By Michelle Ewen, Write on Time Ltd
Winning a Female Business Award is a magical moment – a wonderful affirmation of all that you have achieved. What happens after you leave the stage, however, will determine how truly transformative it is for your business. It is not bragging or embarrassing to talk about your win. It is a strategic decision – made by a smart businesswoman – to attract new clients and opportunities, and strengthen your existing partnerships.
Follow Write on Time Ltd’s guide to maximising your industry award.
Before the awards night: Awards nights can be tiring – and very boozy! The more preparation you do beforehand, the more you get to enjoy the evening. Draft celebratory social media posts that you can simply insert photos into, and an email to your marketing list. You will be able to get your key communications out straight away, versus having to write them after the event. If you don’t win, edit your words to celebrate having made the finals, which is an amazing achievement in itself!
As a finalist, there is a realistic chance you could win your award. If you do, you may be asked to make a short speech or, at the very least, share a soundbite backstage for social media. It isn’t vain to rehearse your winner’s moment; it’s professional. Prepare what you want to say – and especially any important ‘thank yous’ – including to your category sponsor, the awards organisers and the public (if they voted for you). The alternative is everything passing by in a blur and then feeling regretful of what you didn’t say.
On the awards night: Make sure your winner’s photo is one you will want to share. Take a breath before posing, centre yourself and give the professional photographer your best, brightest smile. Naturally, you will want to call friends and family with your good news, but make sure you have attended every photo call before you do – including the winners’ group shot. Otherwise, you will miss valuable opportunities to feature in post-event marketing. If the events team are capturing live reactions on video camera, offer them a soundbite. This could be recycled extensively for marketing purposes in the runup to next year’s awards – leading to longer-term visibility.
The first week: Update your website and socials with your winner’s logo and add it to your email signature. Write a blog post for your website about your experiences of awards night and a longform LinkedIn post – tagging in all the people you met in person. If there are individuals that you spoke to at length, who expressed interest in your business, send them a connection request with a polite reminder of how you met.
Prepare a press release for your local newspaper and/or any relevant trade publications to celebrate your win. Include who you are; what you won; why this is meaningful to you personally; how the judges arrived at their decision (anything you were especially commended on); and what you plan to do to build on this success over the coming 12 months.
In addition to the media, share this press release with any associations, professional bodies, networking groups or Chambers of Commerce you belong to that have newsletters for an extra visibility boost.
Make an offer to your loyal clients to celebrate your win and thank them for their custom. This could be a themed discount code, or bundling services together for a limited time only.
Six months later: Blog for the awards organisers – sharing how winning has helped your business to grow. Offer to help them market next year’s event as a previous winner (enquire about affiliate bonuses for helping to sell tickets). Blogging for the company who sponsored your category may be an option – giving their audience an update too.
Research other awards you can enter to build on your success. It isn’t distasteful to nominate yourself. An awards win is something that reflects positively on your clients, collaborators and suppliers – and a moment for those who love you to celebrate your hard work and determination. Publicising your win gives people who need your services the opportunity to discover you, and to spend money with a credible business with proven success.
To find out more about ways to publicise your award win in the press, visit www.writeontime.co.uk or email [email protected]
