How To Maximise Exposure Of Your Online Auction

Posted by Ben Crook on 11 May 2017

If you’re not teaming your online auction up with an event, no problem, here are few tips to gain maximum exposure.

When should I start my auction?

To make the most out of your online auction you need to consider your launch date, as this will be crucial to its success.

Either a Thursday or Friday evening is the best day for the auction to begin, as this means the auction will be viewed over the weekend, which is peak time for activity. Targeting commuters on their way home creates a viewing window, thus creating interest and optimal viewing over the weekend.

How long should I run my auction for?

You need to engage your donors by giving them enough time to view the auction items on offer, and encourage bidding. However, if you leave it too long bidders will begin to lose interest.

In our experience the optimal period for your auction to be open is between 7 and 14 days. This is enough time for donors to familiarise themselves with the auction and any specific auction items they might be interested in bidding on. Over this period, guests will begin to place bids on the most desirable of auction items, encouraging other donors to become enthralled with the bidding activity creating healthy competition thus raising you more.

How should I launch my auction?

Once you have chosen your go live date for your auction you need to consider how you will communicate this out to your donors. Your aim is to communicate the site out to as many people as possible once it’s live.

We encourage you to utilise your internal database, sending out invitations to entice people to browse the auction and start bidding. By using this method, you are targeting donors who already support your cause, making them the ideal candidates. You can utilise the various free templates within our fundraising tool kit to further promote your online auction!

Another powerful tool is word of mouth, or to utilise your social media presence, mention the event and encourage your connections to participate in the pre-event fundraising website.

You’re reaching out to a vast network of social media outlets which will help promote and advertise your cause to the world, and in doing so making people aware of your cause and hopefully enticing them to support you in the future.

Ben Crook

Chief Operating Officer

Ben is at the forefront of every project in Givergy, listing and actioning constant improvements across the business. With over a decade of experience in the charity and events sector he brings a deep understanding of what the fundraising industry needs to operate effectively and efficiently.