Published in ColoradoBiz Magazine By Jennifer Lester
The first step: Think threeAwards. Winning them can be expensive, labor intensive, and sometimes an exercise in extreme perseverance accompanied by reams and reams of supporting documentation. But if you survive the process of submitting an award application, what should you do if you actually win?
The first step to promoting an award is to “think three.” Three initiatives that can support your promotion around the award will ensure you are casting the widest possible publicity net. One initiative equals a one-hit wonder and is a waste of time, money and resources.
Following are few ideas to promote your company award:
Marketing
- HTML – Create a custom HTML e-mail to send to your network, prospects and current clients
- Social Media – Post the HTML to your social media sites and ask all of your employees to distribute it as well
- Create a company profile on LinkedIn and optimize with your new accolade
- Direct Mail – Create a custom, oversized direct mail postcard noting your win to send to your network, prospects and current clients
- E-mail Signature – Revise your e-mail signature to highlight the award, such as “2013 DBJ Real Estate Power Book Award.” as shown below:
Public Relations
- Write, message, distribute and announce a press release on the local wire service noting your company’s award win on the local wire service. (Even if the awarding organization announced the award, it doesn’t hurt for your organization to write a release and put your company’s twist on it.)
- Contact industry reporters to gain mentions of your recognition in both print and online editions. Even if reporters don’t run a mention, the news might whet their appetite, prompting them to run a deeper profile on your company.
Website
- Include the award information under your company’s website News section, or better yet, put the news front and center on the Home page for all of the visitors you engage.
Online Advertising
- Create some remarketing ads. Remarketing ads are very inexpensive and can be a great tool to drive home a message about your company and your company’s award.
Send a Gift or Thank You
- Create a custom thank you note or send a gift to the key supporters who helped your company get where it is today. Share the award with your fans and thank them for supporting you along the way.
Of course, there are many more ways you can promote your company’s award, but if you start here (remember the rule to pick three, of course), you’ll be on your way to gaining a great deal of positive recognition for your organization.
If you have more ideas about how your company promoted its company award, please share.
Jennifer Lester, co-founder of Philosophy Communication in Denver in 2001, can be reached at jlester@philosophycommunication.com. When Jen Lester isn’t raving about how people can brag about all of the awards they are winning, she is contemplating how the “Big Idea” can bring great results to Philosophy clients.
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