Entering local business awards can be a game-changer for your company, offering valuable recognition and exposure within your community. However, crafting an award-winning entry requires careful planning and execution. In this blog post, we’ll share 10 expert tips to help you write a standout entry for your next local business awards entry.
Know Your Audience:
Understand the judging criteria and tailor your entry to resonate with the values and objectives of the award organisers. Highlight how your business aligns with the mission of the awards and the needs of the local community. Before you start writing, open a Word Document and note down each question. Bullet point information that you might want to include before you begin to write.
Start Early:
Give yourself ample time to gather data, testimonials, and supporting evidence for your entry. Rushing the process could result in a hastily written entry that fails to showcase your business’s true strengths. Judges will be able to tell whether you have rushed through your application, so take your time and make sure you are well aware of entry deadlines, questions, etc before you start. Plus, if you have questions, if you’re on the last minute, you might not get a chance to ask them.
Tell Your Story:
Use your entry to tell a compelling narrative about your business journey, including key milestones, challenges overcome, and successes achieved. Make it personal and memorable to captivate the judges’ attention. You’ve heard the phrase ‘People buy from people’, so sell yourself and your accomplishments to the judges – they’re people too.
Showcase Achievements:
Highlight your business’s achievements, innovations, and contributions. Make sure that these are relevant to the question you are answering. Don’t just shoehorn it in because it didn’t fit anywhere else. If you’ve taken the tie to do all the other steps mentioned above, you should be able to understand where key information fits to support your entry. Provide specific examples and measurable results to demonstrate the impact of your efforts where you can.
Focus on Unique Selling Points:
Identify what sets your business apart from competitors and emphasise these unique selling points in your entry. Whether it’s exceptional customer service, innovative products, or sustainable practices, showcase what makes your business special. Were you the first to implement new technology in your industry? Are you a part of partner organisations helping to make the local community better? Really take your time to think about how you can stand out in your category.
Use Data and Metrics:
Back up your claims with concrete data and metrics wherever possible. Provide quantifiable evidence of your business’s success, such as revenue growth, customer satisfaction ratings, or community engagement statistics. This type of data may take time to put together, hence why starting your application early really helps.
Be Concise and Clear:
Keep your entry concise and to the point, avoiding jargon or unnecessary fluff. Judges often have limited time to review entries, so make every word count. Use clear, straightforward language to communicate your message effectively. Keep to the word count and if you’re unsure, ask the organisers. Some use a word count as a guide whereas others will discount any words which go over their stipulation.
Follow Guidelines:
Keep to the entry guidelines provided by the award organisers, including word limits, formatting requirements, and submission deadlines. These are here to help you. Failure to follow these guidelines could result in disqualification. Again, if you’re unsure, ask.
Proofread Carefully:
This is key. Ensure your entry is free from grammatical errors, typos, and inconsistencies. Proofread multiple times or ask a colleague to review it with fresh eyes to catch any mistakes you may have missed. Reading your entry out loud will help you identify any inconsistencies or if your entry flows right.
Seek Feedback:
Before finalising your entry, ask for feedback from colleagues, mentors, or industry peers. Even family and friends might remember things that you’ve forgot, so ask them too. They can provide valuable insights and suggestions for improvement to help you polish your entry to perfection.
Writing a winning entry for local business awards requires careful planning, attention to detail, and a compelling narrative that showcases your business’s achievements and unique strengths. By following these 10 expert tips, you can increase your chances of standing out and securing recognition for your business in your next awards competition. Good luck!
Do you have a business based in Wigan? Enter Wigan Business Awards HERE.
