Written by Steve Preston, Managing Director of Heat Recruitment – Go:Tech Award sponsor

It is true to say that there are a lot of different awards out there for businesses to enter, from local to national, to industry based to Company culture awards and entering awards takes time and energy. So what are the true benefits?

We have looked at this from two angles – Internal and External.

INTERNAL

Employee Motivation

Internally it is accepted that winning an award or being nominated as a finalist helps boost the morale of those in the workplace, as it’s a form of recognition and can give a real sense of purpose.

This is even more apparent where employees have actively been involved in the entry process, and/or contributed to the business being successful in winning the awards. Awards recognise the achievements of a team, so winning or becoming finalists will only fuel and boost employee motivation and staff morale.

We all like to be on the winning team and a good awards ceremony can enhance that proud feeling that people get when working for a successful organisation and being recognised for the teamwork involved. Then of course there is the benefit that people get to put on their ‘glad rags’ get dressed up and enjoy a dinner, drinks at the glitzy awards ceremony, which in turn can open up doors as people network under the Company name.

Additionally, being invited to attend the award ceremony to some will be in itself a big sense of achievement and something talk about with family and friends (and of course post on Facebook!).

Attracting Talent to your Organisation

We all ask ‘So why do you want to join our business?’ – well, how easy an answer would it be if the applicant could respond ‘because your business is recognised as the best in the market for X, as demonstrated by the number of awards that you have won’. We know the market for talent is increasingly competitive and therefore the onus is as much on the interviewer to sell the opportunity to the candidate, as it is for the candidate to sell their services to the interviewer. Having been recognised by professionals within your industry for expertise within a specific field will help to reinforce any claims you have made to the candidate, and overall help to make you appear a much more attractive proposition.

It’s well documented that winning also becomes a habit, and so developing a winning culture helps to retain top talent as they feel they work for the best in the market.  Heat Recruitment supports this concept having recently, this year, won the SonarScore SW Recruitment Agency of the Year and a Lotus Award, plus made Finalists in the Bristol Life Awards, Bristol Post Awards and the IOD SW Director of the Year and we are still looking forward to this years’ Business Leader Awards.

EXTERNAL

At present, there a multitude of awards to enter across the UK and in various Categories, so no matter what the size or location of your business, there will be an award out there for you. You can find out about awards through your local chamber of commerce, local and business press or simply searching the internet for relevant awards. Entering an award can be time consuming, and they vary in the amount of information required but the benefits can be worthwhile, as we now highlight:

Free Marketing and Enhances Brand Profile

When writing a Marketing Plan to true to say that Business Awards can be an overlooked and yet the reach of the awards can bring great value to a business. Just being shortlisted can improve brand awareness and promote your business to new customers. It is great to receive the extra press and online coverage but do remember to share this content through your own website and social media.   As with anything, there are some people are cynical about awards, however, the general feeling is that awards celebrate hard work and success and are great PR opportunities. As part of an awards ceremony – finalist or winner, you are gaining exposure for your business and this could open doors and bring new business opportunities, treat the event as a networking event with like-minded business people.

Increased Reputation

By exposing the business through awards there is increased customer awareness, recognition and credibility which increases customer trust and loyalty. We all check for credibility when looking to use a new Company / Supplier so what better way to do this, than to highlight the winning of industry / business awards. It is also a great thing to mention when pitching for new business and can be the difference as to why someone would use your organisation.

Remaining Competitive

By completing an awards application process, it will force you to assess and report on different aspects of your business, this in turn will make you think ‘how can we do better? Are we doing the best that we can do? What are our competitors doing?, which will result in you providing a stronger service and an even better customer experience

Awards bring a positive vibe to your office and after all who doesn’t want a reason to go out and celebrate. The only decision that you have now is – what awards do you enter? And where do you buy a trophy cabinet. Good luck!

Read Steve’s latest column in Business Leader here.