How do business awards help raise my profile at this time of crisis?
Denise O'Leary MBE
Awarded MBE for Services to Construction and Entrepreneurs. Chartered Marketer MA FCIM. 54x Stevie Winner inc 3xGRAND, 11x Gold, 2xPeoples Choice; iAlso100 Best Business Woman Marketing #GBEA Bid Expert Author Speaker
Entrepreneurs and business owners are facing huge challenges. In this lockdown environment they are always looking for new opportunities to raise their profile and drive their business forward. One way to do this is to win a business award.
If you have more time on your hands, now could be the ideal opportunity to enter some of the amazing business awards that are around.
Winning a business award can boost team morale, drive competitive advantage and secure trust in your business. If awards aren’t yet on your agenda, you are missing out! The benefits of participating in, never mind winning, business awards are immeasurable. Multi-award winner Denise O’Leary of Purpol Marketing explains how to consistently win business awards for your business and leverage the great PR opportunities they present.
Why should you enter? There are numerous business benefits that can be delivered:
Boost team morale - Keeping and attracting the best talent for your business is key to future success. Winning an award has a hugely positive effect on team morale. Not only do they get to say they work for an award winning business, they might also get to attend the award event and make an incredible experience out of it. Your team will be proud of the award and shout about it.
Achieve independent validation - Entering, being a finalist, and ultimately winning an award are great ways to showcase how good you are in your sector and achieve that highly desired independent validation. The benefits of being independently assessed and judged can be hugely important as this provides a badge of credibility that your business will possess well into the future.
Enhance Your Credibility - An award massively boosts both your business and your products' credibility in the eyes of consumers. This provides a concrete seal of approval which evidences the quality of the products or the services you offer. Social proof is one of the most influential factors in a consumer’s decision-making process.
Generate free PR - If you get shortlisted or win, you will gain many benefits including credibility – an award gives you the edge against your competition and validates your work. PR opportunities that come from a win l help to build your reputation, provide new business opportunities, and the chance to gain new clients, as well as providing something to shout about to existing clients. Awards and the associated ceremonies are also great for networking.
Top tips for your entry include:
Evidence is essential - Award entries give you the opportunity to document your achievements. Evidence is key, get client testimonials to support what you have achieved.
Promote your USP: Unique Selling Point - Determine what your company USP is. What makes you stand out and makes your business memorable? Focus on this to make your entry impactful.
Tailor Your Entries for Ultimate Success - Each award is likely to be judged individually, so tackle each award independently. Check the entry criteria - do they have a minimum turnover requirement? How long have you been trading? The entry criteria needs to be evaluated and matched against your individual and company attributes.
Pick the most relevant award and category to enter - Consider the relevance that the award can have to your business. There are a huge amount of awards out there so identify whether there is a specific category that you want to stand out in. Target the one you really want.
Always be honest with your entry. The judges for your awards are usually experienced business owners, investors and experts in their fields. This means that they are experienced enough to see through any attempt to cover up your weaknesses. Being sincere and explaining your challenges is very powerful as it shows you are constantly learning.
Visualise that win - Understand why you want to win. Build an Award Calendar that includes the details, due dates, etc. This will make it easier for you to target the ones you want.
Denise O’Leary is a multi-international award winner, founder of Purpol Marketing www.purpolmarketing.co.uk and author of WINNER – How to WIN Business Awards, available on Amazon, https://www.amazon.co.uk/WINNER-How-Win-Business-Awards/dp/1784529036 bookstores and on
Denise also provides bespoke consultancy on marketing strategies, bid writing and awards entry. Contact her at [email protected] or call 01249 481411.