Awards Berkshire: What are the benefits of entering awards?
- Kirstie Austen
- Jan 28
- 4 min read
If you have been searching ‘awards Berkshire’ or something similar and you are struggling to identify which awards you should enter, or you need some support drafting your award entry, we are here to help!
At 81 Marketing we help our clients to identify, draft and submit award entries – with great success.
If you haven't entered any awards before and you are wondering if it's worth the time (and the effort!), then we have pulled together below just some of the benefits that we believe entering (and winning) local and/or relevant industry-wide awards can bring.
At 81 Marketing, we believe that awards can not only help to elevate your company’s standing among competitors but they can give clients/customers increased confidence in your services, while helping you to raise your profile and boost team morale too.
Top 10 reasons that businesses should enter awards:
Great for your credibility – and your reputation: By winning, or even just being shortlisted for local or industry awards, this can really enhance your company’s credibility by providing a third-party validation - helping to increase trust among customers and clients alike.
The perfect marketing opportunity: Awards can provide some excellent marketing opportunities. You can use the award logos on your website, social channels, email footers and marketing materials. It can provide great content for your newsletters and social media, giving you an opportunity to tag the relevant awarding company/body/publication and you can generate news releases to share with the local and/or relevant trade media too. All of this can help you to attract positive attention and build brand awareness.
It differentiates you from your competition: Awards can really help you to stand out from the competition. Being recognised as a leader in your field or industry gives potential customers a reason to choose your company over others.
Improves employee morale and motivation: Entering and potentially winning awards can really help to boost employee morale. Employees feel proud to work for a such a highly regarded company, which can lead to increased engagement, productivity, and retention. By entering employees for any suitable, individual awards, you can also show them and the wider team, that you value your staff and what they bring to your business.
Provides networking opportunities: Award events often bring together key players within a particular industry or geography. This provides you with opportunities to meet and network with other likeminded people/businesses. Perhaps helping you to forge new partnerships or potentially attract new business.
Encourages continuous improvement: The process of applying for awards often involves reviewing and analysing your business performance. On many occasions, this can help you to identify areas of strength as well as opportunities for improvement. This reflection can lead to better business practices.
Attracts talent: Award-winning companies tend to attract higher-quality candidates, as job seekers are often drawn to companies recognised for excellence, innovation, or being a great place to work. It shows that you are a proactive, positive and highly regarded company – and this gives you enhanced credibility.
Gives customers confidence: Awards serve as a quality signal to existing and potential customers. It can build confidence and loyalty, leading to increased customer retention and positive word-of-mouth marketing.
Investor appeal: Investors often see awards as indicators of a company’s performance and growth potential. Securing an industry award can lead to increased attention from potential investors.
Increased sales and business opportunities: Companies that win or are nominated for awards often see an increase in enquiries and sales as a result of their enhanced visibility and credibility. You may get mentioned in relevant trade or local magazines/publications, you will have greatly increased your exposure and if you maximise every opportunity, you will have got your business in front of new customers.
If you have been searching ‘awards Berkshire’ or something similar and we have successfully convinced you of the many advantages an awards submission can deliver, then why not get in touch for a free, no obligation chat to explore how we might be able to help!
What makes a successful award entry?
There are lots of elements that need to combine for a successful award entry:
You need to tailor your submission to ensure you are directly answering all of the questions and meeting the entry criteria set out.
You need to deliver a compelling and concise copy that successfully communicates all of your company’s attributes and successes.
You need to provide measurable and tangible evidence to support your entry - whether that is financial data, customer testimonials or relevant sales figures/stats.
You need to pull together supporting documents that back-up your claims.
Once the final entry is ready, you need to ensure you meet all of the entry criteria, have kept to the word limit and proof read the entire document.
Sometimes, an outside perspective can be really helpful when you are trying to identify what sets you apart and makes your business unique. It can also ensure that everything is explained clearly and that you are not assuming that the judges may know more about your business than they actually do!
Whether you are looking for someone to manage the entire process, or simply give you some support along the way, we offer a range of award entry writing services for SMEs:
We can build a list of potential awards: We can help by devising a list of relevant awards (both national and local) as well as recommending the potential categories that you may want to consider. We can deliver a document that provides you with entry deadlines/entry costs/ ceremony dates and all the contact details you need to enter.
We can draft your entry: We can help you to put together a compelling and convincing entry, which will set you apart from the competition.
We can provide a proof and edit service: We can offer a proof and edit service. Perhaps budgets are tight, or you want to utilise in-house resources, and you want to pull an initial award-entry together yourselves, then we are happy to review your finished entry and make recommendations. This can be really helpful to provide an outside perspective and to ensure that you have got everything covered.
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