Award-winning.

Got your attention, didn’t it? 

Who are we to talk about award submissions and wins? Well, we’re strong believers in practising what we preach – thanks to our (multi) award-winning video team!  

Still, I could have preceded the statement with some kind of fanfare. An emoji perhaps (you know the one). But sometimes you don’t need one. The words are enough.

Why you should submit your organisation for award submissions

Words carry weight, especially when they’re spoken about you by someone else. So you want them to be good.

For any business or organisation, award submissions that lead to a win can be the pinnacle of recommendations. It tells people that you’re really good at what you do – external validation for a job well done.

Here are a few reasons you should be adding ‘enter awards’ to your PR strategy:

• Effective form of word-of-mouth marketing
• Adds to your USPs
• Recognition (and reflection) for all aspects of your business and culture 
• Higher level of kudos / brand reputation
• Improved employee engagement 
• Increased brand awareness
• Increased sales / business

Viva voce! (Or word of mouth is meaningful)

Everyone believes their own hype. Of course they do, otherwise what’s the point? But consumers can be slippery fish (and I mean that in the nicest way.) Word of mouth and personal recommendations are proven to be successful PR tools and we’re not just talking about Mabel in your local village recommending a good hairdresser.

According to Nielsen, 92% of consumers trust earned media, such as recommendations from friends and family, over all other forms of advertising.

Because it’s not just about promotion. It’s about connection. According to Forbes, 64% of marketing executives believe word of mouth is the most effective form of marketing.

Peer-to-peer recommendations even more so. If someone is willing to risk their professional reputation on a recommendation, they must believe it, so you’re inclined to believe it too. And that’s exactly why you should be entering awards.

Standing out from the crowd

As much as you love your brand and think it’s the best, you’re unlikely to be the only ones doing what you do. The corporate world is saturated with people selling their ideas and services, so standing out is key.

One of the first things we ask any client is to list their USPs. They could be any number of things, but ‘award-winning’ is a pretty good one to set you apart from the competition. It shows that whatever they’re doing, you’re doing it better.

Recognition (and a time for reflection)

Remember, in the same way the corporate world is saturated, so too is the world of awards.

From being the best in your sector or industry, at both regional and national levels, to the way you innovate and engage with your staff, there’s an award for everything and all of it is important when it comes to promoting your business. Take time when planning your awards’ activity and be thorough.

This will also give you time to stop and reflect on your business. What are you doing well and where can you look to improve? Awards’ criteria will ask for a lot of detail and information – questions you probably very rarely get asked about your business anywhere else, so take the opportunity to review where you can.

If an award isn’t right for you right now, it could be 12 months down the line if you’re willing to put the work in – think about the data or case studies you might need to gather, first and what you need to do to achieve them.

Kudos to you

We interrupt this blog for a short history lesson – deriving from Greek, the word ‘kudos’ entered the English language in the 19th century, referring to the prestige or renown gained by accomplishing something noteworthy. The meaning as we now know it to be, i.e. ‘praise given for achievement’, came about in the 1920s so it seems apt that we’re talking about it and awards in the same breath.

Kudos, reputation, credibility; it goes without saying that being award-winning proves a) you’re not a charlatan (an Italian word which pre-dates the use of ‘kudos’ in the English language), and b) you really do know what you’re doing and you’re doing it well.

How to win friends and influence people (i.e. employee engagement)

In a world where employee wellbeing and satisfaction are more important than ever, proving that you value your employees and their contribution to your business has so many benefits.

Not only does it show them that you care about them, enhancing retention rates, it shows prospective employees you’ll value them too, increasing recruitment rates and for customers? Well, people relate to people. If you’re a personable company that cares for its people, then the more people will relate to you and engage with your product or service.

Hey, haven’t I seen you somewhere before?

Awards open up a whole host of (free!) opportunities to get your name and your brand out there. Even to be shortlisted comes with a huge fanfare – you’ll probably have seen the graphics accompanying excitable posts on social media. And why not?

Being shortlisted is a huge achievement in itself. Not only will your name be listed on the awards’ organisers website, a shortlisting also provides a great PR opportunity.

And if you win? Then your name will be shared across socials, within the media and beyond, improving your standing and recognition among your target audience. If you’re a small business in particular, the awareness generated by an award-win or shortlisting could be a game changer.

Money, money, money

And just in case money and profit was important to you, according to Best Business Awards, large award-winning companies experienced a 48% increase in operating income and a 37% growth in sales when compared to non-award winners. Similarly, smaller award-winning companies experienced a 63% increase in operating income and a 39% growth in sales. 

And what next? Well, research by the University of Leicester found that three years after receiving an award, 120 award-winning companies were still outperforming their competitors by an average of 17% for sales and 36% for share value. Not too shabby.

Why award submissions?

Have we convinced you? From a PR perspective, awards work (and a lot of them are free to enter!) Yes, they can be a long and arduous process, but that’s why you hire an experienced agency *ahem* to do it for you.

The benefits vastly outweigh the cons. As long as what you’re entering is right for you and you’re not just going for it willy nilly, then you’re always in with a shot.

Why Conteur?

At Conteur, our PR team specialises in award submissions and awards.

From the initial research process, finding the right award(s) for you, to drafting the submission and finally, entering it, we do it all, across all sectors and categories. 

We’ve even won one or two for our clients. 

If you’d like more info or to see some of our existing work, get in touch today.