18 - Award Building - Yes, You're Awesome - Abi Jacks January Mini Marketing

Today, we're exploring the world of industry awards - a topic that might feel daunting to many. Awards aren't just for the big, flashy companies; they're accessible to all and can significantly elevate your business by enhancing credibility, serving as a potent marketing tool, and recognising your team’s hard work. 

In this episode, I'll break down the benefits of entering awards, provide strategies to boost your confidence for submissions, and share insights on crafting an award entry that stands out. 

So, let’s dive in and discover how you can showcase your achievements and why it's essential to celebrate the hard work behind your success. 

Stay tuned to learn how to make awards a part of your marketing strategy, effectively using them to boost your brand's visibility and credibility.

Stay tuned for more insightful episodes from Steps2Success, where we help you navigate the challenges of running a children's activity organisation with practical advice and expert insights.

Created with pride by LoveAdmin

Edited with finesse by Making Digital Real

Transcript

Hey everybody, I'm Abi Jacks, Director of Marketing and Growth at Love Admin, and you're listening to the Mini Marketing Podcast, where I'll be taking you through the world of marketing for your children's activity organisation, with no buzzword bingo as a promise. So welcome back to Mini Marketing. I hope you enjoyed the last session on Who Loves You Baby? The Power of Reviews.

If you haven't heard it, then check out the full Step to Success channel and add 10 minutes to your listening experience. So today we're diving into a topic that might make some of you feel a little hesitant. Industry awards. 

If you've ever thought, I am not good enough to win an award, or that's for bigger, flashier businesses, I can assure you that you're not alone. Many small business owners feel the same way. But here's the truth. 

Awards are for everyone. They're not about bragging. They're about celebrating your hard work, your achievements, and the impact that you've made.

Our industry is great at providing the opportunity to showcase these achievements through awards. Last year, we were blessed to win our first awards for Love Admin. And I won't lie, it took a lot of hard work and belief in ourselves. 

But when our name was called out, it was such a proud and emotive moment, and it was felt across the entire business. So well worth it. In this episode, I'm going to cover three key things. 

Number one, the benefits of entering awards in the first place, especially for small businesses like yours. Number two, how to build the confidence to enter in the first place. And number three, how to craft a compelling award entry that really stands out. 

So let's jump in and show the world why you're awesome. First up, why even bother with industry awards? What's in it for you? Here are the three big benefits. Firstly, it's about boosting credibility. 

When you're shortlisted or you win an award, it positions you as a trusted leader in your field. It's like a stamp of approval that can build trust with potential customers and with partners. Secondly, marketing power. 

That's what we're all here for. An award isn't just a trophy, it's a powerful marketing tool. Whether you win or not, you can promote your involvement on social media, your website, and even in local press. 

Awards create a buzz around your brand. A really good example of that, look at Clubhub. They run their own awards, but you'll often find Tessa talking about the awards that she's entering, the award she's attending, whether she's shortlisted, whether she's won, whether she's not. 

It's really helped her to build a buzz around her Clubhub brand. And then thirdly, team recognition. Let's not forget your team. 

Being part of an award-winning business is a huge morale booster. It's a way to say, look at what we've achieved together, and it can really help recruitment and keeping people with you for longer. Awards are about so much more than the trophy. 

They're about elevating your brand, celebrating your people, and getting recognized for the amazing work that you're already doing. So, we now know why awards matter, but are you still thinking, oh, this isn't for me, I'll never win, so I won't try? Here's the thing. Awards aren't just for big businesses or those with massive budgets. 

They're for businesses making an impact, no matter their size. And I'm pretty sure a lot of the people that I'm speaking to are doing just that. So, if you're struggling with confidence, like a lot of people are, here are some tips for you.

Number one, it's an obvious one. Stop doubting yourself. Every business has a story worth telling. 

Think about the challenges that you've overcome, the customers that you've helped, and the difference that you've made. That there is award-winning material. And focus on your unique strengths. 

What makes your business stand out? Is it the way that you connect with your customers? Do you have an innovative approach? Is it your commitment to the community? Lean into those strengths. Why not ask team members what they think is so great about your business? Or even better, ask some friendly customers why they choose you and stick with you. They're likely to be a lot less shy about singing your praises than you probably are. 

And lastly, reframe awards as a celebration in your mind. It's not about boasting. Entering isn't about showing off. 

It's about celebrating achievements and inspiring other people. If you don't put yourself forward, you're missing an opportunity to shine for your business and for the people that put the work into it every single day. So, take a deep breath, recognize your worth, and give it a go. 

You've got absolutely nothing to lose and so much to gain. Now that you're ready to dive in, I'm just going to assume that you are after that little pep talk. Let's talk about how to create an entry that stands out. 

Here's five things that are needed when you craft your entry. Number one, research the award criteria. Super important. 

Carefully read through the requirements. Make sure that your entry is addressing every question and meets all the guidelines. And you'll find there's a big difference between what they are. 

Some will be very, very short. And some will be like, we're scoring this amount for this category. It has to be this many words. 

If they're asking for specific evidence, provide it. If they're not asking for evidence, provide it anyway. Because that is what people will be looking for when they're actually judging them. 

