Awards Marketing Questions you may be afraid to ask about marketing your awards program and the answers you ve been looking for!

Transcription

1 Awards Marketing Questions you may be afraid to ask about marketing your awards program and the answers you ve been looking for!

2 Even though we re surrounded by it every day we ve all got questions about marketing...

3 Photo: CollegeDegrees360 via Flickr

4 How do I even do it? Photo: CollegeDegrees360 via Flickr

5 How do I even do it? Photo: CollegeDegrees360 via Flickr

6 How do I even do it? Photo: CollegeDegrees360 via Flickr

7 How do I even do it? Photo: CollegeDegrees360 via Flickr

8 How do I even do it? Photo: CollegeDegrees360 via Flickr

9 How do I even do it? Photo: CollegeDegrees360 via Flickr

10 How do I even do it? How important is my website? Photo: CollegeDegrees360 via Flickr

11 Take a deep breath! The truth is, you probably know more about marketing than you think you do.

12 Take a deep breath! The truth is, you probably know more about marketing than you think you do. How it performed in the past Who s applying Who you want to apply What exactly your program is about What makes it unique and interesting for those in your industry. And you already know everything about your awards program that you would need to market it. Photo: Hubspot

13 Here are 10 questions we ve all asked ourselves at one time or another when planning our awards marketing campaign. (And the answers to them!)

14 QUESTION 1: Are press releases really still relevant?

15 You know, they totally are! Photo: Hubspot

16 Despite the rising popularity of social media as a legitimate source of news and information, the traditional press release isn t dead.

17 Despite the rising popularity of social media as a legitimate source of news and information, the traditional press release isn t dead. In fact, it s been found that 75% of journalists still like press releases. (BusinessInsider.com)

18 Despite the rising popularity of social media as a legitimate source of news and information, the traditional press release isn t dead. In fact, it s been found that 75% of journalists still like press releases. (BusinessInsider.com) So don t give up on the idea of writing a press release for your awards program yet: it s still a significant marketing resource for businesses.

19 What is a press release?

20 What is a press release? A way to formally announce a noteworthy occurrence that has happened in your organization like the launch of an awards program!

21 What is a press release? A way to formally announce a noteworthy occurrence that has happened in your organization like the launch of an awards program! Typically they are brief one to two page maximum articles that share the news item, provide relevant quotes, and supply appropriate background and contact information.

22 What is a press release? A way to formally announce a noteworthy occurrence that has happened in your organization like the launch of an awards program! Typically they are brief one to two page maximum articles that share the news item, provide relevant quotes, and supply appropriate background and contact information. The essence of a press release is perfectly tailored to getting the word out about your awards program.

23 What is a press release? A way to formally announce a noteworthy occurrence that has happened in your organization like the launch of an awards program! Typically they are brief one to two page maximum articles that share the news item, provide relevant quotes, and supply appropriate background and contact information. Want to learn how to write a press release yourself? Check out our ebook with press release best practices and templates! The essence of a press release is perfectly tailored to getting the word out about your awards program.

24 QUESTION 2: Is marketing through social media worth it?

25 To put it simply YES!

26 Industries, associations, and organizations of all kinds are now using social media to reinforce their message and goals, by posting helpful content about their industry, posting photos of what an average day in the office is like, all in order to connect to their audience, members, and consumers.

27 And why are these organizations doing all of this on social media?

28 Because that s where their audience is!

29 Who s on social media? Because that s where their audience is! Emarketer.com found that in in 4 people used social networks.

30 Who s on social media? Because that s where their audience is! Emarketer.com found that in in 4 people used social networks. That s 1.73 billion people!

31 Who s on social media? Because that s where their audience is! Emarketer.com found that in in 4 people used social networks. That s 1.73 billion people! That s a resource you definitely don t want to let slip by.

32 Question 3: OK, but how do I do that?

33 There are a lot of different ways you can market your program on social media

34 Appearance Tweaking the layout of your social profiles is a quick and easy way to market your awards program. It s subtle, eyecatching, and doesn t require a lot of time and effort for your team.

35 Appearance Tweaking the layout of your social profiles is a quick and easy way to market your awards program. It s subtle, eyecatching, and doesn t require a lot of time and effort for your team. 40% of people will respond better to visual information than plain text. Source: Hubspot

36 Appearance Tweaking the layout of your social profiles is a quick and easy way to market your awards program. It s subtle, eyecatching, and doesn t require a lot of time and effort for your team. 40% of people will respond better to visual information than plain text. Source: Hubspot Ideas: Update your Twitter header. Change the link on your Twitter profile to your awards website s. Update your Facebook cover photo.

