Winning Business Awards Matters In eLearning: Here's How To Start Earning Recognition
Are you still wondering if you must go after winning business awards? You should be because it takes significant effort. And, you have to be smart about which competitions you enter.
Awards recognize both the achievements and hard work of your employees. Thus, winning an award isn't just for increasing awareness for consumers. It can help improve motivation and boost staff morale! In this article, I'll explain how you can expand your business award collection.
There are more than 1,000 awards to pick from so be sure to choose the business awards that you have the best chance of winning based on your strengths. Meaning, don't focus only on those recommended because there is plenty of fish in the sea.
From our vast experience of helping eLearning brands to achieve niche recognition, entering and winning awards starts from choosing suitable awards based on your strengths. By doing so, you'll increase your chances of winning by about 20% before you even put pen to paper. Be honest about what your brand is good at. Also, find a way you can demonstrate this to the judging committee.
Note: If you want to be considered for eLearning Industry's Top List awards, make sure to check the following:
- Apply for the Top Content Providers Lists
- Apply for the Top LMS Software Lists
- Apply for the Top Authoring Tools Lists
Let's see where you should focus when trying to make it big as a multi-award winner in the eLearning niche.
What To Consider For Winning Business Awards As An eLearning Brand
So, how do businesses win awards? There are plenty of reasons why your company should win awards. The most important being building trust so that prospects can turn into customers. It's always about social proof to make that conversion. And, believe me, there's no better proof than earning those badges as a top industry leader.
1. Identify Prestigious eLearning Awards
You need to be actively searching for award opportunities. If you wait for them to come to you, you'll be waiting a hell of a long time. At the beginning of every year, make sure to keep notes of all upcoming events. For example, you can start an awards calendar. The above will help you know what's coming up and when. Plus, don't miss the chance to ask your friends and industry contacts to share information. Any tips that you can find matter, and then you can return the favor. Peer knowledge can lead to great recognition!
Plenty of you might be asking: What awards should my company apply for? Or, perhaps you're wondering how you can get nominated for an eLearning business award.
Locating awards is easy, but you need to be sure that you are applying for awards you can actually win. Make sure you qualify and play to your strengths. For example, if you are known for excellent customer service, apply for awards that focus on that. If you are known for product quality, consider avoiding the customer service award.
Of course, searching for industry awards should be your number one priority. For example, you can find trade publications, industry websites, or special-interest and other industry-specific magazines that offer award opportunities. If you want widespread recognition for your business, you might as well check out national awards.
Also, figure out which awards your competitors have won and go after them. Applying for the same award could be your opportunity to steal it away from them! For instance, maybe your rival has made it on a top eLearning list or maybe they have won a Brandon Hall Group award. See what it takes and go for the win!
2. Collect As Many Reviews As You Can
Winning awards is a celebration of excellence. In most cases, pros that deliver top-notch customer service have built themselves a golden reputation. That's what it's all about, right?
Going above and beyond client expectations should be your primary focus to become the best. Customer experience adds confidence in choosing top-notch award winners in the eLearning niche. Meaning it helps validate their choice and provides peace of mind.
Since social proof is what you need to validate the value of your product or service, it becomes a necessity to gather as many positive reviews as you can. Most judging committees will want proof of excellence, and they can find it by reading reviews about your product or service.
Don't forget to read my article on how to start getting customer reviews for your eLearning brand!
3. Check eLearning Awards Submission Criteria
Make sure to read the criteria for your eLearning award submission carefully. I always check everything again and again! Before embarking on a mission to fill out an award submission, you need full clarity on what judges expect to see. So focus on reading through the related documentation. Most importantly, ensure that you understand the criteria that judges will base their decision upon.
For example, eLearning Industry's criteria for ranking the best LMS solutions are:
- Customer support
- Customer experience
- Software features
- Software innovation
- Customer reviews
- Economic growth potential
- Customer retention
- Employee turnover
- Social responsibility
Do you want to compete with top vendors in the eLearning industry? Then, apply to win an LMS award. The same goes for any eLearning content providers that are interested. If you haven't already, please make sure to add your free listing to eLearning Industry. All eligible vendors are contacted each year and given information on upcoming top list awards, next steps, and the selection criteria.
Similarly, you should pay close attention to the submission rules and criteria stated by each award organizer.
5. Bring Value To The eLearning Community With Your Product/Service
As the proverb has it: You reap what you sow.
Anyone trying to market a brand or product in today's environment is bound to have a difficult time. There's too much noise, especially in the eLearning niche. Thus, making it hard to get your message across to your ideal audience.
Is there a solution? To put it plainly, you have to seek out and win awards in your industry. And then, start featuring them! Winning awards will help you differentiate your brand, build loyalty, and sell more.
But, awards don't come easy. To claim that trusted third parties have actually recognized you among the best in your field, you have to deserve it. So, it is essential to focus on continuous improvement. It would be best if you made it your top goal to provide stellar customer service. Why? Because that will also land you a good reputation and positive reviews!
Maybe you'd like to go after social impact awards. Winning such recognition could be the perfect way to showcase your corporate social responsibility credentials. That could be from a charity partnership or an environmental statement to a well-being strategy.
When you choose to compete for an award, remember that judges are probably sector experts. As such, they'll expect clear evidence of your impact, not vague policy statements.
If the above seems interesting, you'll enjoy our special top list that features the most socially responsible companies in eLearning!
6. Figure Out Your Budgeting Options
Plenty of competitions are free to enter, but there will always be some that require an entry fee. Also, consider that you may have additional expenses like design time or printing. So, maybe you need to figure out if you have the budget to go after certain opportunities. It would be best if you included entering awards as a line item into your annual budget. In this way, if you do have expenses arising from them, you'll have everything planned ahead.
Conclusion
If you ask me, eLearning brands should stop wasting money on traditional advertising. By winning awards, you immediately receive tens to hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars of more credible exposure, absolutely free. Why miss the chance to be one of the elite?
The key is to learn how to completely separate your company from all competitors and become a sought-after brand. Getting award recognition will make potential customers flock your way.
Of course, good business is what wins awards. It's about recruiting and maintaining long-lasting, loyal, and dedicated teams. Plus, it also has to do with constantly improving company culture.
Check out here eLearning Industry's most profound top lists:
- The Best Learning Management Systems
- The Best eLearning Content Providers
- The Best eLearning Authoring Tools
Who wouldn't want to obtain rockstar status within their business? By making it your mission to win as many awards as you can, you'll generate free local, statewide, national, and even international exposure.
It's less time-consuming than you think. All you have to do is spend next to nothing and only 15 minutes per day. Make it your goal to become an award-winning company and share interviews with some of the nation's most well-respected award-winning CEOs, entrepreneurs, and leaders that have done the same.
