Happy Halloween, folks. In the spirit of the day, we’re going to take a few moments to compare your business decisions to a horror movie.

Bad marketing and brand building is exactly the same as some of the dumb moves characters tend to make in horror movies. Sure, this might be a bit of a stretch…but it’s Halloween. So let’s have some fun and see what horrors we can unravel.

Your failure to embrace social media is the equivalent of the stupid woman that runs up the stairs rather that outside when the maniac is chasing her.

When you ignore the power of social media, you’re going to end up trapped in a house with a monster that is going to kill you. There’s no hope—no way out.

However, if you had have wised up and run outside to where there is all of that sweet freedom is (and cars to escape the monster), you would have seen the whole world open before you. AS a small business, social media does this exact same thing—it brings new freedoms to you and the world is literally at your fingertips.

Your failure to try new modern strategies that your evolving audience wants to see is the equivalent of poking the “dead” monster one last time so that it will spring to life, grab your ankle, and tear your throat out.

As technology changes, so do the expectations and desires of your target audience. While sticking with certain traditions is certainly noble, it can truly hurt your brand if you stay mired in the past and ignore the present wants and needs of your customers.  If you keep poking at dead ideas and strategies, it’s just going to end badly.

Work towards the obligatory sequel and give it an upgrade.

A writer and director’s dream is to have a movie that warrants a sequel. The fans and the box office income demand it. But rather than churn out the same movie, sequels usually give the characters and plot a twist of some sort. Let this be a lesson to your marketing successes. Don’t become a one trick pony—always be prepared for the sequel and have a few new ideas in mind.