Why enter for awards?
Entering business awards is often seen as an activity best left to big corporate names that have time and resources on their hands but it does not have to be that way and with some creative thinking you can use entering and hopefully winning awards to win even more business.
Entering business awards is a great way of gaining recognition among the key audiences that are so important to your business, audiences such as customers, suppliers and employees. Forward thinking businesses enter awards because:
It is an excellent way to boost staff morale and performance
It builds stronger relationships, as people like to be associated with success
It establishes credibility, especially in service industries
So what do you do when your business is nominated for an award?
You can start by telling people. Tell and praise your staff for their achievement. Write to your suppliers thanking them for their part in your success. Write to customers, share the food news with them, they will recognise the value of your service to them and how they are choosing to work with winners.
Making the most of an award
Should you be rewarded for your hard work with an award make sure you recognise your achievement in all your communication. Add it to your letterhead, website, newsletters and promotional material, if you can get a logo from the organisers then make sure it appears on your material where people can see it and ask questions.
If you have a trade/specialist magazines for your sector get in touch with them and see if they will run an article about your achievement.
If you have stakeholders that you need to influence such as funders or strategic partners then don’t forget to let them know.
If you can, establish yourself with the press as an expert in the field for which you have won the award, it’s surprising how journalists will come back to you for comment if they consider your opinion to be of value which in turn fives you free media coverage and exposure.