Do you have an Awards Strategy?

If not, its time to start one!

‘Is it worth it I hear you cry? 

Ignore them at your peril as these badges of honour can be hugely helpful as product or service endorsements. In the education sector, these marks of excellence can be the difference to a family coming to your open day or accepting a place, particularly when being compared with other schools. They can make a real difference to your success as a business and your marketing team will certainly find them very helpful in their promotional activity.

Allowing  yourself or your marketing team's time and work to prepare award entries can really pay off, in return for the privilege of using a boasting badge or rosette on your marketing materials.

Writing award entry copy can seem daunting at first, but here are some top tips to simplify the process …

TOP TIPS

1.     Decide early which awards you are going to focus on. In the education sector there are numerous industry specific options such as the TES School Awards, Independent School Parent Awards, School House Magazine Awards, BSA Awards etc. See what your competitors are up to in this area or others in your industry or region – you will be surprised at the different types of award that exist out there, and new ones are popping up all the time. It is a good idea to just focus on a couple to start with and alternate each year depending on your success.
 

2.     Choose your award categories wisely. Many of them can be fairly similar across the board so I would recommend choosing 2 or 3 categories that you can then focus on each year and then use the content across a number of different awards. Will it be ‘Best Head’, ‘Happiest Boarding School’, ‘Upcoming Pupil Talent’, ‘Best Place to Work’ or ‘Most Inspiring Sixth Form’? Align your entries with significant progress you have made in the different areas of your business – that way  you will have plenty of information, case studies and testimonials to use in your entry. Using this approach you will soon have built up a trophy cupboard of awards across different areas to boast about on your website and marketing materials.

3.     Do NOT leave working on your award entries until the last minute. I have been guilty of this in the past as the task gets pushed down your priority list. However, if you don’t dedicate time in the preparation, you will fall short in doing the research, gaining valuable case studies and your content won’t be win or shortlist worthy. Note the award deadline in your diary, plus mark some time in your calendar to work on the entry in the 2-3 months prior to the deadline. Focusing on the entry in bite size chunks is the best method. Use your staff body to help you but be respectful of their time also - do not surprise them with last minute requests for content.

4.    Polish your content as much as possible - make sure it proofed well before submission.  Judges are busy professional and nothing annoys people more than waffle and typos! Plus take time to submit some print worthy images to support your entry.

5.    Persevere - don’t be disappointed if you only make the shortlist. This is still something to boast about as you are often being judged against 100’s of entries. Persevere and re-enter the same award category for a few years in a row as this can prove worthwhile for a final big win!
 

6.     Once you gain a shortlist or win, go BIG - this is not the time to be shy! Declare it your website and all social channels, including the judges’ comments. Share it with your staff, customers and other stakeholders. Put it on all your marketing materials and adverts. Also send a press release out to all relevant media to get as much coverage as possible. If there is an award ceremony use this as an opportunity to celebrate your success and invite those who have helped secure your success including key clients, if appropriate.  Award ceremonies always provide a good photo opportunity to support your social media updates and remind everyone of your success! Plus they are great for networking.
 

7.    Bonus Time!  An award win or shortlist also looks good on staff CVs! Whether that is the Head, Deputy Head, or the Head of whatever department or team you have shone a light on, they can use the award as a positive endorsement of their work. Ask them to share their role in the success on LinkedIn and other platforms to help spread the good news and enhance brand awareness. Remember to track the impact of your award on enquiry levels and you will soon realise the positive impact of the effort put in.

Still no time or need help with your approach? I have many years of experience preparing award entries for schools and businesses, with significant success with many more tips to share.

If you feel that I could support you with your award strategy, please contact me via the link below. The benefits you could gain from investing in some support will certainly pay off.