Why are industry awards so important?

In the competitive local market, anything that makes your business stand out is critically important to set you apart from the crowd.

Whether you’re a finalist or a winner, awards are a fantastic way for businesses to be recognised. It’s important to look through the potential gains of entering awards vs the time, money, and effort it takes to enter them. From brand reputation to getting glammed up for the ceremony, here are 3 reasons why entering industry awards is so important for your business.

Marketing
Awards give you free marketing – and it’s not all about winning. Entering, and even being shortlisted for awards promotes brand awareness and can attract new customers. The PR opportunities surrounding awards through optimised logos, websites, social media, and emails are a fantastic way to get your brand/business out there – it’s also a great sales pitch! Being recognised for success is certainly something that any business shouldn’t look past and winning an award is a sign of quality for existing and potential new customers.

Staff engagement/morale
Winning an award is a great feeling for anyone, especially when it’s recognising the work and efforts of your team and what you do best. Entering, being shortlisted, and even winning an award can help boost staff morale and keep them motivated. Being recognised for your hard work is always rewarding and employees can feel proud to be a part of it all. As well as that, it gives everyone an excuse to get dressed up, have a great night out (if you can remember it) all whilst engaging in a great team building event, not to mention the networking opportunities.

Competitive advantage
Entering awards requires businesses to evaluate and justify why they should win and at the same time, understanding what you’re doing vs your competitors. Entering over those competitors who fail to even acknowledge the awards puts you one step ahead.