AUCTION MARKETING 101

Photography has never been more important to selling at auction than it is today. You’ll need photos for your website as well as any digital and print marketing you may run.

Hiring a professional photographer can get expensive and the alternative (you taking the photos) can seem a little tricky at first, but if you check out THIS professional photography podcast episode and follow these simple photography tips, you’ll produce beautiful, consistent photos. 

Have a standard shot list – this will ensure that even if there are distractions, you have a point of reference to make sure you have all your must have shots

Prepare your gear the night before – this will decrease the chances of dead batteries or bulbs. You don’t necessarily need to have the most expensive camera set up, you can get started with your smart phone.  Check out a high-resolution photos from your phone tutorial HERE.

Declutter - keep the surfaces as clear as possible. If you want some decorative items, leave 1-3 items.

Do a complete walk-thru - Getting a feel for the space before picking up the camera will give you an idea of how you want to shoot it. You’ll start to mentally note the best angles and what small items may need to be moved.

Decide on lighting – this can be a simple as turning on/off lights to setting up your own lighting. Turning lights on makes a space feel warmer but introduces varying light temperatures you’ll need to balance when processing, leaving lights off gives an even light temperature but gives off a cold feeling.

Use flash and bounce to diffuse – using a flash unit on your camera is one way to keep moving but be sure to bounce the light off walls or the ceiling so it’s softened.

Shoot straight – when shooting different angles, keep the camera straight to avoid distortion you’ll later have to straighten. Each property is different but the ideal height for shooting is at about 5 feet. If you go too high, you start to see ceilings and not enough of a room, too low you’ll see more of the furniture and not enough of the actual room.

Use photo editing software - Free photo editing software tutorial HERE

Save the files using SEO – when you post the photos to your website the file names can help boost your SEO rankings.

Create an engaging video for each and every auction! Your videos can be easily shared on Facebook and YouTube, inserted into email blasts and so much more. And the best part is that through UC’s 3rd party video partner, VideoFizz, you now have access to “automated listing videos” for every property you put on Bullseye!  It’s fun, simple to do, attracts a larger number of leads and helps expand the reach of your auctions. 

Click HERE for more info, HERE for a full VideoFizz tutorial and HERE for tutorial on automated listing videos. 

Also be sure to check out our Video SEO tutorial HERE & Video in Social Media tutorial HERE.

According to Multiple Listing Service statistics, properties with accompanying aerial imagery are 68% more likely to sell than properties without aerial imagery, and that number is only increasing. While real estate drones are typically used for bird’s-eye stills or hard-to-capture shots, drones can also be used to shoot video. Real estate drone video can show an aerial view of the land, a spacious property or an attractive neighborhood. For many auctioneers, hiring a professional drone pilot is the best option as they will have the proper certifications, equipment and experience.   If you plan to use drone photography or video on all your properties, it may be worth the initial financial investment and training to purchase and license your own drone. 

Check out the following podcast episodes UC has produced for drone usage HERE and HERE.

By enabling your prospective clients to see your properties in 3D, you can stand out from the competition and provide an immersive experience that's not possible with photos or 360 tours. With a 3D virtual tour, prospective leads can do their own walk-through of your properties from anywhere, anytime, generating higher engagement and interest allowing you to sell at a higher sales price, increase time spent on your website by 15% and attract more qualified buyers by giving viewers the most complete property representation.

Suggested 3rd Party Virtual Tour Platform:

Matterport – Whether you're a real estate agent, a broker, auctioneer or a property manager, Matterport's 3D data platform can increase commissions, reach a wider audience, and close on properties faster. Click HERE for Matterport tutorial.

Map services are simple, syndicated data feeds which create layers for each one you open in mapping applications. These “services” are more than pictures. You can query them, see attributes and, in many cases, use them to draw property boundaries by sketching straight onto the map. Most mapping services also support social media applications as well as drag and drop spreadsheet data into the program to quickly create interactive online maps.

UC’s 3rd Party Mapping Partner:

MapRight - Beautiful maps are now available to everyone with our easy to use web and mobile mapping platform. You can learn MapRight in about an hour and have the perfect maps to tell your project’s MapRight’s tools and layers are designed to create maps that are beautiful, easy to read and ready to be shared with anyone. The application requires no formal training and is supported by a team of experiences mappers. Click HERE for more info, HERE for tutorial on using MapRight features, and HERE for tutorial on exporting owner lists.

Google Maps (Free)

Draw borders

Add property points of interest

Insert into listings – tutorial HERE

How are you going to actually create and lay out your advertising?

Do you use free sites like Canva (click HERE for a Canva tutorial from UC) which give you the ability to create customized posts with a large selection of graphics, photos, text, shapes, icons and more all in one tool.

