It doesn’t matter if you’re a SME or a large corporate, chances are there’s an awards category that’s the perfect fit for your business. In fact, these days there’s a huge number of accolades to be had that cater for everyone, from industry specific to regional and national awards.
Entering awards is much like pulling together a tender submission – a lot of hard work and no guarantee of reward. Compiling an entry can often take days of hard work and it’s really important that your entry stands out from the crowd. So, is all the hard work really worth it? After our recent success at the North West CIPR PRide Awards, where we won gold in the Integrated Campaign category, we think so.
There are many reasons why you should consider entering your business into awards, and I’m not just talking about the champagne on offer at the award’s ceremony. Here are our top five reasons why awards are good for your business:
- Brand awareness
Even getting shortlisted for an award is great for raising awareness of your brand. Seeing your business’s name associated with excellence in a specific category is great brand recognition.
- Motivates staff
Awards recognise the hard work of employees and winning an award can boost employee morale and to help keep employees motivated.
- Creditability
It doesn’t matter if it’s an award win or a shortlist; both are great endorsements for your business. It can also be the perfect way of differentiating your company from competitors.
- Don’t just take our word for it
It’s easy to tell your clients how great you are, but an award win or shortlisting is an independent third party supporting your claims. In fact, they think you’re so good at what you do, you deserve an award for it!
- Attracting talent
Award-winning businesses can often attract the best talent. Who wouldn’t want to work for a company that has been recognised by industry experts?
Once you’ve completed your awards entries, you might be able to use the material as a basis for future entries. Entering awards can be time consuming but the results can be worth it, so why not give it a try?
Kat Wilding is a regular contributor to the Skout blog
