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Building up your brand’s name on the international stage can be a challenge, which is why you need to stop playing the game and start being the game master. One of the best and easiest ways to do just that is to create your own awards program for brands in your niche. If you are the brand that is giving out awards, then you suddenly become the go-to point of authority in your industry. You don’t need to award your competitors, either. You can instead award those businesses with which you partner.
It’s not easy, of course, which is why you’ll need to follow these essentials to get your new awards show off the ground:
· Establish the Award Objective
The first step, of course, is to define the award’s objective. You need to decide what your goal is: are you awarding partners or clients? Is your goal to strengthen your US market presence? Is it to position yourself as an industry thought leader? Understanding and defining your strategic objective builds the framework for the award itself.
· Establish the Award Framework
Once you have that objective, you can then decide on the framework. Who wins and why, essentially. Once you have hammered out that, it’s time to start tracking data and compile a long list of nominees.
· Build Rapport with Your Nominees
Your long list is your nominees. This is your opportunity to reach out directly to each of them, congratulate them on their efforts or talents, and essentially explain that you are planning to host a new award. The goal here is to build rapport and interest in your event, all while promoting your brand name.
· Plan a Winning Event
The next step is to plan the event itself, which you can begin once you’ve sent out the shortlist and received your RSVPs. Once you have that, you’ll need to book a venue that reflects your brand and the award’s values. If you are in the design industry, for example, you may want to book the New Britain Museum of American Art as your venue, which offers great conference spaces and the opportunity for guests to explore the exhibits, incorporating entertainment into the package.
Do note, however, that some venues have locked-in caterers. The success of any event hinges on great food, so ensure that you are impressed by corporate event catering options for your guests.
· Design Exceptional Branding for the Event
You will then want to design exceptional branding to go alongside the tablescapes for your event. This is the time when you can build the awards show as a to-be event, all while incorporating your own business’s branding.
· Market Your Event
Next, you’ll want to market your event and invite journalists and other media representatives to the party. The goal is to essentially get free publicity for your business and the professionals or businesses you are awarding.
· Post-Event Marketing
Finally, you need to build your post-event campaign. This campaign is essentially a PR strategy designed to get any and every news or industry niche publication to talk about your event. Events are hot news, and easily pitched to especially smaller publications, meaning you can build those brand mentions that are essential for SEO while building up your brand reputation.
