With the submissions deadline for the B2B Marketing Awards 2018 looming, here’s an outline of the main benefits of entering and triumphing at business awards.
1. Improved employee motivation
Awards are a fantastic way to recognise the hard work of your employees. Even if you’re not shortlisted or don’t quite clinch a trophy on the night, the mere act of entering will go some way to letting your employees know you truly value their work, which can be a huge confidence boost.
And if you do manage to make the shortlist, or snag an award on the night, employee motivation and happiness will reach unprecedented levels. After all, since when has dressing up in your glad rags, a slap-up three-course meal, and copious amounts of wine not improved staff morale?
2. The chance to treat your clients and partners
For agencies, awards are undoubtedly the best way to showcase the calibre of the work you’re undertaking. Being shortlisted (or winning) will improve client retention, and assuredly send your clients home chatting to their friends about how great you are. And, as we all know, word of mouth and personal recommendation is still the most influential factor in the B2B buying process.
"The [B2B Marketing] Awards is a great way to showcase all of the hard work you and your clients have put into your best campaigns"
For client-side marketing teams, awards can also serve as a glitzy platform for bonding with partners or customers you’ve collaborated with on various projects.
3. An opportunity to attract new business
“The year after we won six B2B Marketing Awards, we doubled in size. That’s not a coincidence – it’s intrinsically connected to our Awards success. In 75% of business enquiries, when we asked: ‘How did you hear of us?’, the B2B Marketing Awards get mentioned.” MD, Earnest
We’ll let that quote speak for itself, but aside from directly attracting new business, winning an award provides external validation – a real stamp of authority and credibility within your industry and sector. It’s also a great way to entice new talent. Who doesn’t want to work for an award-winning company that treats their employees like celebrities on Awards night?
4. A rare chance to prove marketing’s value to the wider business
An ever-pervading issue, B2B marketers are constantly locking horns with their c-suite colleagues in an attempt to persuade them their work really does matter. We know it, you know it, but without tangible demonstrations of ROI, many senior board members are reticent to accept marketing’s value.
Winning an award is a great way to boost marketing’s internal reputation – it brings attention to an area where the business is truly outperforming its competitors and, as the testimonial below supports, can be directly linked to increased business results.
"It's always great when a potential client contacts us after seeing our work featured at the Awards and it lets us know they value it as much as we do"
5. The opportunity to benchmark against your industry peers
For too long B2B naysayers have been content to hide in their corporate shells, marketing campaigns kept under lock and key and strategies discussed in hushed tones in dark pub corners.
Yet, the pioneers and innovators of the industry are, unsurprisingly, those willing to shout about their success to the wider industry. Only by sharing stories and being open about the secrets to your success will the industry, as a whole, evolve.
Awards are the perfect platform to do this, and represent an opportunity to take stock, benchmark your work and congratulate not just employees and clients, but the entire B2B industry.
