There’s a copious number of awards out there for nearly everything, and most of them can be beneficial for your business. Some of the more prestigious business awards offer kudos for culture, growth and innovation. Leadership awards aren’t all that bad either—nor are those specific to a product or service.
I've found that the credibility and recognition these awards offer can open doors in more ways than one. National and local awards are both important: My company has made the Inc. 500 awards list two years in a row, and I've received numerous local awards through business journals. The awards show prospective clients, employees and partners that we are growing and credible; they also mean we have less work to do to earn trust.
To follow this example, there are two things standing in your way: The first hurdle is applications, which can be tedious and time-consuming. Start by determining which awards are worth your effort before you begin the application process. You may want to consider tapping a public relations professional to help you make these decisions.
Second, you have to figure out how to promote and publicize awards once they come your way. For the most part, you can use these accolades in four ways:
1. Promote through marketing.
Awards are a bit like falling trees: They don’t make much of a sound unless someone is around. That’s where you come in. Awards provide tremendous marketing opportunities, but only if you use them correctly.
Awards can be extremely useful for garnering attention and improving the conversion rates of your marketing initiatives, especially when an award directly relates to your products or services.
In 2018, my company was named to the Inc. 500 for the first time. It was quite an accomplishment, providing much-needed validation that the years of hard work were paying off. We capitalized on the opportunity by letting everyone know about the honor.
To do likewise, update your company info, including website, social media “about” sections, directory listings and even personal bios to mention these accolades. Boast about the award in an email blast, giving you another excuse to connect with your customer base.
If you have a marketing team, you'll want it to craft a press release that uses the best SEO practices. Be sure to distribute your release not only to media organizations but also to distribution services. And by all means, upload it to your website.
Throw some ad dollars behind this initiative and define a target audience, create quality social media posts and announce the news with all the appropriate hashtags (and don’t forget to mention the award organizers). You might also want to review existing marketing materials to determine whether it’s appropriate to build upon them. If you can add videos to these posts, even better! While you’re at it, review your paid search efforts.
2. Leverage sales.
Awards won't drive sales on their own, but they can show prospects that your company is the real deal. They could even be the deciding factor for a potential client to take that all-important meeting with your sales team. The rest is then up to your crew—but isn’t the first hurdle getting prospects through the doors?
I've seen this play out for my company, especially with local clients who saw press coverage of awards. Many of these prospects decided to work with us because they felt they could trust us to do good work and continue growing with them.
Awards can also be major morale boosters. Sending a sales team out with some added confidence in your products or services can make that team even more persuasive. That goes for any award—not just those directly associated with your wares. Cultural awards can be just as beneficial in driving sales.
3. Lend credibility to trade shows and events.
Award ceremonies are a great way to rub elbows with others in your industry—and perhaps to run into potential investors or key decision makers at companies within your sales funnel. As a result, make time to attend the actual events! Even if you don't feel confident about your chances of winning an award, take advantage of the opportunity.
Awards are a bit like falling trees: They don’t make much of a sound unless someone is around.
As far as trade shows and events go, your goal is to grab the attention of anyone who might be walking by. The big logo of a recognizable award could do the trick. Before attendees even speak to you, they'll see you as an award-winning company that's worth their time more than everyone else in the room. Talk about a great icebreaker.
4. Boost employer branding.
People want to work for successful companies. It’s as simple as that. Awards and accolades are signs of growth, legitimacy and innovation and can be used to strengthen the employer brand, enabling you to attract more qualified talent to your organization. You could include the award logo in job listings, specifically tying the award to relevant job opportunities when possible.
As for current employees, awards serve as validation. They show that the hard work is paying off and they’re contributing to the overall company growth. That’s a great feeling that should be celebrated. Make an event out of the occasion, calling out any employees who are responsible for the achievement.
Applying for awards can be exhausting, which is why many organizations skip even exploring the opportunity. Once the research is done and your first application goes through the mail, though, the whole process gets easier. For such a small investment of time (and a little money), the return can be astronomical.
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