A Gift That Can Keep On Giving - 28 Ways To Amplify Your Win Beyond The Award's Night

Proudly, you stand on the stage, accepting your award in front of hundreds of people.

Your acceptance speech is inspiring and heartfelt (hopefully, you prepared one that goes beyond the thank you shopping list).

You share your journey and why you do what you do.

But if you look around the room, 20% of the people are having their own little chats, 30% are thinking about what they will say if they win, and maybe, the other 50% are tuned in to what you've said.

Even those who connected with what you've said, maybe 2% remember who you are and why you won the next day.

Hopefully, they remember how you made them feel.

The others have moved on and are thinking about other things.

While attending award events and having an impactful acceptance speech are great ways to connect and be seen, it's not the end of the awards journey.

If you feel you have already posted more times that you are comfortable about your win, Paretto's Principle says only 20% of those you are connected with will see what you've shared. The other 80% are overwhelmed by the increasingly large volume of content in front of us everyday. They're thinking about what to have for dinner or what's on their to do list.

First step to amplifying an award win is to put aside what YOU think everyone else wants or how much they have seen. Winning an award is about you, but it's also not. Awards are social proof...third party credibility to give gravitas to your brand and message. They leave breadcrumbs in people's minds, building a connection of trust between you and them.

There's a reason repetition is used in all forms of marketing. Not everyone sees or hearts the same message at the same time. But if you map out a promo plan, you can leverage your award win. There's a lot that you can do that subtle to drop breadcrumbs. You don't have to do it all at once, but if you do something every week, you will be more visible.

Here are a few things you can do over the next six months to get more eyeballs on you and your business. Don't think of it as bragging or that people are sick of hearing from you... think of it as marketing.

1. Update your social media bios, including the achievements sections on Facebook and Linkedin.

2. Put the logo and any photos on your website, hyperlinking it back to the awards' winners page.

3. Send a media pitch to your local media - radio, TV and papers. Some local media love sharing local success stories. Also reached out to community newsletters and your local MPs and government reps.

4. Share the media wins on your social platforms (all of them, but on different days) and your website with a link to the article.

5. Share a recording of your acceptance speech (if you didn't win, do a thank you speech and share that).

6. Write a blog or post about what you learned about entering awards - the people you've met, the experiences you've had, challenges overcome and fears you had to face.

7. Add the winner's logo to your email signature.

8. Do several posts about the other finalists and winners in your category. Share about their business and what you loved about meeting them or hearing from them.

9. Include photos and a little bit in your newsletter to send to your database.

10. Write an article about the tips and insights from the awards process. This might inspire and help others give awards a crack.

11. Share photos/reel of you at the event - glammed up, with friends, other finalists, and you with your trophy.

12. Do a promotional campaign offering a discount on purchases to share the love.

13. Write a longer-form LinkedIn article sharing the significance of the award in your industry, your journey to winning it, and its impact on your business.

14. If you have a podcast, do a special awards edition. Interview other winners about their businesses, and then get them to share and you share across all your platforms.

15. Write a case study or white paper exploring the work or strategy that led to the award win. Share this with industry publications, at conferences, or with potential clients.

16. Write a media release and post on a distribution site like EIN Newswire or PR Wire. There is a cost, but it does get your Google exposure. Then share the links across your platforms.

17. Share photos and your content to your Google Business profile.

18. Launch a campaign to thank your customers for their support in helping you achieve the award - could be thank-you notes, special offers, or a loyalty program boost.

19. If you have staff, share testimonials about what the award win means to them. Then share these on social media, in newsletters, and on your website.

20. Optimise your website and online content with keywords related to the award, so your win comes up in relevant search queries, for long-term visibility.

21. Celebrate the anniversary of the award win each year with a special campaign or event. This keeps the achievement fresh in the minds of your audience and employees.

22. When you get the professional photos from the event, share them with a story about how you feel about your awards win a week later. What has come up for you? Be vulnerable and share the icky as well as the glam.

23. Do a timeline of your business journey with key milestones leading up to the win.

24. Write collaborative articles with other winners and pitch to a business publication. Then share the article link across your platforms.

25. Create as a series of social media tiles with quotes from your award entry.

26. Create some funny branded gifs to share at random.

27. Create or update your media/speaker kit with the logos, and send to podcasts looking for guests.

28. Do a thank you post to acknowledge those who have helped you in your journey. Your acceptance speech is not about thanking everyone else. It's about acknowledging your journey and sharing important messages, so people get insight into who you are and what you do (without being salesy).

Lots of breadcrumbs.

Now, all that is left to do is do it!

Yes, it will feel awkward. Yes, you may cringe every time you post. But, you aren't doing it because of how you feel, but because you know that there are people out there who still haven't met you yet.

And they need you.