How to Win Awards for Your Business
No two companies are the same, but there’s one thing that can without exception benefit them all:
Recognition.
Winning an award for your business is just one of the many different forms recognition can come in – but it’s also one of the most valuable forms.
Why Do Awards Matter?
The benefits of receiving a business award often reach beyond the pride and honor earned from winning. Yes, it’s a huge accomplishment to be acknowledged for your strengths – but awards can also act as a stepping stone to a myriad of other advantages.
So, why do awards really matter?
You will gain a better understanding of how you compare to your competitors.
Awards require research (more on this later), but by the time you’ve completed the process, you will probably have greater insight into competing businesses and how you stack up against them. You will largely need to evaluate your differentiators from other companies, and this can involve discovering both strengths and weaknesses.
You will increase your company’s credibility.
Being recognized for an award, especially from a reliable source, can have a huge impact on the way others perceive your company’s credibility. Knowing that another organization has decided to back you will build trust and confidence in your current and future audience.
You will earn a marketing tool at no (additional) cost.
Some award applications have a fee, while others do not; nonetheless, when you receive a business award, you’ve automatically gained a worthwhile marketing tool that will help assist in growing your traffic.
You will expand your connections within the professional world.
Improving your company’s visibility through awards goes beyond just growing your customer base. It also increases your exposure to the spotlight of business owners, organizations, professionals, and other industry leaders who may want to link up. You never know what opportunities can come from making a new connection.
You will be able to attract and retain more employees.
Today, people use the internet as a tool to find information on everything around them – including potential employers. Not only can winning an award for your business provide confidence to current employees, but it can also give assurance to new talent getting to know your company.
How to Find Award-Winning Opportunities
Research, research, research. This is the most important step you can take before you begin any application process.
First, your research will need to be focused on what awards you should be applying to. To make this as simple as possible, try compiling a list of awards that would suit your business. You can do this by:
- Keeping up with industry-specific social media accounts and websites that often make announcements on current and upcoming award opportunities.
- Make note of what awards your competitors have – and have not – won. Is there an award that can demonstrate your commensurate experience or even set you ahead of them?
- Checking with your community! Your local chamber of commerce will likely be able to provide you with award opportunities to review.
- Thoroughly verify the credibility of all organizations you’re considering applying for an award through. Keep in mind that reputable awards are often not given out easily. If it seems too good to be true, use caution before proceeding.
Once you have a list of opportunities that would be a good fit for your business, check out which ones you meet the qualifications for – and then get applying!
Tips for Applying
You know how your business stands out. By the time the award-granting organization is finished reviewing your application, they should, too.
When contemplating your strategy around how to apply for business awards, ask yourself the following questions to help better craft a winning response:
- How does my business align with the values this organization is looking for in an award recipient?
- What does my business have in common with past recipients?
- What is my unique selling point compared to others who may be applying?
- How is my company’s story meaningful and memorable?
The answers to these four questions should help guide you as you work toward winning awards for your business.
Take into consideration that an important aspect of receiving an award is making sure your website and social media accounts are up to par with (and distinguishable from) other businesses who may be applying. Your online presence is an important resource to be used in proving you’re deserving of the accolade.
As a final tip for filling out your application(s), don’t forget to make sure you’re answering every single question clearly and thoroughly, along with paying close attention to deadlines. You don’t want to forfeit an opportunity due to missing information or overlooking a due date.
Using Awards to Promote Your Business
Now that you have some tips on how to win awards for your company, the next step is understanding how you can use awards to your advantage.
If you’re wondering where to start, begin by making an announcement on social media to celebrate your achievement. Create a post for your company’s Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and any other platforms you utilize.
An effective next step will be featuring this new award on your website. You can do this by creating an announcement like the one you’ve shared on social media and adding the award to all website pages you feel it belongs on. (Hint: definitely your ‘About Us’ page.) You can even craft a page fully dedicated to your awards, just like we did here.
If you’re looking for other creative ways to grow your business with an award, consider building the accomplishment into your SEO strategy or sending out an email letting your current customers and subscribers know of the success. You can even organize a sale or other promotion around your award to put some emphasis on it!
Moving Forward Together
There’s no doubt that winning awards for your business will come with valuable benefits – but the truth is that it’s not always an easy process. (And it’s not supposed to be!)
We believe your company is worthy of awards, and we want to clearly show that to everyone who loads your website.
So, if you want our help in turning your online presence into an award-winning marketing machine… have a coffee with us. We’d love to chat about your goals and help you to create a stellar website that is truly reflective of your company, history, and services.
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