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As the technology sector actively grows larger and more convoluted every year, our clients come to us with the same question: How can we stand out amongst the crowd?
One of the easiest and most effective ways a business can help to distinguish themselves within their industry, is to design an awards program. By tailoring a program to your business, awards can create prestige, expand your PR and marketing opportunities, bring added credibility and provide a stage to assess your offerings.
At Idea Grove, awards programs are viewed as a valuable marketing tool to have in any organization’s arsenal. Though award applications can take a considerable amount of time and effort, the value we’ve seen them bring to a business is undeniable. Here are the top 5 reasons your company should add industry awards to your marketing program:
- Creates prestige
Anytime your business has the ability to be named alongside the best and brightest in the industry, it creates a sense of prestige and brand awareness amongst your top competitors and buyers alike. The more awards you submit, the more opportunities your business can appear among the elite. This added prestige can help when networking and onboarding new customers.
- Expands PR and marketing opportunities
Two words: Easy marketing. Winning an award is the perfect and tasteful way to plug your business or products. To maximize exposure, we encourage our clients to promote wins via press releases, blog posts and to share on all social media platforms– these in turn, can increase organic traffic to your website. With most award wins, the organization will provide a logo for you to add to your company’s website, email signatures, business cards and sales collaterals.
- Appraisal of your business offerings
Award applications are detailed, thorough and ask critical questions pertaining to your business and its products. Completing the application provides a great way to get an evaluation on your offerings and forces your team to look at the business from a different perspective. It can also open up discussions: What is our company’s impact? What is it that sets us apart from the competition? How are our offerings driving innovation? By reflecting on these questions, a business can better identify its strengths, as well as areas for improvement.
- Adds credibility
Third-party substantiation is critical for any new business, no matter the industry. Nominating your company or products for an award can help provide a stamp of approval to showcase that your product is genuinely all that you claim it to be and more. It also provides an avenue for prospective customers who search by ranking or award to find the best product and service for them.
- Motivates Employees
Last, but certainly not least, receiving award recognition can help boost company moral. It is extremely important for employees to feel that their work is providing value to their company. By nominating notable individuals, teams or projects for industry awards, you can instill that sense of pride in the culture. Increasing employee motivation has a direct impact on productivity which can ultimately affect your company’s ROI.
Now that you know what awards programs can do for your brand, start creating a well-researched list of industry specifc awards. Once you have identified the awards that are relevant to your company, product or customer, start the application process and you will be on your way to establishing a strategic awards program. Recognizing your company’s values and expertise can be the secret weapon that sets you ahead of the pack.
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