From Start-ups and SMEs, to huge global organisations, we all have and need a marketing strategy. And no matter your budget, awards should be included.
Awards can sometimes be overlooked when it comes to marketing. But an awards strategy can help to boost your business and brand awareness, all at a low cost with big impact.
A professional awards strategy will;
- Help you choose the most valuable awards with the biggest return on investment
- Help you decide the most relevant categories you are most likely to win
- Help you manage and meet all your deadlines
- Help you establish a workflow (for gathering vital evidence etc.)
- Help you budget for the whole awards process (entry fees, ceremonies etc.)
So if you'd like to; enter awards you have the biggest chance of winning, raise your brand’s profile, recognise your team’s hard work, stop missing important industry awards, and put an end to submitting rushed last-minute losing entries…
You need an awards strategy! And if you’re not sure how to create one, we can help.
Here’s why awards should be part of your marketing strategy;
1) RECOGNITION
Whether you’re a winner, runner-up or a finalist, the third-party recognition you receive is invaluable. It will reinforce your marketing messages and raise your profile, so when you say you’re the best, you can prove that you really are!
Winning an award shows your existing customers you are trustworthy, reliable and a good business to spend their money with. And for new customers, being award-winning will give them a reason to choose you over their competitors.
Also, an award win, or finalist announcement will impress existing stakeholders and shareholders, and can be an effective tool to win over prospective investors.
2) ADDITIONAL PR COVERAGE
Becoming a finalist of awards with connections to local, national and industry press means you can benefit from FREE PR, saving you ££££s!
Awards such as The National Business Awards in 2019 partnered with The i, The Scotsman and The Yorkshire Post. Similarly, The Amazon Scale-Up Awards are organised by Business Leader Magazine. Both awards publish finalists and winners in articles that reach a huge readership.
Industry trade magazines often run their own awards programme and will publish you as a result of your participation – getting you valuable industry coverage.
3) LOW-COST LOW-RISK MARKETING
Marketing campaigns usually require a big budget. But entering awards is a relatively low-cost exercise that has a fast impact on your results.
Depending on the awards programme, entry fees can range from being free to a couple of hundred pounds. By creating an awards strategy, you can make decisions on which awards to enter based on your budget.
If you win, you have spent a small amount and achieved a huge result. If you are a finalist, you have still gained valuable exposure. And if you don’t win this time, you will learn from the experience, and it won’t affect your bottom line.
4) BRAND AWARENESS
Awards can present some fantastic opportunities for networking, partnerships and sponsorships. All of which will increase your brand’s exposure and awareness in your chosen industries – which is a great way to find new customers and partners.
Award ceremonies are huge events attended by CEOs, business leaders and decision-makers.
If you want to grow in an industry you supply, getting yourself invited to an awards ceremony where your ideal customer will be is the perfect opportunity for exposure. You can network and create relationships with the brands you are interested in, either as clients or as collaborators.
Sponsoring and partnering with an awards programme will require a bigger budget, but if you choose the right event for you, it can have a huge ROI. Again, having an awards strategy can help you decide the best opportunities for your business.
5) PROJECT MANAGEMENT
When you make awards part of your marketing strategy, an awards strategy will help you manage your time and the entry process.
We get so many enquiries from companies wanting to enter an important industry award where the deadline is as little as a week away! Usually because they have received a final deadline reminder, and it was not part of their marketing strategy.
Depending on the length of the entry, the project you are entering and how many people are involved, you will need to plan in how much time is needed to gather the evidence, create the story and complete the entry.
With an awards strategy in place you can plan time for each step of the entry process; writing a first draft, editing, second draft, final edits, sign-off and submission.
Planning time for all these steps will radically reduce stress and improve the quality of your entries, giving you a much higher chance of success.
HOW TO WIN AWARDS AND BOOST YOUR BUSINESS
Entering awards takes time, energy, and requires skill but it is worth it!
If you are ready to enter awards, contact us to find out how our award writing experts can take the pressure off and write your entries for you. Or read our tips on how to write a winning award entry.
Take advantage of our full bespoke awards package where we can create your awards strategy, write your award entries and support you throughout the whole process.
9 out of 10 clients win when we fully support them with our full awards service.
Get in touch today for your free consultation and find out how we can help you build your brand through awards recognition.
