And The Award Winner Is…You!

Industry awards that recognize a company’s achievement are a valuable, yet sometimes overlooked, component of a successful PR campaign. Winning is fun – but that’s not the only reason to consider seeking industry recognition for your organization, products and services, and employees.

Winning an industry award is an excellent way to promote your brand and build credibility, as well as strengthen your employee recruitment and retention efforts.

Companies seeking award opportunities have an endless number of options, including awards that highlight specific products or campaigns, or honor the outstanding achievements of an individual or organization.

Not sure that seeking awards is worth the time and effort? Consider some key benefits of winning an industry award:

1. Elevates your brand. When you win an award, you raise awareness of your company or products in the industry, which is especially beneficial for lesser-known players in the market.
2. Builds credibility. Winning an award from an independent third party may carry more weight than the words of your best company spokesperson. Many awards include a serious vetting process, requiring the company to provide detailed information on the organization, its products, leadership team and overall success. Having outside validation can help customers and prospects feel comfortable that they are making the right choice when selecting your company and its solutions.
3. Increases employee morale. Everyone likes a winner, including your employees. Winning an industry award can improve employees’ morale and camaraderie, especially if they are involved in the entry process. Furthermore, being an award-winning organization can help with employee recruitment and retaining existing staff.
4. Creates new PR fodder. Once you’ve been named a winner, you can get the PR wagon rolling to realize big benefits. Make sure your employees, customers and prospects know about your achievement, perhaps starting with a press release highlighting the news. Add a blog post to your website summarizing the reasons you were selected over other worthy applicants. Consider sending an email blast to further amplify the message with customers, prospects, and investors, and note the win in your company newsletter. Don’t forget your social media channels and ask your employees to repost the news as well.

Once you are convinced of the benefits, you will find no shortage of award opportunities. To narrow your choices, consider your key objectives. For example, if you want to raise awareness of your company and products for potential prospects, awards that are tied to your industry vertical might be the best option. Often these awards are sponsored by trade publications, such as Becker’s Hospital Review and Modern Healthcare for healthcare and health IT organizations.  

If your focus is attracting and retaining top talent, look for awards that honor the achievements of individual contributors, or consider one of the many Best Places to Work awards. Some of these programs are segmented by industry, while others target specific geographic regions.

Another way to find relevant awards is to check your competitors’ websites and see if they have been recognized by any programs that align with your goals. Professional associations, such as HIMSS in healthcare or PRSA in public relations, also have award programs that target the talents and achievements of their members. Finally, if you work with a public relations firm, ask your PR professional to help research opportunities on your behalf.

As you identify options, you will realize that application processes vary from fairly simple online forms with no entry fees, to programs with rigorous guidelines, pricey entry fees, and detailed applications that take considerable time to complete. Before applying, vet the various programs by researching previous winners and making sure the program sponsors adequately recognized winners across social media and/or in press releases. Finally, to ensure success, make sure you dedicate sufficient resources to prepare a high-quality application. And if you need tips for writing an award-winning award entry, check out a few here.

Industry awards can give your business a PR boost that supports organizational goals and raises awareness with your target audience. Winning awards is also fun – but as the saying goes, you can’t win if you don’t play!