Everybody likes a winner. Celebrating victory and high achievement isn’t just part of our culture. It’s human nature. But, in PR, there’s more to receiving an award recognizing your hard work than throwing a big party and sending out a press release.
An award for creative achievement, a stellar social media strategy or a groundbreaking brand campaign tells the world that your PR work rises above the rest. Whatever the category of your communications achievement, an award is a sign of credibility in a crowded marketplace where everyone is looking for an edge. And it’s also an opportunity to solicit new business. Use it to your advantage.
Here are a few tips on how to capitalize on your communications awards:
- Spread the good news. Make note of your award on the home page of your website. Post it on your LinkedIn profile. Tweet it, preferably with a group photo of the team that earned it gathered around the shiny trophy. And be sure to list the title of the award, the source and the year.
- Share the wealth with your team. Nobody ever won an award all by herself. Somewhere along the way, you received guidance from a boss or mentor, material support from your colleagues, maybe even a shoulder to cry on during the darkest days of the project. So don’t forget your colleagues when you do your victory lap. Thanking them with public recognition ensures they will be around in the future to deliver when it comes time to do it all again.
- Remind potential clients how cool you are. The days following an award win are a great time to follow up with potential clients. If there is a brand manager out there who has been on the fence about working with you, letting the person know that you have been publicly recognized for your good work might sway him or her your way. Another method of drumming up business is to run an ad in a relevant trade publication thanking the organization bestowing the award or, better still, thanking the people who made the win possible (see second bullet point).
A PR award win can be, in and of itself, great PR. Don’t just put your trophy on a shelf in the lobby of your office. Put it to work building your client base. And keep up the great work. Who knows? You may be on your way to building a collection of PR awards.
Speaking of awards, please join PR News for the Social Media Icon Awards Luncheon, taking place on June 2 at the Grand Hyatt in New York City.
Follow Richard Brownell: @RickBrownell