The secret to winning awards for your business
Winning, or becoming a finalist in an award, will establish a huge amount of credibility for your business. It recognises your achievements, whether this is successful work with a customer or impressive business growth, and boosts your company’s reputation, writes Simon Corbett, Jargon PR’s founder and managing director.
Not to mention, awards set you aside from competitors, who have probably entered the same category. What’s more, success in an award celebrates your team’s hard work and is great for team morale and recruitment.
Understanding the awards process
The awards process begins with selecting the category that is most suitable for your business. There can be a crossover with categories and therefore it’s best to consider what you specifically want to be known for, ie winning a product award for the best product in the industry, or being named as the best employer in your market.
Once the most relevant category has been selected, you will need to focus on gathering all the information needed. Some awards can have a lengthy application process and it’s important to leave no stone unturned, making sure that you’ve focused on every detail the entry asks for.
Once the award has been drafted and submitted, be sure to make a note of when the shortlist is announced so you can be prepared. If you’ve been successful and made the shortlist, the next stage can sometimes be a face-to-face meeting, or presentation, to discuss the entry further. Finally, it’s the big night, the award ceremony, a perfect chance to celebrate with the team, network with other finalists and impress clients.
How to ensure an entry stands out
Before you begin drafting the entry, take a look at the recent work your business has completed with customers, if this is relevant to the category, and review what has achieved the best results. Make sure you have a strong case study where you’re able to discuss the objectives, implementation and results in detail.
Financial results and testimonials from customers are also perfect to back up the credibility of the entry and give it a competitive edge. If you’re discussing a particular campaign delivered by your business, supporting documents and visual aids are a great way to help the entry stand out.
Also, make sure to do your research. Who won the category last year, and who made the shortlist? By researching this, you can identify the expectations of the judges from previous years and establish if your entry can meet those standards.
Top tips for an entry
Be sure to pay attention to the word count. If your entry goes over the restrictions then it’ll probably be penalised. You should take full advantage of the word count and go into as much detail as possible.
Make sure everything is clearly laid out. It’s easy to miss out a key detail or assume the judges will know your industry terminology. Get someone else to read through the full entry to check everything flows well and all requirements have been covered.
I’m often asked to be an awards judge. Regardless of the award category, there are always dozens of entries to read, judge and mark. Making this process as easy as possible for the judges, with a clear narrative and flowing entry that tells the story of your business is key.
Maximising PR opportunities
When your company is shortlisted for an award, the organisers will want to maximise the PR for the event. As a nominee, your company name will be included on their website, social media channels and press releases.
You should leverage this opportunity for your PR and look at distributing your own press release to local news outlets and industry publications to celebrate your success. There’s also the opportunity to shout about your nomination or win across your website, social media channels, company blog and marketing collateral. This is a great way to show potential customers and employees that your company is the best in your industry.
If you’re interested in hearing more about the awards services Jargon PR offers, or want to know more about wider PR, contact Simon Corbett on:
0118 9739370
Jargon PR is providing PR support for the Thames Valley Tech Awards and the Thames Valley Business Magazine Awards