37 Ads Ads on social media sites are not always exactly what you d think. Photo: Jamie via Flickr

38 Ads Ads on social media sites are not always exactly what you d think. Most social platforms ads (like Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest) now center around you promoting a piece of content, a page, or an image that you have on your profile. Photo: Jamie via Flickr

39 Ads Ads on social media sites are not always exactly what you d think. Most social platforms ads (like Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest) now center around you promoting a piece of content, a page, or an image that you have on your profile. You can advertise on Twitter through promoting tweets, trends, or your profile. Photo: Jamie via Flickr

40 Ads Ads on social media sites are not always exactly what you d think. Most social platforms ads (like Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest) now center around you promoting a piece of content, a page, or an image that you have on your profile. You can advertise on Twitter through promoting tweets, trends, or your profile. Facebook lets you craft your ad based on the results you want for your page, such as post engagement and event responses. Photo: Jamie via Flickr

41 Ads Ads on social media sites are not always exactly what you d think. Most social platforms ads (like Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest) now center around you promoting a piece of content, a page, or an image that you have on your profile. You can advertise on Twitter through promoting tweets, trends, or your profile. Facebook lets you craft your ad based on the results you want for your page, such as post engagement and event responses. LinkedIn lets you sponsor an update. Photo: Jamie via Flickr

42 Ads Ads on social media sites are not always exactly what you d think. Most social platforms ads (like Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest) now center around you promoting a piece of content, a page, or an image that you have on your profile. Want to see some examples? Check out these 21 incredible awards ads! You can advertise on Twitter through promoting tweets, trends, or your profile. Facebook lets you craft your ad based on the results you want for your page, such as post engagement and event responses. LinkedIn lets you sponsor an update. Photo: Jamie via Flickr

43 Suggested Social Sharing When someone applies to your awards program, give them the opportunity at the end of the submission form to share that they submitted on a social media site.

44 Suggested Social Sharing When someone applies to your awards program, give them the opportunity at the end of the submission form to share that they submitted on a social media site. Provide a pre-written message like: I just submitted my application to the OpenWater Awards! Don t forget to include an image or graphic to go with the text to catch more viewers eyes.

45 Suggested Social Sharing When someone applies to your awards program, give them the opportunity at the end of the submission form to share that they submitted on a social media site. Provide a pre-written message like: I just submitted my application to the OpenWater Awards! Don t forget to include an image or graphic to go with the text to catch more viewers eyes.

46 Communications On top of everything things else you need to actively communicate with everyone to let them know what s going on. Photo: Hubspot

47 Communications On top of everything things else you need to actively communicate with everyone to let them know what s going on. Post updates at the major stages of your platform: call for entry, deadlines, announcements of finalists and winners, and selection of judges. Also send out regular reminders and announce milestones, like when you hit a record number of submissions. Photo: Hubspot

48 Communications On top of everything things else you need to actively communicate with everyone to let them know what s going on. Post updates at the major stages of your platform: call for entry, deadlines, announcements of finalists and winners, and selection of judges. Also send out regular reminders and announce milestones, like when you hit a record number of submissions. The frequency and amount of posts should be proportional to the amount of posting that usually happens on a site. For example, you should tweet about your program more often than you would post updates on LinkedIn. Photo: Hubspot

49 Communications On top of everything things else you need to actively communicate with everyone to let them know what s going on. Post updates at the major stages of your platform: call for entry, deadlines, announcements of finalists and winners, and selection of judges. Also send out regular reminders and announce milestones, like when you hit a record number of submissions. The frequency and amount of posts should be proportional to the amount of posting that usually happens on a site. For example, you should tweet about your program more often than you would post updates on LinkedIn. Pro tip: Create a log of tweets and posts to send out during your awards cycle. It will keep things organized, stop you from getting repetitive, or overcommunicating. Photo: Hubspot

50 Public Vote People love voicing their opinion. Public vote is a great way to do that. This works well in tandem with the social sharing idea. Encourage applicants to share that they completed the entry and allow people in their networks to vote for them.

51 Public Vote People love voicing their opinion. Public vote is a great way to do that. This works well in tandem with the social sharing idea. Encourage applicants to share that they completed the entry and allow people in their networks to vote for them. It gets the word out and encourages others to interact with you. Requiring voters to add some basic information grows your pool of people to reach out to for the current and future awards programs!

52 Public Vote People love voicing their opinion. Public vote is a great way to do that. This works well in tandem with the social sharing idea. Encourage applicants to share that they completed the entry and allow people in their networks to vote for them. It gets the word out and encourages others to interact with you. Requiring voters to add some basic information grows your pool of people to reach out to for the current and future awards programs!

