Facebook for Auctioneers
If you want to know some basics about Facebook and how you can use it in your auction business, here are (5) simple things for auctioneers to try. Note: if you are looking for advanced tactics to implement your social media marketing strategy for maximum engagement across diverse platforms enhancing concentrated coverage with minimal commitments of time and
resources, this is not your blog.
Feel free to add your ideas for helping auctioneers when using Facebook in the “comments” section below.
1) Create a business page on Facebook via https://www.facebook.com/business. Some auctioneers have personal pages for their businesses. Sadly, all the kids make fun of them when they are not looking. That is true, they do, most kids understand the difference between a personal and a business Facebook page. Too bad no one told the adults. A business page takes less than 5 minutes to set up and creates different promotional opportunities for the business, including brand promotion, name recognition, and the opportunity to offer deals or more information about sales.
2) Engage people with interesting content on your page. If your plan is to blowout auction info like grass seed all over your Facebook page—stop. That is not the point of Facebook. Fans (people who “like” your business on Facebook) are looking for engagement on Facebook, they want to interact and be entertained while milking the clock at work or not paying attention at a conference. You should post auction information, but keep it interesting and create opportunities for fans to engage with you and each other. Remember, Facebook is a social network, not a billboard.
Here are some interesting auction related posts/status updates you can use to promote fan involvement:
I bring a ______ to every auction I attend.
I can’t believe I saw a _______ at an auction.
What is your favorite part of the auction?
This one time at an auction . . .
Close your eyes. Think of an auction, post what do you see? (don’t do
while driving)
Would you rather bid live or online?
My favorite auction memory is . . .
The longest I have traveled was _____ to attend an auction.
You know your buyers; give them a reason to visit your page. Mix up
the content keep it fresh and interesting. (More on engagement at a later date)
3) Buy an ad on Facebook. It was not long ago that I paid $200 for 21 words in the classified section of the newspaper for an ad that ran on a single Sunday; bold was an extra $25. Using Facebook ads you can target clients based on the huge amount of data they collect on people. You determine the location, gender, age, hobbies, likes, and more for the people who see your ads. It is simple, targeted and very affordable at as little as $5 per day. Start here: http://www.facebook.com/ads/create/ and in 5 minutes you can have an ad that will reach new buyers for your auctions. Younger people get their news from Facebook and other social media sites not the newspapers.
4) Join a Facebook group. What fun would a social networking site be if we couldn’t form cliques and groups? Facebook has some great groups for auctioneers. http://www.facebook.com/groups/auctioneers/ and http://www.facebook.com/groups/216161725121201/ are two of my favorites. The discussions are in-depth and insightful. These are definitely worth being a part of. It is worth mentioning that some adults in these groups never learned about politeness or online etiquette so don’t be offended if you see some comments that appear trite and rude.
5) Make it personal. Devote space on your wall to people and things that matter you to and your business (but not photos of your cat). Include photos of auction personnel having fun, show photos of your office, and differentiate yourself from every other auctioneer posting on Facebook. Being an auctioneer is personal. It is OK to post a photo of yourself at a benefit auction, carrying a couch or working the crowd. Facebook for business is still social.
Have fun on Facebook. Nothing on this list should take more than 5 minutes to do. You could probably get all 5 done in 20 minutes. If you do, you now have a basic Facebook strategy and can feel good about the start of your social media marketing. You may also want to take a minute and find Wavebid on Facebook and become a fan. I will be posting more about Facebook and other social media sites in the future. If you are already doing all 5 or have something that works for your auction business please add other tips in the comments for auctioneers to try.