I've been a judge on awards many a time before and it's much easier when people are giving me crystal clear information than when I'm being given two lines and they're like, yes, I'm great because of this. How am I meant to then decide whether they're better than all of the other people that are giving me one line? So, the more information you can provide the judges, the easier you make it for them to score you higher. Secondly, highlight your unique selling points. 

What sets you apart from the competition? Is it your customer service? Is it your innovative approach? Is it that community impact I mentioned before? Be clear and confident about what makes you special and stand out. And make it engaging. Judges are having to look at lots and lots of entries, so you really need to make yours stand out from the others. 

Don't waffle. Use really clear language for them and give them a compelling story that they can get behind. And visuals as well, if they're allowed. 

Bring it to life. Make it exciting. Make it personable. 

Tug at their heartstrings. These are the kind of things that you see it on TV all the time on X Factor or The Voice. There's always a story behind someone and that's what makes people rally behind an award entry. 

Make it easy for the judges and help them feel connected to your journey and your achievements. Very, very, very important. I've mentioned it before. 

Provide evidence. Back up your claims with data, testimonials and examples. For instance, if you're talking about excellent customer service, include a glowing review or a success story and make sure you show clear objectives and tie them to results. 

Too many people miss out these key parts. What did you want to achieve? How did you do it? And then what did success look like? Hopefully, way better than what you wanted to achieve. And then finally, proofread and polish what you're doing. 

Errors can make even the strongest entry look unprofessional. So, take the time to review your submission carefully. Get somebody else to review it again afterwards. 

What you think is really interesting and polished, somebody else might find a bit blah. So, it's good to get different takes on your award entry and kind of run it through quite a few different versions. And remember, even if you don't win, the process of entering can be incredibly valuable. 

You'll actually gain insights into your business and help set yourself up for future success. So, before I wrap up, I wanted to share some bonus tips that I've kind of learned over the years. Here they are. 

Firstly, think about the category popularity. A nifty thing I've learned is to not always go for the big category that's likely to have the most entries. If it's your first time, perhaps dip your toe into one that's a bit more niche and also less competitive. 

If you speak to the award providers, they're often happy to actually steer you to these ones and they'll give you advice to help you with your preparation. Secondly, think about the scoring mechanism. So, some awards are voted for and some are done with a panel. 

The ones with voting are good if you have a huge army of loyal customers who you can ask to vote for you, but be prepared to do a campaign to drum up votes. There is no point putting something in where you then don't market it and you get three or four votes compared to a massive company who's gone out and asked people to vote for them, told them that they want their support, and of course, they are going to get more votes that way. The other one, the panels, will be looking for something that stands out to them.

So, this is where I talked about having a compelling story at the ready, backing it up with lots of proof, testimonials, and data where relevant. These are great if you're not a huge company, but you're doing some interesting things. You don't need that huge army of loyal voters. 

You just have to persuade the panellists that what you're doing really stands out. Celebrate your success. If you're shortlisted or you win, shout about it. 

Share it on social media, not once, more than once. Include it in your marketing. Put it on your website and let your team know how much their efforts have contributed. 

This isn't something that you want to put all that effort into and then not really tell people, or you do one social post and go, oh, that was great. You really want the world to know that you're now an award-winning brand. You want people who are sending their kids to your activity to know this is award-winning and why it is. 

So really make sure that you use that on an ongoing basis. Another thing that's really helpful is leveraging feedback. So some awards will provide feedback even if you don't win. 

I've had this before and you find them really useful to improve for next time because you don't just want to stop once. You want to continue again and again until you get that darned award. And be proud of yourself. 

Taking the step to enter is an achievement in itself. You're putting yourself and your business out there and that's something to celebrate. So now you've done it once, you know how you can improve it for the next one. 

If you have a great storyteller in your company or a marketing team, then they can help you prep some potential award ideas. I would personally drop ideas onto a page, think about what you can evidence and sounds interesting and a little bit different, and then test each of those with other people as to whether they think it's as interesting as you do. If you don't have those resources in-house then don't worry. 

You can always employ the likes of a freelance award writer like the lovely Emma Hewitt who can work with you to build a story and she'll even create the award entry with you. And we're not saying that her services are going to be breaking the bank because they're really not and she knows what she's doing. She's been a judge, she's entered awards, she worked with Clubhub for years, she's a great person to go to.

So what are you waiting for? Take the leap, share your story and show the world why you're awesome. That is it for this week. Thank you for tuning in to Step2Success Mini Marketing. 

If you enjoyed it, don't forget to leave us a review because hey, we're all about celebrating success here. If you're enjoying these practical pods then please subscribe to my Step2Success channel and next month I'll be talking to you about the power of partnerships. I'm just one of the experts dedicated to helping Love Admin customers achieve success. 

We've created a school of marketing where you can learn things about awards and more. There's much more assets on there dedicated to this, complete with templates. Visit loveadmin.com forward slash school dash of dash marketing and you can register for your free place. 

If you're looking for a software provider that gives you more and helps you grow, visit loveadmin.com to see what working with us looks like. Until next time, keep believing in yourself and keep building that brand and belief.