Your silent auction donations have a better chance of selling for more money when guests enjoy experiential shopping. For inspiration, let's look at my old stomping grounds: corporate marketing. Have you noticed that for-profit entities are quick to give away samples of their products? They want to convert window-shoppers into paying customers. (Your silent auction has a lot of window-shoppers.) A visit to your local shopping mall proves the power of the sensory experience. Consider these ... Read On >
Marketing
Silent auction tips: The good, the bad, and the ugly
Last time I counted, there were a few dozen points you need to meet in order to ensure your silent auction rocks. Covering all of those would make for a hideously long blog post, so I'm going to talk about a mere three. I'm labeling these silent auction tips as "the good, the bad, and the ugly." The Good One of the smaller auctions I work has about 200 guests. Year after year this group has consistently managed to make their silent auction adorable. How do they do it? One point they do ... Read On >
New silent auction display ideas for jewelry
Auction volunteers looking for creative ways to display jewelry in the silent auction will appreciate this approach. Most often I see necklaces draped over a box. Sometimes it's the same box the piece will be packaged inside when sent home later with the winning bidder. Boxes work well enough, but I recently spotted a couple of other silent auction display ideas you could use. Anyone who has heard me speak knows that my background was working in corporate marketing and sales. I'm always ... Read On >
Why I love acrylic stands in silent auction displays
I've written extensively on how to structure a good silent auction display. And despite my particular interest in acrylic frames, I've even talked about how to create displays without using acrylic stands. But I've not covered why I really like using those acrylic styles. Here's why acrylic stands catch my fancy. First, they are frameless. Unlike using traditional photo frames, which have a 1"-2" frame (see photo) around the edges, clear plastic stands are frameless. It leaves more room for ... Read On >
How auction games will get you publicity
I refer to auction games, raffles, and activities as the “bells and whistles” of benefit auctions. It's an understatement to call them revenue generators as they do more than make you money. These are the fun add-ons designed to address specific problems, involve the crowd, trigger fun, attract press, and (yes) make you money. Today’s post addresses the “attract press” piece. Many groups seem decent at securing post-gala publicity, but it's the pre-event recognition that will help you ... Read On >