Business awards: making the most of the experience
The awards process may take months from when applications are open to the announcement of the short list, the naming of the finalists, and finally on to the awards celebration dinner. Whether you’ve nominated yourself or been in the happy position to have been nominated for an award by someone else, there’s a lot more to it than simply filling in a form, recording a video, or appearing in front of a judging panel and it’s worth putting in some effort to maximise the return on the effort involved in entering, whether or not you actually end up a winner.
IN THE RUN UP TO THE EVENT
The work isn’t over when you’ve sent off the entry form: whatever your reason for entering, this is the time to start your PR campaign.
Perhaps the simple fact that you have entered for an award isn’t very newsworthy, but you may be able to find a topical spin and get lucky with the story. Anyway, you can start to talk about the awards and leverage social media; contact others who are in the same boat; connect with fellow entrants and see where the conversation goes.
Being short-listed is newsworthy. And it’s a further opportunity to be seen to be talking about the awards, the other short-listers, and whatever you put in your application about your business. At this stage, you may get a logo or badge to use on your website or social media feeds; use it – it shows you’re part of a particular “club”.
Of course, the announcement of the finalists is yet another opportunity to engage with all and sundry. If by any chance you haven’t got through to the final selection, you can still join in the conversation – and if you’ve already made connections and taken part in the conversation, this will be so much easier.
On the other hand, if you don’t make the cut, always remember to be generous to those who have moved forward without you: they can be powerful allies and there will be other opportunities for you.
THE AWARDS EVENT
You may be wondering why you need to go through all the rigmarole of submitting an application for an award when you could just buy a ticket to attend the awards evening. But while it is marvellous to be present and mix and mingle, there is a clear advantage to being in the room as a finalist rather than as a looker-on. Even as a finalist, you may not get your moment on stage, but you’ll almost certainly feature in photos of the event and your name will be in front of everyone who attends.
Think seriously about who you are going to invite to join you at the event. If your business is in the running for an award, you may initially want to invite the whole team. Depending on what the award is, and your reasons for entering, it may be more strategic to only have a few key players there, alongside clients, prospects or other stakeholders.
The awards ceremony will be even more effective if you do your homework beforehand. Which other finalists, sponsors or judges would be useful connections for you? Don’t be shy: if you’re there as a finalist, you have a right to be seen and can ask the organisers for introductions.
Of course, if you’ve really done your homework, you have probably already made those connections on LinkedIn and you may have arranged to meet in person as the precursor for a longer conversation. But don’t expect to have detailed business conversations at an awards event: however much you’d like this to happen, there are likely to be far too many interruptions!
FOLLOW UPS
The awards event is often seen as the climax of the awards process. But, whether or not you are a winner, you can continue the conversation far beyond that one evening. There should now be high quality official photos, as well as the candid shots you and your guests may have taken, so this is the time to send off press releases and make social media posts. If you have these prepared in advance, it will save having to scrabble to get them written the day after the celebrations, but do make sure the information tallies with the final announcements at the event!
Make sure you have the awards logo or badge in the right format to accompany those press releases, and also get it added to your website and social media feeds. You may want to incorporate it in your email signature, too, even if only temporarily.
There is still work to be done on leveraging connections and continuing conversations with others involved in the event. If the awards organiser doesn’t plan any further get-togethers, you may want to make strategic introductions or host an informal event yourself to draw together some of the connections you have made. You don’t need to be a winner yourself to do this and facilitating conversations between others will raise your profile.
Tantamount is proud to work with many award-winning clients and we have sponsored the Innovation Awards since 2022. We’d be delighted to have a chat and see how we can help you and your business communicate your values, your vision and your award-winning status through clear and effective brand messaging.