How to get your business award ready

With the Lancashire Business View Red Rose Awards now open, award winning marketing expert Rebecca Berry shares her top tips to get your business ready for its next accolade.

Having helped hundreds of business owners navigate the world of business awards, I’ve seen first hand how the right strategy can open doors, build credibility and accelerate growth. In a world where AI makes it easy for anyone to sound impressive, third party award recognition carries weight. A credible award gives potential customers evidence that your achievements stand up to scrutiny, beyond what you say about your organisation. But I’ve seen countless start ups approach awards in the wrong way, from being too modest to enter in the first place or not showcasing themselves properly in the application. 

The first issue is that many small business owners feel as though they haven’t achieved ‘enough’ to be eligible to enter. The biggest misconception being that you need to be a big, longstanding business to win, putting many start ups off from even considering entering. I have worked with organisations only 12 months in that are achieving some amazing things, so the age or stage of business shouldn’t matter, unless it’s a specific criteria requirement.

You don’t need the biggest turnover, the largest team, or a household name. What you do need is a strong story backed by evidence that meets the judging criteria. 

Business owners then need to decide which awards are actually worth entering. My advice is always the same. Start with what winning would actually mean for your business. Would your customers or clients recognise the award? Could it strengthen your reputation in your industry or put you in front of people you want to work with? A logo for your email footer alone probably isn’t worth hours of your time.

It’s important to be aware of the common ‘red flags’, the biggest of which are vague judging criteria, lots of oddly specific categories, pressure to buy a trophy or publicity package and organisers who won’t explain how winners are selected. Many start ups will be wary of an entry fee, but this alone doesn’t automatically make an award questionable. The distinction is whether you’re paying to have your work assessed or paying to be called a winner. Check all the costs upfront, including whether buying tickets or a promotional package is a condition of receiving the award.

Next, look at who runs it, who judges it, and who has won previously. The criteria should be clear, and you should have evidence that makes you a credible contender. A well chosen category with strong results behind your entry is a much better investment than entering every business award going.

The application you put forward is the most crucial stage. Judges want you to answer the questions concisely and provide evidence, whether that's statistical evidence or case studies. They have lots of entries to get through, so you want to get to the point. You don’t want them to have to really work to find the information. Make it easy for them to see. Weak evidence would lack the data to back up the claim; it will often be anecdotal as opposed to the hard stats and facts. Strong evidence will be the meaningful numbers or the carefully crafted case study that clearly outlines the challenge and solution, with the results highlighted for the judges to see easily. 

Avoid phrases like  'Industry leading', 'groundbreaking', and 'going above and beyond', especially when there’s nothing to back them up. Anyone can claim to be exceptional. An award entry needs to show why you are deserving of an award. There’s often far too much about what the business does and too little about what it’s actually achieved. If you say a campaign was a huge success, provide the results, the data, and why those results mattered. I also often see businesses bury their strongest evidence beneath paragraphs of company history and fluff. Judges shouldn’t have to go digging for the reason you deserve to win. 

The final mistake is assuming that winning automatically brings in business. An award gives you credibility but you still need to do something with it. Once you win, you need to really share the story behind the win, use it in pitches and proposals, and explain what it means for your customers. Putting the trophy on the shelf is great, but you actually need to convey your award in a meaningful way for it to be a true success.

Rebecca Berry is an award winning marketing and communications expert. She founded Berrykin Marketing and has more than 15 years' experience working with FTSE 100 organisations, Fortune 500 clients, and household brands.