If you have yet to enter awards for your business or as a female entrepreneur, you’re missing a trick in developing yourself and building your brand!
When reading through typical award entry questions, it can feel uncomfortable to start putting pen to paper as you need to sell yourself and your achievements. Whether it’s a lack of confidence or fear of failure, there’s so much you can learn from this experience if you step outside of your comfort zone, tell your story, and back it up with your achievements and the impact your work has had on others.
While the reasons for hesitation are understandable, they should not discourage female entrepreneurs from entering business awards and the many benefits awards can bring.
Three reasons you should enter business awards
1. Awards provide free marketing content
Being shortlisted for an award gives you something newsworthy to share on your blog and social channels. You could even find yourself and your business receiving media coverage in local and national news outlets, as many organisers will want to promote their awards. That’s before we even get to the awards ceremony, the photos, and the coverage for the winners.
When I make the shortlist for a business award I’ve entered, I’ll engage with any social posts by the organisers, create my posts, and often tag fellow nominees in my category, as it helps with online visibility. It also provides more human content than directly promoting my business.
2. Awards raise your profile and your brand
Being shortlisted or winning an award can enhance your credibility and the reputation of your business in your industry.
After winning an award, positioning yourself or your business as award-winning or multi-award-winning can help your offering stand out in the market and when pitching for business opportunities.
I include my award wins in my social media bios, LinkedIn page, website, and slide decks!
3. Award ceremonies provide networking opportunities
When you attend award ceremonies, you can meet potential collaborators, mentors, investors, and industry experts who can offer valuable insights and support – industry connections are invaluable in business.
These events allow you to interact with fellow entrepreneurs, exchange ideas, and learn from their experiences.
I’ve found using the LinkedIn QR code helpful when working the room; it also means I can tag my new connections easily in any photos of posts I’m sharing about the event.
As you leave this post, I ask you to search for business awards you can enter in your industry or area today! For inspiration, here are the awards I’ve entered or won as a female entrepreneur in tech.
