Our top tips for preparing your guests for a modernized silent auction experience
Including a mobile silent auction app as part of your fundraiser is a great way to take your event to the next level. It shows that you are ahead-of-the-curve and understand the benefits that come with using technology to simplify your job.
However, if your guests aren’t familiar with silent auction apps, and show up to your event with little knowledge of the mobile bidding process, your new idea could end up being a flop.
So, what can you do to help your guests arrive excited and ready to bid?
We’ve compiled our top tips below.
Here Are Some Ideas To Help Your Guests Get Ready For Mobile Bidding:
1. Remind Your Guests To Approve Push Notifications
Push notifications are an extremely beneficial feature of any silent auction app. They allow your guests to receive real-time updates about your auction, whether they have the app open on their phone or not. The only issue is that some users turn them off. Reminding your guests to turn them on will benefit everyone.
Bid Beacon, for example, notifies guests when they’ve been outbid on an item. They can then tap on the notification to enter the app and choose to place a counterbid. Guests can now track the items they’re interested at any time from anywhere, eliminating the worry of not knowing if someone has outbid them.
The app also sends alerts when new items have been added to the auction, giving everyone a chance to place a bid.
Push notifications ultimately help your guests keep track of the auction, keeping them busy and making your event a more successful one.
You can find a full guide on how to enable push notifications on various devices here.
2. Include a Tutorial
A great way to educate your guests about your mobile app is to include a tutorial when you send your invites. Whether it’s a video, a cheat sheet, or even a few helpful tips, ensuring they understand how it works is the goal.
Bid Beacon, in addition to a video and cheat sheet, has a built-in app tutorial, highlighting and explaining the major buttons and features.
A well-made tutorial frees up time wasted on explaining how your app works and allows guests to get back to their bids.
3. Get Your Auction Up And Running Early
Providing your guests with advanced access to your silent auction is a great way to pique their interest. They can browse the available auction items before actually showing up to your fundraiser, increasing the likelihood that they will come prepared to bid on items they find appealing.
Bid Beacon, for example, allows you to send email invites through the app or using an invite link.
Additionally, granting your guests advanced access means they can set up their account and password before the day of the event, reducing the confusion and demand for assistance while the fundraiser is taking place. This means they can spend more time on browsing items and placing bids, and you can concentrate on making your event successful.
4. Have Tip Sheets Available At Check-In
No matter how much preparation you do, there will still be a small number of attendees who miss your communications leading up to your fundraising event.
For these people, having tip sheets available right when guests walk in the door is an effective strategy.
Include any crucial information that might be pertinent to your guests, like the WiFi network name and password, any bidding rules, and instructions for navigating their way through the mobile app.
The more information you make available to your guests, the less time you will have to dedicate to assisting them, and the more time they can spend on viewing items and placing bids.
With the Bid Beacon app, fundraising and auction organizers can complete many of these steps.
The app includes:
- Push notifications for bid and item-related updates
- A built-in tutorial for first-time guests
- The ability to invite guests through the app or via an invite link
- Advanced access to auction items
We make promoting your fundraiser a streamlined and cost-effective process. If you’re ready to host a successful charitable event while simultaneously saving time and money, now may be the time to go mobile.
