Why winning awards can be a game-changer for your brand

Scooping industry awards isn’t just about recognition - it’s a powerful tool to boost your brand’s reputation, credibility, and visibility. We’ve seen it happen first-hand. Here are three reasons why applying for awards should be part of your growth strategy:?

1. Boost brand awareness

Being shortlisted or winning an award instantly sets your brand apart, positioning you as an industry leader. Plus, attending awards events puts you in front of new audiences, potential customers, and key decision-makers.

But winning is just the beginning. To maximise the impact, make the most of your success by creating press coverage and social media campaigns. As well as making more people aware of your award-winning campaigns, case studies on your website can also earn high-quality backlinks from reputable sites - boosting your SEO and driving organic traffic.

Check out our blog on how digital PR can help grow your brand awareness and online visibility in more detail here.

2. Enhance credibility and trust

Winning an award is more than just a trophy - it’s a powerful trust signal. Make sure to showcase your win everywhere you can: your email signature, website footer, and social media channels. This recognition reinforces your reputation and instils confidence in customers.

But it’s not just your audience that takes notice - search engines do too! Award wins strengthen your brand’s E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness), helping improve your SEO and website visibility.

3. Strengthen client and partner relationships

Winning awards builds even more trust with your existing clients and opens doors to new business opportunities. Industry recognition shows that you can deliver exceptional results, giving partners and prospects more confidence in working with you?

It’s also a great way to motivate and retain top talent. A night out with the team celebrating their hard work boosts morale, attracts skilled professionals, and positions your company as a great place to work. Great people are also highly motivated when they are part of something that their industry recognises as best-in-class, so it really is a win-win!

But how do you choose the right awards for your brand??

Not every award will be the right fit for your brand, and simply entering every award you can is not the approach to take. It's important to be strategic in your selections. Here's how to ensure you're entering awards that will truly benefit your business:

Align with your values - Choose awards that reflect your company’s mission, ethics, and key achievements. Winning should reinforce what your brand stands for, helping to build authenticity and trust.?

Industry-specific recognition - Focus on well-respected awards within your sector. What are the awards everyone wants to win? Recognition from industry leaders and peers can boost your credibility and position you as a key player in your field.

Highlight your strengths - Enter categories that showcase your business’s standout work. Whether it's the Best Digital PR Campaign or the Best Content Marketing Campaign, competing in the right categories increases your chances of winning.?

Engage your team - Involve key employees in the process, from selecting awards to crafting entries. This not only improves your submissions but also encourages team pride and motivation.

Leverage the win - Consider the exposure that comes with winning. Some awards offer strong PR opportunities and media coverage that can help you reach new audiences and generate business leads. But even if they don’t, there’s nothing to stop you from doing your own PR campaign on the back of a shiny new office trophy.?

Increasing your chances of winning?

Picking up an award is more than just about filling out an application - it’s about telling a compelling story that stands out. A great agency helps brands identify the right awards and craft winning entries that showcase their success. Here are some of the things we always have in mind when working with clients on award entries:

Showcase your story - Your achievements need to be turned into powerful, persuasive narratives that capture the judges’ attention. You’ll be up against plenty of other entries and the judging panel will read all of them (we know because we also judge lots of industry awards!), so you need to make it stand out by capturing hearts and minds.?

The power of bullet points – It might sound simple but don’t underestimate the power of a bullet point. When you have a tight word count, they can be really effective for helping you make key information stand out. Any specific results that link back to your original objectives need to be really clear and prominent.

Include supporting information – There’s usually always the chance to include supporting information, but a lot of people don’t bother or leave it to the last minute. You can use this as an opportunity to include your evaluations and additional information, such as pictures or graphs. The judges do always read these documents too!

We’ve got a proven track record of helping brands go head-to-head with some of the UK’s biggest names and come out on top. For example:

• We supported 4th Utility on their application for the country’s top customer service awards. With our assistance, the firm won Gold in the Best On-Site Customer Experience category at the 2023 UK Customer Experience Awards, celebrating their ambitious project to bring full-fibre broadband to an underserved area of the UK. See how we did it here.
• We also worked with the MBNA Community Investment Programme to submit an entry to the Card and Payment Awards for ‘Changing Lives in the Community’?– and they won! Read the case study here.?

And we practise what we preach - we’re not just helping clients win awards - we’re award-winners ourselves!?

If you're looking to stand out in 2025 and award entries are in your thinking, let's chat about how we can help you secure your next big win!?