53 Pages, Groups, & Events Many social sites allow you to create sections within your profile, whether that s a group on LinkedIn or an event or page on Facebook. They serve to provide a specific space for communication and content for a community or event within an organization. Photo: Lisa Wiedmeier via Flickr

54 Pages, Groups, & Events Many social sites allow you to create sections within your profile, whether that s a group on LinkedIn or an event or page on Facebook. They serve to provide a specific space for communication and content for a community or event within an organization. By creating a group or page, you are giving applicants a place to create a community and a location for them to ask questions and receive updates. It will make applicants feel more engaged with your program and be more interested in what is going on. Photo: Lisa Wiedmeier via Flickr

55 Hashtags Though hashtags started out as a Twitter feature, they ve caught on like crazy. Now most social platforms use hashtags (i.e. you can search for them and they can trend.

56 Hashtags Though hashtags started out as a Twitter feature, they ve caught on like crazy. Now most social platforms use hashtags (i.e. you can search for them and they can trend. Create a hashtag for your program! Encourage applicants and your team members to use it when talking about the awards program on social media. This will create buzz and interest around your program, increasing visibility.

57 Hashtags Though hashtags started out as a Twitter feature, they ve caught on like crazy. Now most social platforms use hashtags (i.e. you can search for them and they can trend. Create a hashtag for your program! Encourage applicants and your team members to use it when talking about the awards program on social media. This will create buzz and interest around your program, increasing visibility.

58 Hashtags Though hashtags started out as a Twitter feature, they ve caught on like crazy. Now most social platforms use hashtags (i.e. you can search for them and they can trend. Create a hashtag for your program! Encourage applicants and your team members to use it when talking about the awards program on social media. This will create buzz and interest around your program, increasing visibility. Maybe you can even get it to trend! #winning

59 Question 4: Should I invest in ads?

60 Whether it s worth investing in advertising depends on your awards program.

61 Whether it s worth investing in advertising depends on your awards program. Ads shouldn t be the first marketing effort your awards program tries out. After you ve established your other marketing tactics, a well-run program can then use ads as extra fuel for their marketing.

62 Whether it s worth investing in advertising depends on your awards program. Ads shouldn t be the first marketing effort your awards program tries out. After you ve established your other marketing tactics, a well-run program can then use ads as extra fuel for their marketing. Look into the different kinds of advertising and the costs associated with them before making any decisions.

63 Question 5: What kinds of ads should I be using?

64 It depends if you want to go

65 It depends if you want to go 1. Traditional What most people think of when they think of advertising: a paid announcement in newspapers and magazines, or on radio television.

66 It depends if you want to go 1. Traditional What most people think of when they think of advertising: a paid announcement in newspapers and magazines, or on radio television. Some possibilities : Mail-in Industry Publications Radio/TV

67 It depends if you want to go 2. Social Promoting tweets, posts, or updates on your social profiles.

68 It depends if you want to go 2. Social Promoting tweets, posts, or updates on your social profiles. Some possibilities : Promoted tweets on Twitter Highlighted post on Facebook Sponsored post on LinkedIn

69 Question 6: Should I be sending s? If so, what kind?

70 Yes, marketing is a great way to connect with people!

71 Yes, marketing is a great way to connect with people! Despite floods of spam and the increased use of social media, marketing is relevant and essential to your marketing efforts.

72 There are several different types of ways to market your awards through 1. Stand-Alone 2. Newsletters 3. Lead-nurturing 4. Sponsorship 5. Transactional

73 There are several different types of ways to market your awards through 1. Stand-Alone: These are one-time s, for example, announcing your call for entry. Depending on your organization and the number of contacts you have, sending out 1 or 2 stand-alone s about your awards program is appropriate. This is probably most effective for previous or regular applicants.

74 There are several different types of ways to market your awards through 2. Newsletters: Including information about your program in your organization s newsletter is a great way to market the awards, without coming off as pushy or spammy.

75 There are several different types of ways to market your awards through 3. Lead-nurturing: Lead-nurturing s are a series of s centered on a single theme that contain useful content for the reader. This form of marketing is great for all of your contacts, but especially for those who have never entered your program. The purpose of these s is to keep your awards top of the mind for your contacts, growing interest and encouraging them to apply.

76 There are several different types of ways to market your awards through 4. Sponsorship: Sponsorship s can be a great tool for any organization. This type of isn t actually one you send out, instead your information is included in another industry-related organization s or newsletter. Craft a simple, but informative call to action with some basic information about your program for whoever is sending the . Note that possible costs should be considered before pursuing this venture.

77 There are several different types of ways to market your awards through 5. Transactional: These are basically thank-you s after an action has been completed, like downloading a piece of content. If any of these actions is relevant to what your awards program is all about, include a small call to action in the . Be careful not to make the call to action too forceful though, or it may deter the person from taking action!

