OPINION: Good for Business, Good for Brands
As we near mid-year, companies and their respective agencies are selecting their top work and tweaking their entries for this year’s slate of industry and business awards. Oftentimes, there’s an entry fee plus the price of any ticketing or tables to actually attend the awards ceremony. Not to mention the cost in time – having to select work, complete entry forms and package everything neatly to be sent in.
Given these costs – time, labour and monetary – there is a popular misconception that awards are only aimed at large corporates and agencies. This couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, award ceremonies are calendar fixtures in almost every industry and organisers are the first to tell you that they’re open to everyone – from SMEs and freelancers to big brands and influencers with millions of followers.
And often, it’s not just about bagging an award and bragging rights. As the saying goes, ‘if you want to be seen, you have to put yourself out there’ and that’s no different in the business world.
No matter which category or award you’re entering, ensure it’s done from an opportunistic decision by asking yourself what the value of entering for that particular award or category is. Winning or even being a finalist can open doors to new clients by placing your work front and centre. Industry awards have their own public relations and marketing strategies, and these often include media releases, articles and social media posts of their award finalists and winners. Awards also garner extensive press coverage, much of which is featured in highly impactful media that your clients are likely to be reading and viewing.
It can also demonstrate your company’s expertise within a specific area and improve the organisation’s reputation and credibility within your field. Top talent wants to work for top companies so if your recruitment strategy is to attract and retain the best of the best, entering for awards where your work is likely to be showcased will amplify your reach.
Many leaders, myself included, can attest that simply entering or participating in an awards ceremony can be a morale-boosting activity for a team. Treat it as a team-building exercise where employees can examine what they’ve worked on and what they’ve achieved over the past year. Teams can collaborate, review, analyse and evaluate their efforts and, in so doing, create their own benchmarking process.
The award ceremonies themselves also offer ample opportunities for networking with fellow business leaders and positioning your brand and team as thought leaders within a specific field. In-person awards events are social by nature and you’ll rub shoulders with leaders both in and outside your sector. Additionally, awards events tend to follow similar formats with keynote speakers at the start so even if you’re not quite ready to enter (and even if you have!), you could grab a coveted speaking opportunity to wax lyrical on an industry topic you feel strongly about. Additionally, many awards have been organised by organisations that have their own publications, podcasts or conferences, providing yet another opportunity for you to share your insights.
Entering awards should be part of any company’s communications and new business procurement strategies. Especially for smaller businesses, whose clientele base may rely heavily on word-of-mouth or external marketing efforts where customers put companies through a box-ticking exercise to find the correct fit, awards can provide an edge over competitors and help instil trust in the business.
Khensani Nobanda is the Group Executive for Marketing and Corporate Affairs at Nedbank Group and a member of the Nedbank Group executive leadership. Nobanda’s passion for brands and the potential they have to deliver tangible value to consumers through purpose-led initiatives positions her perfectly as the newly appointed Jury President for the IAB Bookmark Awards.