Remember in elementary school when you wouldn’t dare buy that new velvet tracksuit that surely made you look like a walking lampshade until one of your cooler friends assured you that everyone was wearing them? Of course, you wouldn’t dream of wearing that dreaded thing just because your mom said you looked cute. Why? When faced with a new problem and a tad bit of discomfort, we tend to crave validation from a source who is familiar with the territory. Someone who can confirm that the crowd we’re trying to please is sure to be impressed. If you can’t relate to this story then you obviously weren’t very fashionable in 2006. Anyway!
Picking an industry award – which one is the right fit?
First things first. Gather a list of keywords that describe the sort of image the client is striving for. For example, do they want to win a Best Place to Work award for some local acknowledgement? Do they want to elevate their name in a certain market with a Breakthrough Award? It’s important to establish the type of award before diving into any research. From there, Google will be your best friend to track these down.
Once you have a specific set of criteria handy, it’s time to get searching! You’ll be flooded with options and it may be hard to choose which could be a good fit. It’s important to search for awards hosted by relevant media outlets, deciphering which are pay-to-play and the submission process. These preferences will differ from client to client, so it’s important to check with them first.
Picking an industry award – why bother?
Here at Comprise, we work with a lot of startups and companies that are solving some pretty hard, but important, problems in Colorado and beyond – and sometimes they’re the first to do so. That’s where awards come in.
The right award can:
- Gain third-party validation in a specific industry
- Grab the attention of all the right people such as customers, employees or investors
- Increase brand/company awareness
- Set themselves apart from the competition
- Improve company morale
- Create a larger PR strategy to secure industry-wide and local media coverage
- Secure local media coverage
- Help with recruiting efforts
- Much more!
Much like the cool friend who boosts your ego and convinces you to wear the tracksuit, industry award wins boost businesses’ bottom lines in many ways! If your organization needs help deciding which industry awards to enter — or how to show your customers that they do need that velvet tracksuit — let us know how we can help. We’ve helped dozens of clients earn the recognition they deserve.
