As seen on Forbes
By Kathleen Lucente
Applying for awards should always be a natural part of your marketing strategy. Sales, hiring and senior management teams that can point to award nominations and wins often find they help to seal deals and increase the brand’s or an executive’s reputation.
Local and industry awards are one of the most effective ways to widely showcase a company’s products, services, leaders or culture. Deciding which competitions to enter each year is an art. It’s best to start culling this list well in advance, with a budget and an eye toward the prizes that might best support your goals. Whether you’re aiming to establish your brand, attract top talent or solidify employee morale, the right awards can position your brand as a leader in its field.
A strong submission strategy requires, for starters, a proven writer and researcher who tackles each award application with thoughtful precision. Rather than assign an internal team to that time-consuming work, most companies hire a PR agency to navigate the entire awards entry process — from spotting the best opportunities to drafting, submitting and keeping track of applications. Here are five key steps for launching an effective awards campaign:
1. ESTABLISH AN ANNUAL AWARDS BUDGET AND RESOURCES.
The worst possible mistake you can make is getting caught mid-year with application costs for which you hadn’t planned. Ask your appointed team members or PR firm to assemble a priority list of awards to pursue. Then, create a “nice to have” list. Starting this research early, and keeping a year-over-year calendar of annual awards, gives you full clarity into yearly costs, with funds specifically designated for submission fees, table reservations for any awards dinners and publicity for promoting the nomination or win.
You might also want to include video costs since some applications involve an on-camera C-suite interview to address key contest questions. Make sure everyone on your team is on board with the time commitment. Some awards even require that top nominees submit twice before a final decision, so keep that in mind as well.
2. CURATE A LIST FOR NEXT YEAR NOW.
It takes time to win awards, and a lot of that goes into investigating just which ones are right for you to pursue. Identify the top honors in your industry and your local business community, then cross-reference that list with the prizes your competitors might be vying for. Target your ideal win categories: Best Place to Work, Entrepreneur of the Year, Best Product, Best CEO, CFO, CTO, etc.
3. ESTABLISH EARLY DEADLINES.
Award programs are strict about deadlines, so don’t rely on an extension to complete your submission. Many do give guidelines on how much preparation is needed, and it’s up to you to build steps, like in-house funding approval, into your company schedule. Set well-cushioned, early deadlines for research, writing, fact-checking and approvals to avoid last-minute scrambles to empower you to submit your most polished entry. At least six weeks before entries are due is an optimal time to begin.
4. WRITE TO ‘WOW’ THE JUDGES.
A winning submission is written in a way that hits all the right notes for that award’s requirements, with facts and figures, testimonials, achievements and other convincing proof of why your company deserves the nod.
Logically structure your entry and make sure the language is concise and compelling so judges see a clear narrative. Focus on tangible outcomes that demonstrate positive return on investment or illustrate clear benefits for you or your client. Research the judges and organization hosting the award to find the themes, ideas and outcomes that resonate most, then incorporate them into your submission if they make sense.
5. BUILD COMMUNITY AWARENESS.
Not all awards are decided via the same methodology or with the same outcomes in mind. Sometimes, surveys or popular opinion are involved. For example, the annual Best Places to Work lists are decided by some local newspapers and business journals.
For such campaigns, it’s important to rally your own staff on your behalf: Employees can’t help you win if they don’t know you’re trying, so encourage them to be vocal — through social media or other channels — about why it’s rewarding to work for your firm. And let them know other specific ways they can help. Some publications ask readers or consumers to vote for their favorite store, product, restaurant or business. Here, too, you can get the word out through blogs, social media and other forms of community engagement to remind people of your value and win support.
It’s all worth the effort since an award is a great way to build pride and awareness of what your company offers. Align your goals and resources with overall timing well in advance so your team and partners can help you score the recognition you deserve.
