6 Reasons Why Entering Awards is Good PR for Your Business

Each year, the film industry rolls out the red carpet to celebrate the cream of the acting crop at the Oscars, BAFTAs and Emmys. These prestigious awards ceremonies generate a lot of buzz as we all try and work out who will win what, not to mention who will be wearing what. But awards aren’t just for Hollywood A-listers. Being nominated and, fingers crossed, winning an industry award can do wonders for your reputation. In fact, a business award nomination or win is a fantastic tool in your PR toolkit.

Here are six reasons why:

1. You’ll get recognised for your expertise

Winning or being shortlisted for an award reinforces you as an expert in your field. While you know how fantastic you are, being nominated by an impartial panel of experts is independent praise for what you do, which counts for a lot. Think about it. When you’re looking for a product or service you’ve never used before, what’s the first thing you do? You probably ask friends and family for recommendations. We trust their opinion over a glossy company ad, because they have nothing to gain or lose by giving their honest opinion.

An industry recognised award holds the same level of credibility, providing you with an impartial third-party stamp of approval.

2. You’ll get loads of free publicity

When entering your organisation for an award, there’s no guarantee of success. But being shortlisted can get you a ton of free publicity. The organisers will want to maximise PR for the event, so as a nominee, your name will, at the very least, appear on their website, social media channels and press releases.

Take the opportunity to leverage this for your own PR, particularly with local news outlets and industry press, which can be incredibly useful when it comes to increasing your audience and reach. You should also shout about your nomination or win on your website, social media channels, blog and email signature. These kinds of nods are a great way to show potential customers and employees that your business is among the best in your industry.

3. There’ll be unique networking opportunities

At any awards do, the judges are often the best of the best in your industry. Business awards are therefore a great opportunity to network with the people that have been there, done that and can help catapult your business to the big time using their influence and experience.

Many awards ceremonies incorporate networking events to help you connect with others in your niche. This is an opportunity not to be missed from a PR point of view.

4. It’ll motivate your employees

Awards are a great way of recognising your employees’ hard work and achievements. This can be a great morale booster, particularly if you take them to the awards ceremony with you. This will not only be a great team night out, but it’s also a good opportunity for them to network

5. You’ll attract new talent

Everyone wants to work for an innovative company with good credentials. Winning awards is proof to the employment market that you run a forward-thinking and successful organisation. This will help you attract the best candidates when you have vacancies within your team.

6. It forces you to take a critical look at your business

Awards celebrate hard work and success. They’re also great PR opportunities. However, it’s not just winning the award that counts. The application process is worth the effort, as it forces you to take a step away from your business and take a critical look at your organisation. It’s a great opportunity to benchmark your business against your competitors.