What is the best way to promote my business?
There are several different ways a business can promote its brand and services. It is important to understand who the customers are, what their needs and interests are and why they should buy from you and not one of your competitors. Businesses should try to establish and grow relationships with their customers, to be value-led and listen to feedback as much as possible. For any business, marketing is a combination of varying different strategies and those who do well maximise the on and off-line experiences of their customers. Winning business awards is an excellent way to promote a business and create differentiation in a busy marketplace.
The process itself of putting together the application can help a business reflect on the successes of the previous year and also streamline or diversify into areas which the business had previously overlooked. When shortlisted, this is a golden opportunity to promote your success in the awards process, and winning will bring PR interest and many more opportunities to share your success to your stakeholders, customers, suppliers, industry peers and the wider business communities.
How to write an award entry?
For some, writing an award entry will be relatively straightforward. For others, it will be a challenge demanding time, information and writing skill. Successful award entries are based on interesting and exciting stories that are told with passion and honesty. A successful award will capture the attention of the judges whilst ensuring they meet the criteria fully.
What is the Award Planner?
This is a 12 month guide that includes everything you need to know to help you plan your award strategy. In chronological order by deadline date, the planner is complete with the entry information, category descriptions, dinner information and cost, and lists of previous winners/ shortlisted companies. Click here to find out how you can order your copy today.
What is your Check and Send service?
Benefit from a professional review of your entry before it goes to the judging panel! Our award expert will read through the entry and offering advice and tips to improve and develop your entry further. For just £99 per entry, this is a fantastic offer than shouldn’t be missed.
Should I include testimonials and/or case studies?
Definitely! Evidence based statements are the backbone of any quality award entry. Back up your entry with well-placed testimonials, statistics and market/industry knowledge in order to demonstrate to the judging panel why they should put you on the shortlist or winner’s podium.
How can I promote my business locally?
Entering local business awards is a great place to start for any business first starting out on their awards journey. If your customer base and employees are local, then this is a fantastic way to promote your business to the local business community and potential pool of new employees.
How long does it take to write an award?
It can take between 5 – 12 hours to write an award entry from scratch, depending on word count and complexity of the content or requirements.
What are you Top Tips for entering awards?
Click here to purchase our complete guide to entering awards which includes the listing of recommended awards to enter in 2021 or book here to attend our next Award Writing workshop webinar”
How do I win a business award?
A win cannot be guaranteed, but if you give yourself plenty of time to prepare your entry with engaging content, clearly set out and answer the questions, showing evidence and your passion for your business, you will have as good a chance as anyone else.
Should you decide to work with Pure Awards and let us handle your award strategy, we have a 75% success rate of the awards we write going to shortlist and win.
How much does it cost to enter awards?
Most local and regional awards are free to enter. Some national awards are also free. However, there are several awards that do cost to enter so be careful and always read the FAQ pages or How to Enter page first. Entry fees can range between £25 + VAT per entry to £349 + VAT per entry so this needs to be factored into your budget.
What do I wear for the awards dinner?
In general, unless otherwise stated, the awards dinners are black tie events. A dazzling cocktail dress for the ladies and a classic black tie/ tuxedo suit for the gents is the norm. If you would prefer not to wear black tie, then a dark coloured smart suit of choice will be perfectly acceptable.
What are the benefits of using a professional copywriter/ award writer
Time – as awards can take several hours to complete, we save you time so you can direct it back into growing your business. We offer an objective review of your business, identify the stories which will be of interest to the judges and help you delve deeper to establish the impact of this with further figures and evidence to back it up.
Peace of Mind – you can be confident that your business story is being handled with professionalism and integrity and that sensitive information is treated with care, privacy and with non-disclosure agreements in place.
Skills and knowledge – we have a wealth of industry knowledge and experience which we invest into each and every award entry for our clients. we are experts in writing awards using the style and techniques which impress the judges and generate positive results for our clients.
Will winning an award lead to more business?
Absolutely! In a survey by the small and large businesses have reported at least 37% increase in sales after winning an award, however for many of our clients this percentage is significantly more!
80% of people who make buying decisions will choose an award winning business over a non-award winning business
Do awards give me free PR?
Yes, especially if you enter an award organised by the local or regional newspaper or an industry publication. PR can also be maximised through your own website and online presence, as well as sending well-timed and interesting press articles to your local newspapers and publications.
PR is most likely to appear for the shortlisted announcement and the day after the event as winner profiles.
Can I promote my business and winning on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter?
There is nothing to stop you promoting your shortlist or win online and to gain further traction and interest from potential customers or supporters by linking with the award organiser’s online profiles on Facebook, Instagram, Linked In and Twitter. More often than not they will share your message or comment which increases interactions and generates further brand awareness.