There is an Award for you somewhere

On a spot bit of research I found 92 business awards in Scotland with hundreds of different categories in sectors ranging from aquaculture to law and from transport to education. So, no matter what you do, there is an award potentially with your name on it.?

Have a look at the full list to see what might suit.

But why bother? The more cynical out there might think that awards are nothing more than an ego boost for the boss. Just something to add to your never ending ‘to do’ list.

Finding the time to pen a tightly scripted entry can be a challenge for small companies and organisations.

But battering out something just to get it done is short sighted. Competitions and awards that recognise your expertise simply have to be built into your business development strategy for the year.?

It is a ready made platform to tell your story.

Time and resources should be built in to research what competitions are right for you, depending on what your priorities are for the year, what categories most closely fit what you do best, and will demonstrate what you’ve achieved. Time should be spent thinking about what will add value to your entry.

A successful short-listing in a competition of your peers is a great way of letting you talk about how good you are at what you do.

It’s much more than just a piece of ornamentation to stick on the reception desk. It’s a chance for you to blow your trumpet, a chance to spread the word about how much better you are than the competition: through the press, through social media, a chance to reinforce your excellence through some some engaging online video content, or a hook to invite along a key stakeholder to demonstrate your expertise.

It’s not just an award, it’s a gateway to tell your story the way you want it told.

Like any communications activity there are no guarantees, but you are selling yourself short if you don’t give it the very best chance of success.

Entering awards though is a bit like a tendering process, it’s critical you tick all the right boxes, however, unlike tendering, you also need a creative eye that can position your organisation as a stand out against the competition.

I have a track record helping businesses and organisations get shortlisted and occasionally see them lift the silverware, feel free to get in touch if you are struggling to build relevant award entries into your business development strategy.

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