How have you used an award such as Inc. 5000 to your business‘s/personal advantage?
1. Show How Awards Benefit Your Customers
Make sure you focus your accolades on how they benefit potential clients to drive real business results. In 2016, we earned the No. 1 Spot on Ad Age’s Best Place to Work list. Sure, we saw an uptick in resumes and talent. But we’ve also gotten a lot more clients because of our culture and happy employees. We’ve found clients want to work with an agency who has happy and engaged people. – Dan Golden, BFO (Be Found Online)
2. Generate Customer Credibility
Being part of the Inc. 500 list brought us advantages we didn’t initially expect. One of the benefits that most quickly became evident was credibility with our customers. We realized that by marketing our award, it gave our customers the confidence that they were not alone in choosing our products. When your supplier is on the list of fastest-growing companies, your risk is reduced. – Diego Orjuela, Cables & Sensors
3. Display Awards Via Email Signatures
I’ve found that highlighting awards and accolades in a group makes a powerful impression. In my email signature, after my contact information, I list the four most recent and impressive, so that people know immediately that the person with whom they are corresponding is the real deal. I also feature them prominently on the home page of my website, so both casual and serious searchers experience the same. – Alexandra Levit, PeopleResults
4. Network with Other Award Winners
One benefit is the opportunity to meet the other award winners and partners. High-quality individuals in the industry usually attend an honorary event. These events offer a chance to get to know the other winners, sponsors and attendees who are potential advisors, partners or customers. – Adelyn Zhou, TOPBOTS
5. Add to Brochures
Our company and I personally have received a number of awards through the years. We do at least a PR campaign around it and add it to brochures, website or proposals — anything we can to showcase the achievement. – Kirill Bensonoff, Unigma and ComputerSupport.com
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6. Mention Awards at Start of Presentations
Inc. 5000 isn’t the only award we’ve been honored to receive at my company, so we leverage this and several others as introductions of our experience being recognized by third parties. We throw these awards into our proposals or at the start of a presentation as a very quick introduction to the company, as well as its background and relentless focus on performing above the norms. It helps break the ice. – Robby Hill, HillSouth
7. Use as Credentials During Panel Intros
Whenever I’m doing a panel or giving a presentation, I ask for my Forbes and Billboard 30 Under 30 credentials to spoken about when I’m introduced to the audience. It’s a great first impression on the audience, and makes them more eager to listen to what you are going to say for the next 60 minutes. – Cassie Petrey, Crowd Surf
8. Gain a Strong Entry Point into New Conversations
I recently was selected for the 2017 Forbes 30 Under 30 Marketing and Advertising list, and we have definitely made use of it for our business. It is a great reason to reconnect with people in my network (and our company’s network) and see what’s new, and perhaps more importantly, it has been a strong entry point into new conversations. The newness of it doesn’t last though, so take advantage of it! – Kevin Yamazaki, Sidebench
9. Create an Award to Give Someone Else
Marketing is one thing. Publicity is another. You can always use an award to bolster your marketing, but remember the publicity factor works for the award giver and the award receiver. In so many words: If you can’t win an award yourself, invent your own award and present it to someone else. It’s viewed as a sign of professionalism and altruism — a big win for the giver. – Brandon Stapper, 858 Graphics
10. Differentiate Your Business
My company, ranked No. 5 on HappyCity.US’s “Top 10 [HAPPY] Places To Work For List” in 2016, and it has been a critical tool for recruiting. To attract top talent, you need to differentiate why your business is a great place to work. Happiness is a very large factor in a potential employee’s decision-making process, and leveraging this award has helped immensely in that regard. –Erik Huberman, Hawke Media