Optimizing Award Buzz: How to Use That Win Throughout the Year

By Peggy Tierney Galvin, Chief Strategy Officer, Force4 Technology Communications 

You’ve won an award? Well done! Now it’s time to roll up your sleeves and make the most of it. 

Awards are part of a holistic communications and marketing program. They are a great way to reiterate your company’s strengths and value proposition for targeted audiences in conjunction with strategic marking campaigns. Awards provide external validation that supports the value and effectiveness of a solution, showcasing why customers should choose your company’s services or products. 

There are myriad opportunities to capitalize on your success. Marketing teams can leverage award wins for the executive team, a case study, a customer success story, as a great place to work (to support recruitment) or any other area of strength upon which you want to aim a spotlight. Effective outreach of your award win ensures that it becomes a top-of-funnel asset for prospects or investors seeking the latest information about the company or its solutions. 

Maximizing the value of your award win 

Winning an award isn’t enough in itself; promotion is essential. The mistake companies can make is not promoting the award win beyond the initial announcement.  

Through outreaching the award win and repeating the key messages that validate the offering through a variety of tactics – like custom sales notes, social media posts, blog posts and video – the marketing team can ensure that the award recognition is top of funnel for prospects or investors looking for the latest information about the company or solutions in the space.  

Use a mix of PR, communications and marketing practices to continually share the award news. Tailor messages for different audience segments and leverage multiple channels to maximize impact. 

Develop a press release: Keep the press release brief and focused. Sometimes the awards body will provide a press release template to use. If not, highlight three key takeaways that are most relevant to your audience. 

Promote on social media: Share photos from the awards dinner or event, or photos of the team with the trophy. Include the award logo (if permitted), and create evergreen posts relevant to ongoing conversations or recruitment efforts. If the award is high-profile enough, you can also consider implementing additional paid social campaigns to further promote the win to larger audiences. 

Incorporate into other existing materials, including: 

• Website integration – Display the award logo prominently on your homepage or relevant sub-pages. This could include a dedicated “Awards” section that highlights your achievements. 

• Careers section – For awards related to company culture or employee satisfaction, feature them prominently on the careers section of your website. Consider adding a testimonial or a video that highlights the positive work environment. 

• Email campaigns – Incorporate the award announcement into your email campaigns. Use it as a subject line or a featured snippet in newsletters to catch the attention of your audience. 

• Marketing materials – Include the award in marketing materials such as brochures, flyers and case studies. Highlight it in product or service descriptions to enhance credibility. 

Continue to leverage the award win by featuring it in updates, newsletters and additional content throughout the year to maintain its impact. 

Keep the award buzz going 

Winning an award is cause for celebration – and amplification. It takes work to prepare and enter an award submission, and its business benefits shouldn’t get lost in the shuffle of all your other work tasks and marketing initiatives. Being able to market your solution or service as award-winning is a great vehicle for a campaign that you can use to reiterate your company’s strengths and value prop for your targeted audiences.  

To get the most out of an award win, take the time to create a plan that proactively promotes it through PR, social media and various marketing channels. Consistent and strategic outreach ensures the award remains prominent. Continue to highlight the award throughout the year in updates, newsletters and additional content to maintain its influence and drive long-term growth.