Here is our latest guest blog from Faith PR – contact them for all your PR, Social Media and Marketing needs on 01484 599886 or havefaith@faith-pr.co.uk
Entering awards is a great way to shout out about the work that you or your clients do. Award wins, even just being shortlisted, showcase that you are experts in your field, even better, they’re backed by industry leaders that believe that too!
Awards vary, from industry specific ones where you can showcase your business within your sector and go up against peers or competitors, or more generic business ones at a local, regional or national level.
Others celebrate the achievements of individuals, whether it’s a senior member of the team or awards specific to outstanding females in business.
Make sure you pick awards and categories that will allow you to showcase areas of your business or campaigns where you have truly excelled and have tangible results to back them up. What makes you stand out from your competitors? Have you experienced accelerated business growth over the last year? Do you excel in customer service? Are you constantly innovating? What makes you a great employer? Is a female member of staff rising up the ranks and breaking glass ceilings?
Several clients use our services solely to pull together award entries. We even enter our own industry awards to enable us to shout out about the great things we do as a team, or successful client projects we’ve undertaken. Nothing beats having your name called out and heading onto the stage to accept an award in front of your industry peers.
OUR 3 REASONS WHY ENTERING AWARDS IS A MUST
INCREASED CREDIBILITY
It goes without saying that an award win, or even just a shortlist, can increase your credibility. Judges are usually cherry picked as leaders in their field, whether it’s from your specific industry or a business trailblazer. See it as a peer review exercise – your nomination shows that they endorse what you’re doing. It reaffirms that you are experts in your field and existing and potential clients will see that.
It also helps you to benchmark yourselves against your competitors, what you’re doing and what they are. A win will concrete your position as a leader in your industry.
BRAND AWARENESS
Just being shortlisted for an award offers an opportunity to generate publicity across key media and social channels and help reach out to a wider audience. And if you win, you get two bites of the cherry!
Maximise the opportunity to reach out to potential clients who will see that you are award-winning. Most awards will send logos you can use on your e-mails and website to highlight that you’ve been shortlisted or are winners, so make sure you use them!
EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION
Awards nominations can help boost morale and motivate employees. Even pulling together the entry and reviewing the work you’ve done enables you and your employees to appreciate the value and input you’ve all put into it. It will also attract talent. Who doesn’t want work for an award-winning company? So, get your glad rags on and celebrate what a great team you have and reward them for all their hard work!
Entering awards is also a great client retention exercise. Invite key clients along to the ceremony to help build up relationships with them and thank them for their custom. And meet new people and network – you never know you may connect with some new faces that could lead to new business!
If you don’t win, try and find out why you didn’t win and improve your offering, so you can try again next year. Remember you still made it to the shortlist which is still a major feat.
