Jones Brothers win an IoD awardThe benefits

Some businesses can be reluctant when it comes to entering awards, either through a lack of time, doubts over the perceived benefits or a lack of awareness of the opportunities on offer.

Often it’s a combination of all three factors.

Having worked with several clients on a number of successful award submissions over the years, we’ve seen first hand some of the benefits.

We believe it’s not the award, but how you use it, that matters. A company that wins an award should use it to:

  • Raise the company’s profile – target regional and trade media with news of your award, and also use social media including blogs to get the word out
  • Win new business – use the award to demonstrate your credibility in new business pitches
  • Enhance your corporate image – promote the award on your website, newsletters and other marketing material
  • Network – award ceremonies offer a good opportunity to mingle with potential customers
  • Boost staff morale – news of an award win should be spread internally

Top tips

Now that you’re convinced (we hope) that entering a business award is a good idea, here are our top five tips for a winning submission:

1)    Be realistic when deciding which contest / category to enter – some companies try to punch above their weight and end up disappointed. Your business may have had a difficult year overall, but a new product or service might be doing particularly well. In this case, go for the ‘product of the year’ category rather than ‘business of the year’

2)    Stick to the parameters – if the judges have asked for a 500 word statement supplied as a Word document, don’t submit a 4,000 word essay as a PDF

3)    Take the time to put together a compelling case – it sounds obvious but leaving things to the last minute can often lead to mistakes and sub standard applications

4)    Do your research – if it isn’t immediately clear, find out who is on the judging panel, what they are looking for and the package on offer to the winner

5)    Stand out from the crowd – when working on your submission, think about what makes you (or your product / service) different from your competitors and communicate this clearly.