Winning an Industry award adds credibility, gives a brand great kudos and set’s you apart from the competition, which is great for brand awareness and publicity. But winning an award isn’t just about having a great product or service, you need to know how to sell it to the judges. Sadly, many great companies fail to take the top prize, not because their product wasn’t a worthy winner but their entry didn’t catch the judge’s eye. If you’re planning on entering an awards scheme this season, read our blog series for our top tips on what you need to do to win.
If you’re ready to dive right in, you can download our ‘How to Win an Award’ tip sheet now but don’t forget to come back to read the blog…
Picking the right awards to enter
In the B2B technology realm there are so many awards programmes to enter. Whilst this is great for the various industry sectors as it attracts attention for emerging and steadfast technologies alike, it can be tempting for companies to adopt a scattergun approach and enter them all, hoping that probability will mean you stand a better chance of winning. Sadly this tactic is fatally flawed. Industry awards simply don’t work that way. Awards are often aimed at a particular sector, vertical market or type of entrant.
Do your research and find out if your product or service really fits with the overall ‘vision’ of the awards – will entering and subsequently winning, place you in front of the right people? If you’re spending time on an entry, the outcome and associated exposure needs to be relevant and worth the investment of time and in some cases, money.
Read and understand the entrance criteria
Do you remember what your teachers used to say at school? Read the question! This may sound obvious enough but you would be surprised at the number of entries that miss this vital step. Make sure you understand what the judges are looking for and don’t be tempted to include every last scrap of information about your product or service as Judges are often short on time. Naturally you are excited about the prospect of winning and what this could mean for your business but don’t let this cloud your judgement, be honest and realistic. Judges will instantly throw out irrelevant or poorly thought out entries.
Put your best foot forward
Picking the right awards programme to enter is only part of the battle, you also need to make sure you enter the best product or service that meets the category criteria. Sure, you might have just launched an all singing and all dancing product, but think carefully. If the entry requires data and statistics to back up your claims, can you provide this information to support your entry if your product is new in the field? A new product would be better suited to an ‘innovation’ or emerging category.
This is only the beginning to crafting the best award entry and there’s plenty more meat to flesh out the bones. If you’re planning an awards entry, make sure you download our tip sheet and read the next blog in the series.
