by Bright Ewuru | Apr 18, 2023 | Articles
Clap clap, bravo!
It’s an exciting feeling to receive awards from organisations in your industry. Awards are a testament to the bold strides you and your organisation have made. They validate your work, boost your reputation, put you in the spotlight and give you and your team motivation to accomplish big things.
However, winning an award is only the beginning. It’s an important time to harness the momentum and leverage the award into the next steps that drive you, your career and your organisation forward.
Here are some ideas for your post-award next steps.
An essential step you should take immediately after winning an award is to express your gratitude to the awarding organisation. Appreciating the organisation for recognising your accomplishments in the industry will further put you in their good books and help you continue to network with those who provided the recognition.
You can send an email, a direct message on social media or a heart-warming thank you card/letter voicing your thankfulness. If you post on social, tag the organisation so they can see the good things you have to say about them. Most likely, they’ll reshare the post, telling their audience what one of the award winners has to say about them and the award.
And just like that, you’re in their audience’s line of sight!
Don’t forget the judges, either. If you can identify them, it would be great to commend them too. This move shows thoughtfulness on your part and expands your network as the judges will be eager to connect with you. Tagging them in your social media posts will effectively put the spotlight on them; a gesture they’ll appreciate.
If you haven’t already, the next step is to reach out and congratulate any other winners or award participants.
Bagging a trophy in your industry can open up floodgates of networking and business opportunities. While the buzz is still in the air, you might want to compliment other brands that equally won awards or otherwise made an impressive showing. This gesture demonstrates the spirit of sportsmanship, cordiality, goodwill and respect on your part.
A simple private letter or email praising them for their efforts is enough to set the ball rolling. This method comes across as genuine, personal and authentic. However, public acknowledgement on social media is a notable option too. As trivial as it might seem, the act of speaking highly of others works wonders for relationship building.
These other entities might reciprocate through a private message or public applause that will fetch you greater exposure. What’s more, they might consider collaborating with your organisation on future projects or refer clients to you for specialised services they don’t provide.
Some other effective ways to acknowledge and flatter other winners and participants include:
Together, everyone achieves more.
Usually, organisations win awards due to the collective contributions of the various members of the team. A good way to promote such an award is to announce it within the company. A company-wide email or broadcast on Slack can work fine. However, it shouldn’t end there.
Take it a step further by celebrating this accomplishment with them. It signals that the award is very much theirs as well and that their efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. A good way to toast to the milestone is by going for a luncheon or dinner. It could also be a casual trip to a scenic location or a notable event.
Find out what works for everyone.
During the gathering, thank them individually and as a unit, pinpointing each person’s contributions. Taking lots of pictures or recording the entire affair is helpful as the pieces can come in handy later.
Acknowledging and having fun with your team after winning an award is a good form of employee recognition; it’ll certainly boost employee engagement and team chemistry.
Having won an award, you shouldn’t keep it quiet. You should share the good news with your community and use every marketing channel at your disposal.
Let’s consider efficient tips on how to promote your award win through blog posts, social media, or press releases. When writing a blog post about winning an award, include links to the awarding organisation’s website. Add videos and pictures of the event to the blog post; they’ll give your readers an idea of what the event was like and also help with SEO.
To write a fantastic press release about the award, detail what the award says about your brand to help readers make sense of its magnitude. Also, it’s important to add the contact details of the awarding organisation. Additionally, working with reputable reporters who cover your industry can help get it out on multiple media outlets.
Other than merely posting on social media, going live on the various social channels as you receive the award is a creative way to engage your audience and let them in on the latest development. While every social platform is relevant, LinkedIn is ideally suited for the announcement of awards. Its Honours and Awards and Accomplishments sections are excellent ways to keep your followers updated when you win awards.
Whichever method you use to announce that you’ve just received an award, incorporate the words of the awarding organisation and other reputable third parties about your brand’s award. It will add greater credibility.
If you’ve got it, show it!
When your organisation wins an award, you shouldn’t let the plaque collect dust on the shelf (figuratively speaking). It’s important to make the most of the virtual badge by using it as social proof.
To effectively display the recognition you’ve earned in the industry, begin by including the award badge on your brand’s website. Your site’s homepage and footer should feature the virtual badge; that way, your site visitors will take notice.
Another remarkable way to brandish the award in your industry is to include the badge in your marketing assets. Include the accolade in your email signatures. You could also include any awards badges or accolades in your organisation’s social media cover/background photos. These banner-type images suitable for such image holders can contain multiple badges.
If you don’t say who you are, the world will tell you who you’re not. In other words, talk your talk. Winning an award is no small feat; be proud of your accomplishment. A smart way to exhibit your award is to add terms such as “award-winning”, “prize-winning” and the like to your company descriptions. This will pique the interest of your audience who aren’t aware of your latest accomplishment.
After winning an award, you shouldn’t just kick back and relax. Praising the awarding organisation and other winners as well as celebrating with your team will help build new relationships, enhance your reach and motivate your employees.
Announcing and making a good show of the award win is a clever way to reap the credibility it lends long after the original announcement of the award. It’s the gift that keeps giving. The networking, the respect and recognition—all these will propel new opportunities.
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