01
02
03
The CBC blog: Entering the Toast of Surrey? There’s still time... but, before you do make sure you read this advice from us about the value of entering Awards!
04
05
15
16
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
31
32
33
34
With the deadline fast approaching (23rd December, to enter visit Surrey Advertiser’s Toast of Surrey page), it may be the last thing on your list to do this side of Christmas, with so many other things to cram in before the holidays. But, as a tool for raising the profile of your business and starting 2012 off with a bang, winning, being shortlisted or even just entering awards could be a fantastic way to raise your business profile in front of the right audience and learn something new about your business. Additionally it can help boost your team morale and provides you with a perfect opportunity to audit your business performance and re-align your objectives in the light of any changes in the environment.
See some advice from us below on the value of entering awards…
Audit your business The actual process of entering an award is a surprisingly important one. We put clients forward for awards pretty regularly by writing the entry, and taking time to apply answers to the criteria. It’s amazing how much we learn about their businesses as we do it! Businesses can be guilty of not finding the time to step back, assess and appreciate the journey they’ve been on and what they’ve achieved. By compiling the entry, you’re forced to look at the business as a whole, your clients and the improvements to the services/products that you have to offer them, which has endless benefits. For example, you can realign your objectives to address any new opportunities and/or you can focus on any potential threats to the business and address these.
Get the recognition you deserve Winning or being shortlisted for an award is external recognition and positive feedback for your hard work and great service. Think of it as a really great testimonial – it can do wonders for your reputation, especially if that particular award is highly regarded in your industry. It won’t be you boasting about your successes; the title and achievement of the award does that for you! But remember: - consistency is key. An award that you won 6 years ago won’t do you many favours. Clients need to be assured that your service is still excellent and reliable today, so that they can trust you to do a good job in the long-term. If anything, using an outdated award for bragging rights will probably make you look worse to potential clients!
Maximise the PR opportunity The award bodies themselves can provide great PR opportunities – you may well be mentioned in their newsletters, magazines or at least on the award body’s website. It’s also essential that you do your own PR around the success; letting local press, target markets and even your current clients know is a great way to promote your services.
Get ‘real’ feedback If you’re not successful, some award bodies might even be nice enough to provide you with a bit of feedback – perhaps the competition that time around was particularly strong, or maybe there are areas that you need to work on. Either way, this external feedback is really valuable for moving the business forward.
Boost team morale Don’t forget that winning awards is fantastic for team morale. One of our clients has just won a Fast Growth Business award and naturally the team is thrilled! By working towards an award together, going to the award ceremony together and being rewarded as a team for its hard work can often make your team members more productive and more motivated in their work.
More than just "bragging rights... So awards aren’t just about having something to brag about over peers and competitors. By integrating them into a marketing strategy and maximising the opportunities that they provide, you can reap real tangible benefits that have significant value to your business. Oh, and here’s a great tip – if you can film the awards (if you’re lucky enough to make the finals) and put the video on YouTube, it makes great viewing, that you can look back on to boost the team, plus you can tweet it and send the link to the world!
Good luck businesses of Surrey – The Toast of Surrey Awards really do provide a great forum to showcase how good your business is!