How about paid applications like Photoshop and InDesign (and do you have a current subscription or will you need a new one)? 

Will you hire a graphic designer?  

A mixture of all three? 

You need to take design costs into account when laying out your marketing budget.  If you will encounter fees for these services for this single seller, then they should be built into the marketing budget.

A property information packet (PIP) should include all of the property due diligence information you collected during the property listing agreement (refer to the Auction Management Form in the Document Center section of for a list), a copy of your terms and conditions, sample purchase agreement and any pertinent info to provide potential bidders full disclosure of what they’re purchasing.

The packet should be available to view and/or download on your website prior to the auction and should include a proof of receipt that they must sign stating they have reviewed and understand the items and terms laid out within the packet (receipt required prior to registering for the auction). These packets can get quite large depending on the variety of property documents, disclosures and terms and conditions available and you will need printed copies available. 

You may decide to print them at your office or you may require a professional printing service to create bound copies. Either way printing can get expensive, you will need to decide whether to cover these costs as part of your offering or defer the costs to the client within the marketing budget. 

Refer to the Document Center page for a sample Property Information Packet.

Auction software includes applications for online, live and simulcast auctions. Depending on the provider, online auctions providers may also supply auction management capabilities like cataloging, multi-parcel and auction accounting options or an online portal for customers to bid on auctions online.

UC 3rd Party Online Auction Partner:

AuctionFlex/HiBid - The United Country Online Auction Platform is an industry leading auction solution with a proven track record of over ten years in the online auction business. Online auctions require a technology system that is easy to navigate, safe & secure and allows for a seamless transaction between buyers and sellers. Click HERE for more info.

If you’re conducting a live auction, there will be auction day expenses to take into consideration when building your auction marketing campaign. Things like facility/tent rental fees, tables & chairs, merchandise tags, bid paddles, A/V set up, security, etc. will each have their own expenses and you’ll need to decide whether you will cover these fees or build them into your marketing expenses. 

Importance of auction location – you need to decide on your auction location when you’re setting up your marketing budget. This may seem like an easy topic but there are many variables to keep in mind when you’re deciding whether to have your auction onsite or offsite.

Are the property conditions conducive to an onsite auction? What facilities are available onsite? Is there room for set up and a crowd?  Is it climate controlled? Will bad weather effect the auction? Do you need to set up a tent? Does it need heat/cooling?  Restroom facilities – do you need to order porta potties & wash stations – who maintains the restrooms?  How is the parking?  Electricity – do you need a generator & can the noise be controlled – is it safe to use with your technology?  Is there cell phone and internet coverage? (all auctions will need adequate cell coverage so bidders can call other parties they may need to sign off on their bidding)(internet is needed for online auction capabilities and so bidders can look up data during the auction)  What might your bidders see during the auction – are there run down areas that may effect bidders during the auction? How’s the lighting – if you have any visual aspect, will it be seen?  Audio- how does the sound carry?  Where is it located – is it easy to access – are road conditions an issue – what does the neighborhood look like?

Who is your Audience? Multi-Property Auctions, Multi-Parcel Auctions and auctions where your audience consists mostly of investors and bankers will require an entirely different atmosphere and experience than an auction with equipment, farmers, neighboring property owners, etc.

Catering – Will you provide catering or refreshments? Does the offsite location require you to use theirs?

Security – Will you need security?

Auction Day Signage – will you need directional signage? What about table signs and pop-up banners?

UC 3rd Party Auction Supply Partner:

Keifer Auction Supply - United Country Auction Services is pleased to announce our new strategic relationship with Kiefer Auction Supply in which they’ve created a custom branded e-commerce site for our offices to use and receive discounted prices on multiple items including bid paddles, tags, PA systems and more. Click HERE for more info.

Weekly reports to your seller outlining the status of the marketing campaign, prospect generation results and overall status updates are essential to maintain full transparency and show your seller how their return on marketing investment is saturating the market. Report can also help you by serving as a guide to gauge the interest level in the sale and allow you to mitigate any challenges or surprises with your seller and/or make necessary adjustments to your marketing efforts.  If you’re using 3rd party tracking programs that have fees and/or spending money on materials to present these results to your seller, you may want to consider adding reporting fees into your marketing budget as well.  

For an idea of how to track your marketing methods, please revisit the How to Find Auction Opportunities page.

Similar to the auction marketing report you’ll be sending the seller as the marketing campaign is occurring, you’ll need to plan to send a follow-up version of the report that is inclusive of all marketing efforts and the auction results within a few days after the auction. If using 3rd party applications or hard-cost materials to present or send this report, you may want to build this in to the budget.