Are Awards Submissions Worth It?

For the most part, the answer is “yes.” When your product or company receives such recognition, it means that an objective third party has vetted and chosen it, positively impacting your brand image. Awards have the following advantages:

• Increase visibility through media coverage and social posts announcing the win
• Boost credibility and establish trust so that prospects are likelier to select you when making buying decisions
• Assist in job recruiting, especially when it’s an HR-oriented award, such as the Best Workplaces or Best and Brightest recognitions

Of course, the downside to the awards-application process is that it can require both time and money. Identifying the right awards, fulfilling their submission requirements, and finding room in your marketing budget (oftentimes, there’s an entry or processing fee) all mean you need to be strategic about which recognitions you strive for.

It’s a situation of weighing out which awards would be most helpful to your brand to receive, as well as which awards you have the best chance of winning.

How to Find the Right Awards 

There are numerous marquee-level awards you’re probably already aware of, such as the Information Technology World Awards or the Deloitte Technology Fast 500, for example. While competition for such recognitions can be especially intense, depending on your company and its level of innovation, they might be worth the effort.

One of the easiest ways to discover awards that are a good match for your product or company is to look at your competitors to see which awards they’ve received. You can also conduct research by Googling “awards” plus your industry or industry niche.

Entities that may also conduct award campaigns:

• Trade publications covering your industry
• Chambers of commerce or industry professional associations
• Reseller or partner awards, such as the Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards

In addition to product or company awards, there are also organizations that give individual awards to people, such as Women in Technology’s Leadership Awards. Such individual-focused awards are helpful if your company is looking to increase visibility or thought leadership for its executives.

Managing the Submission Process

Once you’ve figured out the best awards to go for, it’s a matter of adhering to deadlines and the application process. Application requirements can vary widely, from an electronic field that can be filled out in a short amount of time to requiring a series of essay-style responses.

As mentioned previously, while some awards don’t have associated costs, many do—we find the typical cost is around a couple hundred dollars. However, some awards may have additional cost requirements, such as attendance or booth space at their conference or event. Some award-givers also charge for use of their logo if you do win.

And The Award Goes to…You. Now What?

If you are fortunate enough to receive a recognition or award, do everything you can to maximize it. Issue a news release, post about it on social media, and include the recognition on your website, email signatures, and slide decks (keeping in mind what we said earlier about logo usage fees, of course).

Awards submissions do require time and money, but the payoff for your business can be significant. Carabiner has worked with numerous clients to identify potential awards and manage the entire submission process. If you’re ready to start garnering recognition to help boost your company’s awareness and credibility, let’s connect today.