And the award goes to …
Why awards aren’t just shiny objects in a display cabinet!
Kicking
off a new series of blogs, Aro PR and Marketing’s Managing Director, Billy
McKenna, waxes lyrical on why awards aren’t simply shiny
objects gathering dust in a display cabinet. Instead, if you’re strategic about
what awards to enter, winning a trophy can add to your business’ credibility
and help your wider marketing.
No matter the
size of your business, winning an industry award is an incredibly powerful
means of validating your products and services and showcasing your company’s
skills, expertise and capabilities. However, application processes are often
time consuming and there is a certain knack to navigating a successful path
through them.
Find the
right one
Increase your
profile
Raise staff morale
New
opportunities for recruitment
Standout
against competitors
Build
network
To
sum up, whilst it might be tempting to apply for every award out there, don’t! Be selective. The more worthwhile awards take
time to put together successful applications so factor this in. Make sure you have all the information you
need so you can build an engaging story to attract the judges’ attention.
If
you win (or unfortunately do not win) make sure to take time to reflect. Think about what’s worked and why or
what you could have done better. And don’t forget to use any feedback to
improve future applications.
Best
of luck!
Billy
McKenna is the Managing Director at Aro PR and Marketing, a specialist agency
for engineering, composites and scientific companies.
Aro’s
award application service identifies the most relevant industry awards for your business;
provides support in drafting the application and manages the process. Aro also
provide PR for nominations and wins. For more information visit: https://www.aroprandmarketing.co.uk/services/awards/
Kicking
off a new series of blogs, Aro PR and Marketing’s Managing Director, Billy
McKenna, waxes lyrical on why awards aren’t simply shiny
objects gathering dust in a display cabinet. Instead, if you’re strategic about
what awards to enter, winning a trophy can add to your business’ credibility
and help your wider marketing.
No matter the
size of your business, winning an industry award is an incredibly powerful
means of validating your products and services and showcasing your company’s
skills, expertise and capabilities. However, application processes are often
time consuming and there is a certain knack to navigating a successful path
through them.
Find the
right one
Over
the years’ we’ve helped a number of business apply for a range of awards from
EEF Future Manufacturing Awards and UK Private Business Awards to the Queen’s
Award for Enterprise. The awards circuit
can at first appear a bit overwhelming - there are hundreds of awards vying for our attention so we always advise
clients that the first step is to do your homework. Research what awards are
out there and make sure you apply to one that suits your business and its
strategic goals. Go for industry
recognised awards. If in doubt maybe look for ones that your competitors or
companies that you admire apply for. Also see what awards your industry
magazines promote or cover.
Increase your
profile
One
of the biggest incentives to doing awards is for the recognition it can bring
your business. You’ll get a bite of the PR cherry if you’re shortlisted – and an
even bigger portion if you win thanks to all the coverage in trade magazines,
social media and the ability to use the winner’s logo on your website and other
marketing materials. But even if that
top prize evades you, you can still get PR mileage by promoting the fact you
were an ‘award finalist’. Clearly, if
you’re an award winning business your suppliers and customers will often share your
success with their stakeholders as it shows they do business with recognised
industry experts, which makes them look good too!
Raise staff morale
Winning,
and even being nominated for an award can be incredibly motivating for your employees.
To know that all the effort, investment and hard work they’ve put in over the
years’ was worth it. For example, a rise
of staff engagement was found in 73% of Queen’s awards winners.
New
opportunities for recruitment
Having
the publicity of winning an award can be of great use when looking to recruit
new members of your team. Being able to add that your company is awarding
winning is always attractive to high quality candidates looking for a job.
Standout
against competitors
Winning and even being nominated for an award is a
fantastic way to stand out against your competitors to demonstrate your
excellence and success. A recent survey from Queen’s Award found that 77% of
winners had improved the commercial value of the business.
Build
network
With most awards, come award ceremonies which
are valuable opportunities to network and build your connections with others
who are passionate about building and celebrating quality businesses.
To
sum up, whilst it might be tempting to apply for every award out there, don’t! Be selective. The more worthwhile awards take
time to put together successful applications so factor this in. Make sure you have all the information you
need so you can build an engaging story to attract the judges’ attention.
If
you win (or unfortunately do not win) make sure to take time to reflect. Think about what’s worked and why or
what you could have done better. And don’t forget to use any feedback to
improve future applications.
Best
of luck!
Billy
McKenna is the Managing Director at Aro PR and Marketing, a specialist agency
for engineering, composites and scientific companies.
Aro’s
award application service identifies the most relevant industry awards for your business;
provides support in drafting the application and manages the process. Aro also
provide PR for nominations and wins. For more information visit: https://www.aroprandmarketing.co.uk/services/awards/
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