And the Award Goes to … Why Industry Recognition Still Matters
It’s nice to be recognized for doing great work, especially when that recognition comes from those in your industry who understand the unique challenges you face – whether that’s increasing competition, emerging technologies, shifting customer expectations, talent shortages, or shrinking budgets. However, it often falls to the marketing department to compile and submit the nominations, and with increasing workloads (check out this recent Deloitte study that shows the expanded responsibilities of most chief marketing officers), award season starts to feel like a chore rather than an opportunity to share success. Here’s why Chartwell prioritizes important industry awards for our clients (and ourselves!).
Success Brings Opportunities
Award-winning companies tend to see increased sales and higher customer retention. In fact, one study by Hendricks and Singhal of the University of Western Ontario and Georgia Institute of Technology indicated that corporate award winners realized 37 percent higher sales growth and a 44 percent higher stock price return than their peers. The free award publicity is another tool in your marketing toolkit, enhancing your visibility and awareness in the market. Awards often reduce the sales cycle time by positioning you as recognized experts right out of the gate and boosting your position among competitors, helping increase your win rate for the projects and customers with whom you most want to work.
Enhance SEO
Good, meaningful content and high-quality backlinks are at the heart of search engine strategy. Creating on-page content sharing your wins, coupled with valuable backlinks from credible award sites will make you even more attractive to Google – and we all want that kind of attention.
Get Some Industry Insight
Industry awards help you compare your organization’s work to competitors to measure how you stack up based on a third-party evaluator. Look at other award winners are doing and see what can be leveraged for your busines. In some cases, awards judges will provide feedback on submissions after awards are announced, sharing their criteria for evaluating your company or product. Have your leadership team take this intelligence and apply it to continuous improvement efforts.
Build Morale
Being recognized for great work feels good and it’s something your employees can celebrate together. Everyone enjoys being part of a winning team, and awards can provide a high note and valuable affirmation. In addition to building morale for current team members, awards can signal potential talent that your organization is a good place to work.
It can be a challenge to earn valuable accolades for your organization. If you need help identifying industry awards as part of your marketing and public relations strategy, let Chartwell Agency help. And once you’re a big winner, we’ll make sure to help you shout it from the rooftops, too!
(We also practice what we preach. Check out some of Chartwell’s recent industry recognitions from AAF Northern Illinois and the American Advertising Awards, Healthcare Digital Marketing Awards, Service Industry Advertising Awards, and MARCOM Awards.)
