Now is an ideal time to embrace the public relations opportunities of building a strong awards program for your company because breaking through to earn news coverage during the pandemic requires weighing in on hot-button issues related to layoffs, PPP scrutiny, bankruptcies, stock gyrations, or sensitive topics.
Industry awards are a non-controversial way to raise visibility and gain legitimate, third-party validation. Some submissions are tedious to complete, but if well-written and backed up with sufficient data, they are an effective boost to employee morale, heighten industry recognition and enhance your reputation with customers and prospects.
You need to play to win. Here are the top three nomination strategies to keep in mind.
Start local. Awards programs from local business journals is a first step toward building a robust awards program. Business journals release their awards calendar early in the year. Winners are featured prominently in print and online. There are usually no fees to submit and include awards like “Most Innovative Company,” “Top Leaders In ….,” “Best CFOs,” or “Best Places to Work.”
People are your product. They may not tell you, but your team, from corporate leadership to the newest hire, enjoys being recognized. Look for award opportunities that celebrate the backbone of your organization – the employees. Awards such as Modern Healthcare’s “100 Most Influential People in Healthcare” or HousingWire’s “Tech Trendsetters” allow you to identify key team members and give them a chance at the spotlight. For fees ranging from $100-$500, if they win, there’s national exposure and a chance to meet the big players in the industry.
Polish your data. Awards programs require numbers to back your claims of achievement. The secret to a stand-out submission is strong metrics. Most impressive are indications of revenue growth, total SKUs produced, customer success rates, app downloads, mergers, acquisitions and new investors and partnerships. Such transparency is what separates finalists from the pack.
OWC’s clients have racked up an impressive shelf of top awards, including EY’s Entrepreneur Of The Year, Inc. 5000, Entrepreneur360, Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work and hundreds of invaluable local citations of success.
Reputation management is what we do, and nothing succeeds like recognizing success. We work with your team to identify the best opportunities and craft compelling submissions. We believe every company should get the acknowledgement it deserves.
