by Awards are, no doubt, a controversial topic for many companies. Although everyone likes to win them, there is often an internal debate on whether or not the input is worth the output. Winning an award is nice, but the effort to submit an award can be exhausting. As an agency that frequently gets asked the question of “are awards programs worth it?” we want to share what makes an award program successful.
When implementing an awards program, you need to:
- Determine the goals of an awards program
- Put together a clear process and procedure for who is responsible for what
- Decide what costs you’re willing to spend, both in terms of the time commitment and financially
Determining the Goals of an Awards Program
Putting an award submission together can be time-consuming. At the outset, it’s crucial to ask yourself – what do I want to get out of this? The answer falls into four categories:
- Generating third-party validation
- Driving additional media coverage
- Creating more SEO growth
- Marking the company as a leader in a specific industry/sector
Who Does What?
Given all the customer or client-facing obligations companies have, it’s easy to push internal projects, such as awards, to the side. Clearly laying out who will be researching, drafting, and ultimately submitting the award allows for straightforward communication, and it makes the award application as seamless as possible. That means one person, or the marketing communications and PR agency, should head up the process from start to finish.
At What Cost?
The cost of submitting an award ranges from free to over $10,000 and up. The key is to define a budget early on. Then decide if you’re prioritizing awards that are free (but maybe aren’t as relevant) over awards that are expensive but will ultimately have a greater impact. Costs can add up quickly. When researching what awards to submit to, make sure costs and value are taken into account.
Additionally, some awards take more time than others. We’ve worked on awards that require a 100-word submission, and others that require 3,000 words, visuals, and an in-person presentation. Acknowledging people’s availability and capacity will be crucial when implementing an awards process, as you want the submission to be as strong as it can be, not being rushed at the finish line.
Hiring an agency with award experience also saves time and energy, as it can:
- Identify relevant award opportunities
- Draft award submissions
- Submit awards
- Track and manage the progress of the submission
- Share the good news via media announcements and a press release
Awards increase morale and help to validate all the hard work people do at a company. Once an award is won, we always recommend putting together a press release and putting the logo of the award on the website and sales presentations, as it showcases to reporters, clients, and investors that the organization is proud of the work they are producing.