Get your guests buzzing about your fundraiser by following these simple steps
The more interactive and engaging your silent auction event is, the more likely it is that your guests will have a good time and participate in bidding on your auction items.
After all, happy guests stay longer, giving them more time to consider the items that are available.
The problem, however, is that most silent auctions are similar in how they are organized and executed, so guests often approach these events with a “If you’ve been to one, you’ve been to them all” mentality.
So, how do you combat this?
Bid Beacon is a wonderful tool for bringing an innovative edge to your event, and it’s the perfect way to encourage guests to interact.
Still uncertain about what we are getting at?
Don’t worry. We’re writing this blog to share three simple ideas you can use at your next silent auction event to increase overall social activity.
1. Live Tracking on a Big Screen
This is one of the best ideas for a silent auction fundraiser when it comes to boosting engagement. Bid Beacon allows admins to promote the top performing items by Dollar Amount, Bid Count, or the items with the Most Recent Bids Placed. These three links can be found in the admin dashboard, under the Promote tab. Each option allows you to view the Top 3 or Top 5 results which you can then open in a web browser and project onto a big screen during your event.
With this, your guests can easily keep track of which items are most popular and attention grabbing. It’s a surefire way to help drive up the overall bids. Best of all, if your auction has set a goal, that will also be displayed on these three pages! So, as you get closer to reaching your goal, excitement will build, and guests will often bid more to help achieve the fundraising goal.
We have a neat trick for admins who use these live-tracking links. Depending on whether you select the Top 3 or Top 5 results option, the link will specify that number. You are more than welcome to update that number within the URL to showcase more or less than the preset options available. For example, if you select the Top 5 items by Bid Count, but wanted to view the top 7 items, you would simply update the URL to include a value of 7 (instead of 5).
Example links:
Top 5 by Bid Count (original)
- https://app.bidbeacon.com/#/auction/CN24LB/activity?sortBy=topCount&count=5
Top 7 by Bid Count (updated)
- https://app.bidbeacon.com/#/auction/CN24LB/activity?sortBy=topCount&count=7
2. Promote the Use of In-App Messaging
In our Bid Beacon app, every silent auction item has its own individual message thread where your guests can post messages.
One of our most impactful silent auction tips is to encourage your guests to chat with admins over using this in-app messaging feature. It’s the perfect place to ask questions about the specifics of an item or simply express an interest. But most of all, it provides a convenient way for guests to interact with admins straight from their mobile devices.
And since texting is the preferred method of communication for 62% of women and 45% of men, this is an excellent way to give your guests what they want.
3. Encourage Social Sharing
Unlike other events where cell phone use can be prohibited or frowned upon, using a mobile app at your silent auction will actually encourage your guests to be interactive on their devices.
So why not capitalize on this?
Have your MC or event host place cards on each table encouraging your guests to share the fact that they are at your event on social media. You can even include a branded hashtag for your event, so that all of the posts related to your event appear in one online feed. Since your guests are already using their silent auction app to participate in the fundraiser, they won’t feel awkward about being on their phone while they share a quick status update on Facebook or Twitter.
Each item page has a dynamic quick-link button (next to the Messaging and Heart icons) that can be shared on social media. When sharing, a link preview will appear that includes the item’s image, as well as the name and description of the item. For your most popular or high-value items, sharing them on social media is a great way to attract attention and bring in more bidders.
By following these three simple silent auction tips, you can create a more socially interactive experience for all who attend your fundraiser, and subsequently improve bidding rates. Plus, you’ll be creating a memorable auction experience for your guests – one that could motivate them to attend your event again in the future!