78 Question 7: Are people even going to read my s?

79 Well, that depends on you. Litmus found that 82% of consumers open s from companies. Photo: Hubspot

80 Well, that depends on you. Litmus found that 82% of consumers open s from companies. Photo: Hubspot

81 Well, that depends on you. Litmus found that 82% of consumers open s from companies. So how do you make sure your s are going to get opened that much too? Photo: Hubspot

82 marketing best practices: Pay attention to your subject line Find the right tone Keep it entertaining Be brief Segment your lists Pay attention to visuals Include social sharing buttons Test your s Photo: Hubspot

83 marketing best practices: Pay attention to your subject line Find the right tone Keep it entertaining Be brief Segment your lists Pay attention to visuals Include social sharing buttons Test your s Want to dive deeper into each of these best practices? We go over each one in The Awards Marketing Bible here! Photo: Hubspot

84 Question 8: My website is kind of dated should I bother updating it?

85 To put it simply: your awards website is important.

86 To put it simply: your awards website is important. Not only is it the source of information concerning your program and the point from which people can apply, it s also your program s first impression. You need to make sure you re including up-to-date information like:

87 To put it simply: your awards website is important. Not only is it the source of information concerning your program and the point from which people can apply, it s also your program s first impression. You need to make sure you re including up-to-date information like: Current call for entry Contact information Archive of previous winners

88 To put it simply: your awards website is important. Not only is it the source of information concerning your program and the point from which people can apply, it s also your program s first impression. You need to make sure you re including up-to-date information like: Current call for entry Contact information Archive of previous winners You also want the layout and design of the website itself to be interesting and memorable enough to get visitors to stay and check it out. Need some inspiration? Check out these 21 awards websites that are doing it right!

89 Conclusion yes! If your awards website has become dated, it s time to start thinking about sprucing things up. Need some inspiration? Check out these 21 awards websites that are doing it right!

90 Question 9: What should I include in my shiny new website?

91 If you are thinking of a change, there are several things you need to review on your website to make it ship-shape for the start of your program. Don t worry, we ve compiled a checklist for you to follow! Photo: Hubspot

92 Awards Website Checklist: 1. Location of your website 2. Branding 3. Overview Page 4. Call for Entry Page 5. Archive of Previous Winners 6. Judging 7. Official Rules 8. FAQ 9. Link to Awards Gala 10. Contact information

93 Awards Website Checklist: 1. Location of your website 2. Branding 3. Overview Page 4. Call for Entry Page 5. Archive of Previous Winners 6. Judging 7. Official Rules 8. FAQ 9. Link to Awards Gala 10. Contact information Want a more in depth look at each of these? Check out our Awards Marketing ebook!

94 Question 10: Is any of this actually going to be effective?

95 Yessss!! It sure is! Photo: Hubspot

96 One of the reasons you market your awards program is to create awareness and engagement with those in your industry. This engagement can lead to them apply or share the news about your program with others. Photo: Hubspot

97 One of the reasons you market your awards program is to create awareness and engagement with those in your industry. This engagement can lead to them apply or share the news about your program with others. For example, the CMA Awards crafted their own hashtag for their awards program. Photo: Hubspot

98 One of the reasons you market your awards program is to create awareness and engagement with those in your industry. This engagement can lead to them apply or share the news about your program with others. For example, the CMA Awards crafted their own hashtag for their awards program. Photo: Hubspot

99 One of the reasons you market your awards program is to create awareness and engagement with those in your industry. This engagement can lead to them apply or share the news about your program with others. For example, the CMA Awards crafted their own hashtag for their awards program. And it was effective! This hashtag is being used on average about 18 times per day! One time it was even being used 7 times per hour. Photo: Hubspot

100 One of the reasons you market your awards program is to create awareness and engagement with those in your industry. This engagement can lead to them apply or share the news about your program with others. For example, the CMA Awards crafted their own hashtag for their awards program. And it was effective! This hashtag is being used on average about 18 times per day! One time it was even being used 7 times per hour. That s some serious engagement, guys! Photo: Hubspot

101 It all boils down to: if you put in the work, it will take a little while (like everything does), but it will help take your awards program to the next level.

102 It all boils down to: if you put in the work, it will take a little while (like everything does), but it will help take your awards program to the next level. Want to dive in deeper into what you can do to market your awards program? Check out our new ebook!

103 It all boils down to: if you put in the work, it will take a little while (like everything does), but it will help take your awards program to the next level. Want to dive in deeper into what you can do to market your awards program? Check out our new ebook!

104 Want to take your awards program to the next level? See how OpenWater can help! How OpenWater Awards works: Entries and Judging In One System: Keep it all in one place. OpenWater Awards gives you quick access to both online entries and online judging. No juggling act required. Branded Site: With OpenWater Awards the awards website looks like your site...no templates, no confusion. Keep Informed: Confused about confirmation s, reminder s and winner s? We have you covered. OpenWater Awards was designed to keep everyone informed. Just click the button below and fill out the proceeding form to request a demo.