10 Feb Be In It To Win It

One of the things we’re constantly saying to our clients is that they should enter their business for awards. That’s why as soon as we saw this fantastic opportunity to enter an award ourselves, we jumped at the chance. Win or lose, from a PR and Communications perspective there are so many benefits to doing this, and so we thought we’d share with you our top 5 reasons for why you should enter yourself.

We have made it as a finalist in the ‘Marketing Campaign of the Year’ category in the Northamptonshire Business Excellence Awards. We write award nominations all the time for other businesses and so we were very happy (and a little relieved) to know that we must have learned a few skills down the line and we could get it right for ourselves. And perhaps it is the confinement of Covid, but we as a team have never been so proud or excited.

So How To Maximise The Opportunity?

Whatever you’ve been nominated for, whether you win or not, just being in the running for any award is fantastic and you need to make sure you spread the word far and wide. Here are our top 5 reasons for why you should always nominate your business:

• Get your name out there – being in the list of nominees means your brand will be promoted, and in a very positive way. It’s very cost effective publicity.
• If you tender for work an award win is an added bonus. Recognition for environmental and giving back initiatives, for example, can earn you extra points.
• Morale – an award win can make staff feel appreciated and recognised, especially if the team can share in the fun.
• The positive PR almost always helps with recruitment – you stand out from the crowd (you don’t have to win by the way, being a finalist can be all it takes).
• The simple act of writing your award application can be useful – it gives you a unique opportunity to reflect on your company, your staff, a recent project. More often than not an award application will inspire a blog, a social media campaign or even a new focus and project.

Put simply, entering business awards makes good business sense. It can increase sales, boost your profile and exposure, and help you leave the competition in your wake.

Who are your audience more likely to use if you are THE award-winning business in your sector? The answer is obvious. Winning (or simply being nominated) gives prospective customers a true indicator of trustworthiness.

The Ceremony – A Few Extra Tips

We have booked a virtual table of ten for our upcoming ceremony on 25th February, and we’ve invited team members and a few of our amazing clients. When it comes to the actual ceremony event, here are a few extra golden nuggets of advice to make sure the night is a roaring success and not as flat as a pancake:

• It doesn’t matter if you win – that of course is just a bonus. Make the most of the exposure, the networking and share the moment with your team.
• Shout about the awards and your nomination – whether you scoop the top prize or not. It is great exposure and lovely content for your social media channels.
• Resist copious amounts of bubbly, at least until the award giving part is over (does this count since it will be online this year? Mmmm, debatable).
• Have fun – tonight is not an evening to be modest or coy!

So, here’s to all our fellow finalists and the brilliant team at All Things Management who put this event together. We’re already thinking about our entry into next year’s awards – as should you be!

However fun the virtual ceremony will be, though, the thought of face to face, human contact, a spot of dancing and some cheesy photos seriously appeals. Let’s hope we can enjoy the ceremony like that next year.

Good luck everyone.