Not so long ago (like two weeks ago) I blogged about how dressing up to promote your charity auction could rank as one of those top concepts ... especially when it comes to school auction ideas. Now, I have proof. That's right. I have honest-to-goodness photographs proving that some of my fabulous school auction clients are doing just that. They are having fun, hamming it up, promoting their school auction ... by dressing up. Voici. Take a look at these shots. Here's someone clearly in a ... Read On >
Marketing
Outlandish marketing for your benefit auction? Not really.
Earlier in September I was in New York for business. New York City has a lot of street hawkers, and this guy was selling purses. He was dressed as Superman. Carried a purse over each arm. Held up a big sign indicating the price. Wore a big smile and "danced a little jig" to music blaring from his portable CD player. While he oversaw the "in your face" marketing, his two buddies sold purses. Is this idea crazy for your benefit auction? Heck no! It's fun! This past spring, one of my ... Read On >
Social media-related contest: Use it to promote benefit auction
Social media is growing at exponential rates. My favorite video on the subject (the short version is below) is produced by Erik Qualman, an online marketer and author. The statistics he shares are compelling (e.g. 1 out of 8 American couples married last year met online... social media has surpassed porn as the #1 activity on the Internet), and the music ... well, the music is by Fat Boy Slim, one of my favorite musicians, and my preferred music to play while cleaning the ... Read On >
A Simple Trick to Improve Raffle Ticket Sales & the Guest Experience
Raffle ticket sales become a lot easier when you use this simple trick. Each guest who buys a raffle ticket should be given a visual identifier to alert others that he's purchased. This avoids the common annoyance to guests: multiple people approaching to sell raffle tickets. Assume you have three teams of volunteers roaming the crowd to sell raffle tickets for a diamond bracelet. Team #1 approaches Mr. Smith and sells him two tickets. Within minutes, Team #2 talks to him. "I ... Read On >
Tips to Reduce No-Shows at Your Benefit Auction
This past spring, one of my clients experienced a higher-than-usual 9.5% no-show rate at their gala. If all of the no-shows had been seated together (they weren't), it would have amounted to over three empty tables. A significant number of no-shows impacts your benefit auction. First, you've likely already paid for the food so that is an incurred expense. Second, fewer guests means fewer people to bid on merchandise. Third, if it's obvious there are a number of guests missing, it may have a ... Read On >