The year is packed with opportunities to enter awards – local business ones and industry ones, and there are many reasons to do it.
Yes, it may take a while to get the entry written – some ask for a lot of information, but the benefits in my opinion far outweigh the time it takes to submit an entry.
Make sure you read what’s required, write clearly, give all the information they ask for, stick to word counts and check your spelling and grammar too – judges will judge you on it!
I’ve spent a large chunk of this month writing awards entries, plus proofreading and double-checking all questions have been answered – and it’s something I really enjoy doing for clients!
Here’s why you should enter awards:
Raising your profile:
By entering awards, you will show your ambition and also showcase your business as experts. You will have the opportunity to let people know you’ve been nominated, shortlisted and hopefully won!
Social media content:
Awards will give you some social media content. You can post when you enter, you can post near to the event date and keep your audiences abreast of any news around the awards ceremonies. You can create some hype and share content from other entrants and awards organisers too.
Networking:
You can network even before you get to the awards ceremonies, by sharing content from other entrants and the event organisers. You can increase your audience quite a bit by doing this and will show support not only for your ‘competitors’ but also for the event. By the time you get the awards you will have some new contacts to meet, having met them online already.
And of course, when you get to the awards ceremony, there will be a room full of like-minded business people to network with and start relationships with.
Success:
If you are a winner, this brings with it lots of avenues. You can use the awards logo on your website, social media and any other literature you produce throughout the year. Even being shortlisted adds credibility to your business – but obviously a win is what you’re aiming for!
PR:
You can get some good PR off the back of a shortlist or win in an awards scheme. A press release and social media content should be the backbone of your PR but you can of course promote the success within your marketing too.
