Effective advertising is crucial to the success of any auction. The key is to catch the attention of the auction going public by letting them know that we have merchandise they will be interested in, and to do so in an efficient, cost effective way.

 This web site is one aspect of that advertising program. The Auction Listings page provides a great opportunity to list in detail what will be for sale in upcoming auctions, and most importantly the opportunity to post pictures of selected items. We have had a huge favorable response to our site, and it receives tens of thousands of "hits" every month.

    Another aspect of our advertising program is our e-mail list, consisting of thousands of people who have asked us to notify them of upcoming auctions. This is particularly useful, as we can provide detailed advertising to people who are already interested, and at no cost to our sellers! To be added to our e-mail list, please e-mail Mark at mark@mvhauctioneer.com

     Each of our auctions is advertised in the Sunday classified section of the Columbus Dispatch. We keep these ads fairly short, as they are quite expensive. The Dispatch advertising is indispensable, however; it is the single most consulted source of information for regular auction goers in central Ohio. We choose to run regular column ads rather than display ads because the column ads appear, in searchable form, online at the Columbus Dispatch web site, whereas display ads do not.

       All of our auctions are also listed on Auctionzip.com , a national auction advertising web site with a huge following. This allows our consignors to get a national audience for their merchandise.

    In order to reach a broader geographical audience, we sometimes also run print advertising in Antique Week. This publication reaches antique collectors and dealers throughout the Midwest and the entire United States. These ads can also be accessed on-line at Antique Week's web site.

    Each of our auctions is also listed on the National Association of Auctioneers web site. This site allows users to search for auctions all over the country by date, key words, auctioneer, location, and other criteria.

 We also print several hundred flyers for each of our auctions. These flyers are distributed at our other auctions, and at the auctions of several other local auctioneers with whom Mark works. Flyers are also posted and left at several antiques shops, malls, and shows in the area. To see an example of our flyers, go here.

On occasion a particular auction may require additional marketing, including mailing to the general auction-going public, mailing targeted to specific industries or interest groups, telemarketing, advertising in other trade publications or other local newspapers, and other outlets. All of this is part of our comprehensive auction marketing service.

Copyright (c) 2001 Mark Van Hook
mark@mvhauctioneer.com