Using a VA for free PR - Lesson 3: Winning an Award
Ok, you think I am mad now, but hear me out.
Winning an award can bring your small business some really good PR and expose your brand to the right kind of audience. It can really help you to grow your reputation and enhance credibility.
I think we all agree on this. However, realistically who is going to nominate you and in what category? Also come to think of it, for which award? These days every industry has an award but there are also probably a number of different industries you could enter into.
The fact is this is all stuff you have to do for yourself but it is also something that you are likely to struggle to find the time for. In 2017 I won a few awards for my personal blog which was very much in its infancy, and the way I did it was by getting my virtual assistant to research the following areas:
Drawing up a list of relevant industries/sectors
Online research for awards within those sectors
Checking the criteria of awards for eligibility
From this, she drew up a shortlist. I wrote a covering message which described my blog and it's purpose and then my VA compiled what was required or filled out forms to enter each one. My involvement was minimal apart from overseeing what was written about my blog.
The whole process is quite time-consuming, as any form of online research can be, and that is where outsourcing to a VA made this process painless. Of course, as in anything in life it pays to be sensible and genuine. Don't enter awards unless they are really relevant and don't push the boundaries of truth to try to get an award because this will ultimately not enhance your reputation.
TOP TIP: Consider what areas of your business could win an award (for example Customer Support, Leadership, Product, Design, etc.). This opens up a lot of awards that are also not simply constrained within your industry.
Author: Thomas Smallwood is an outsourcing specialist. Having worked in companies around Europe, from the support desk to the boardroom, he founded bizee.co to help small businesses grow through efficient delegation to skilled virtual assistants. He is an award-winning blogger and a passionate advocate for mental health awareness.
Connect with Tom on LinkedIn.