We’re really pleased to be sponsoring this year’s Best Small Business award category in the Family Business Awards star award2016 which is, as you’d expect, open to family businesses from across the Midlands.

Naturally we’re biased and think the Family Business Awards is a fantastic event and every business which is eligible should enter, after all why else would we get involved? But it’s definitely worth considering the benefits to your business that can be had from entering awards. Whether you’re a family business, trading in the UK or overseas, a manufacturer or from the professional services sector such as an accountancy or legal practice we think you should have a go and enter for an award.

Throughout the year there are numerous business awards taking place, they’re often run by Chambers of Commerce, local media outlets, universities, government agencies and sector bodies. All those organisations are keen to engage with businesses and you may be surprised to learn there can be ongoing benefits to having raised your business’ profile with them even if you don’t ultimately win.

Choose wisely and go for an awards scheme that aligns with your objectives and values to get the most out of your effort and help your business stand out from the crowd. What features of the business really matter to you and your customers? It could be customer service, supporting the local community, product development or the level of growth you’ve had over recent years. There’s likely to be an awards and category to suit your business.

Of course you’ll have to invest some time and energy but in our view it really is worth doing. Here are our top five reasons for entering your business into an awards scheme.

1. Free marketing

All awards organisers are keen to promote not just their competition, and it’s not all about the awards ceremony, but also the businesses that enter. There tends to be a real focus on online channels such as websites, Facebook and Twitter often with links back to your own website so don’t forget to check your content there is up-to-date. You may also get additional profile through the more traditional PR route of media coverage in newspapers, magazines and television with profiles of entrants which will help you increase your business’ profile with customers.

Often you’ll also get the opportunity to add the award logo to your own materials and if you’re lucky enough to be a winner or highly commended entry then why not add the appropriate logo as an endorsement of your business.

2. Boost morale

Unless you’re a sole trader it’s very likely that you have a team of employees around you who will appreciate their contribution being seen as worthy of recognition and standing up to the competition. Let them know you’re proud of their efforts. You won’t necessarily be able to take everyone along to the award event where the winners are announced but think carefully about who should attend with you, it’s not always the most senior people who are the obvious choice. If you win think about how you’ll celebrate with the whole team, maybe hold a separate event for the whole team.

3. Contacts

By entering for an award you’re showing that you’re proud of your business, want recognition for it and are happy to talk about it. Business is very much about building relationships and through an awards process you’ll come into contact with lots of people including other participants, businesses, potential customers, advisers and of course the judges. You may not be able to sell your product or service directly to them but they will often be very willing to help you access markets and potential customers or suppliers.

4. Benchmarking

Pulling together an entry isn’t necessarily as daunting as it sounds, certainly not when it comes to the Family Business Awards. It gives you an opportunity to reflect on what your business does well and you’ll also have the opportunity to pause and take stock. Think about how you can differentiate your business from the competition, Don’t worry if you’ve never produced an entry before, take a look at previous winners, most awards have a website and a section which shows past winners and case studies. Read the entry details carefully and don’t be afraid to ask if anything isn’t clear. Learn from the judging process and take any advice or snippets of wisdom from the judges, even if you don’t win this time there’s always next year.

5. It’s fun

Don’t underestimate how much fun can be had, not just at the awards ceremony but also in bringing together a team of people to contribute to your entry. Based on our experience the awards ceremony for the Family Business Awards is particularly enjoyable and of course it will be even more so this year, after all we’ll be there!

Hopefully we’ve whetted your interest in entering an awards competition. If you fit the criteria why not take a look at the Family Business Awards. If you fit the Small Business category we’d love to see your entry when it comes to judging but if you don’t there are nine other categories to consider. Go on take a look. We hope to see you at the awards event later in the year.

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Call us on 0115 778 8533 for a free consultation.

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