I can put the second one out.

Sometimes it seems strange to me that I'm trying so hard to get people to come to my door so I can give them free candy.

Thanks to everyone for their comments and suggestions.

 

[Sychoclown]

We startred out with about fifty our first year and last year we had over 500. This is just by word of mouth. We thought about ads but are afraid to attract too many people. Last 3 years we've had the local police at the intersection directing traffic and keeping the peace.

 

[MedeaViolia]

I'm just going to get my daughter to spread the word on mine, then again she is in an afterschool club, Brownies, youth club & Judo so she has a lot of places to let people know outwith school. Child has a busier social life than I do!

 

[Ween12amEternal]

I agree, hit up the kids and put flyers up around the neighborhood. Also don't forget to put flyers up at the local grocery store, and if they'll let you, any other stores kids frequent (ice cream shop, toy/comic shops, bookstores, video game shops.) Plaster one on your car too, so you can be visible around town.

Good luck!

 

[Dr.Ghoul]

I was watching a video on Youtube and Party City let someone hand out flyers for his haunt. I think Spirit allowed him to also but I can't remember.

 

[Halloweiner]

Our trouble is we live in an Apartment Complex that is in the middle of town. It's been known since the 1970's to be mostly older, retired people. So I think over the years it has gotten the rep of not being a place to bother to TOT at. We barely get a dozen TOT'ers most years. It's not like they don't know we're here because we're visible from the main street, and have plenty of lights, decorations and sounds.

I think there just isn't the numbers out there anywhere in this town. Even my Dad's house, where I grew up TOT'ing all my life, only gets enough TOT'ers to need one bag of candy now. They used to get close to 200 every year for decades. Pretty sad state of affairs I say.

 

[Johan]

Contact your local paper early on and give them a story idea of finding the best places to TOT. Give them your address as a potential suitor. The OC Register by us does a full color spread over multiple days on this subject and covers the subject heavily online.

For example... Halloween haunts, fests and ghoulish parties in O.C. - Entertainment - OCRegister.com