How working with a PR agency can help your business win awards
Winning awards is always good for business, especially when working in a highly competitive industry such as food, manufacturing or construction. Finding the most suitable accolades and drafting the entries together however can take a lot of time and effort which often deters some companies from entering.
In fact, when you consider the work involved in researching, drafting, approving, amending and submitting an award entry (which usually involves at least 5-6 essay style questions), it can take on average 2-3 days to put the submission together. Most awards also require examples of your work in the style of a case study. So, add to this the time it will take to liaise with any contractors, partners and clients to gain more information and their permission to include the work you have completed for or with them as part of the entry, then completing the task could take a lot longer.
When you think about it from a staffing perspective, not many businesses have the resources available to free up a member of their team for 21-35 hours to put together an award entry that you may or may not win. That’s why it is always beneficial when you’re thinking of entering awards, whether they’re trade, business or consumer focused, to appoint a reputable PR agency, like Dragonfly PR, to manage the task for you.
Here’s just some of the top benefits of working with a public relations team during award season.
We can choose the right awards for your business.
Awards can focus on a multitude of topics and there are hundreds taking place across the UK every year ranging from regional, business and trade to consumer, new product and even best buy awards. Just because they’re out there though we wouldn’t recommend entering them all. That’s because, not all awards are always suitable to your business. Some may have a cost involved that you may not have the budget for, others could be so niche that your company may not fit into a specific category and would therefore struggle to make the final. For every award that isn’t suitable though, there will be another that is, and a good PR agency will be on hand to advise you of which you should go for and which you should steer away from.
We know what makes a winning entry.
By drafting awards on a regular basis, we become more aware of what the judges are looking for in a winning entry. Many of our award submissions have been successful because we make it our priority to do the best we can. Afterall, a good PR agency prides itself on getting their clients the recognition they deserve and here at Dragonfly we are driven by results and want you to win just as much as you do.
So, we take the time to ensure that the copy not only answers all the required entry criteria well but is engaging and memorable for the judges. We also make sure that we research the industry and your company thoroughly and can even review previous winners and what made them stand out to ensure your entry is in line with what the judges are looking for in a winner.
We can manage the task in its entirety.
As we’ve touched upon previously, entering awards isn’t an easy task. From gathering in-depth company and client information, to creating copy that is worthy of reaching the final and even submitting the entry can take up a lot of resources within your business. By working with a PR agency, you will not only free up your team’s time to carry out other important tasks in the business, but we will manage all the admin that comes before and after the awards too. This includes ensuring that any changes to the deadline date are coordinated, liaising with the award organisers to discuss the criteria and even ensuring the tickets for attending the ceremony are arranged should you be shortlisted.
We can help share news about your shortlist/win.
Making it onto an awards shortlist is great for your business as it not only shows your clients you are recognised as experts in your field, but it is also a great opportunity for publicity. A PR agency can help manage the press office to share news of your success, drafting press releases and including a mention in upcoming features. We can even look to plan a full campaign if you win, which could include opening your business up to visits from editors of some of the leading trade and regional business publications which puts your company in the spotlight for all the right reasons.
With trade, consumer, regional and national business awards opening all year round, there is always an opportunity to put your company, its products and services forward for an accolade. To help maximise your chances of winning appoint a reputable agency like Dragonfly PR to get to work on putting the entries together on your behalf. For more information, contact us on 0114 349 5345 or email hello@dragonlfypr.co.uk.