By Koketso Mamabolo
After tense waiting you got the news that you wanted: You won the award. You received your trophy, posed with your certificate or plaque; the champagne has been mopped up, the red carpet rolled back and the lights have stopped flashing. You did the work and got the recognition you deserve – what next?
We’ve touched on why you should enter awards, the question becomes: What do you do now? How do you leverage winning an award?
Not only can entering awards enhance your credibility and your image, give you exposure and motivate your staff but research has shown that winning awards can increase share value and revenue. We’ve touched previously on the fact that organisations which enter awards are more likely to be doing good, sustainable business. An award offers an opportunity to provide an example of what is possible and let potential customers and partners know where an organisation stands compared to competitors.
READ: Find out more about why entering business excellence awards is good for business
For that to happen, word needs to get out there and while organisations behind business excellence awards will have marketing campaigns before and after winners are announced there are things finalists and winners can do to leverage the opportunity themselves. You’ve achieved something and the world deserves to know, so here’s how to tell everyone about it.
Social media
Social media platforms are the go-to place for people to share good news and bring with them the benefit of engagement and opportunities to interact with your network. Share, comment and like the posts announcing winners and then make your post. Tag the organisation behind the awards, your organisation, people who walked the journey with. For added engagement include pictures, videos, find out what the hashtags for the awards are. You could also write an article about the experience on your LinkedIn page, sharing insights to network.
Press release
Why don’t you send out a press release to media houses and get some press coverage? You can share what it took for you to win the award or be chosen as a finalist and open up opportunities for more press coverage in the future.
Internal celebration
Big or small, tell everyone in your organisation about the achievement. It can be at a meeting, in an email – you can even host a little (or big) celebration to give everyone a chance to reflect on the milestone, which will be great for morale.
Update your company profile
“Award-winning” or “Finalist” will look great in your company profile, on your website and social media bios. It shows people that you are credible, recognised by a third party and is a great addition to press kits. Some business excellence awards offer post-event collateral such as winners badges which can brighten up your email signature – use them. Don’t be shy!
Advertising and marketing
Placing ads is a great way to spread the word and show how proud you are of the achievement. Whether it be an ad in a newspaper or magazine, on a website, or on social media, you can increase visibility by tailoring your marketing strategy to your market and attract new business.
As the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Solly Malatsi, reminded guests at the recent Africa Tech Awards held in Cape Town, it is important to recognise the people advancing society. As an award winner you are setting the standard and putting the work to do good business. Now people need to know about it.
READ: The full list of winners at the 2025 Africa Tech Awards
Sources: e-channel news | Big Ideas | Brunel University | Wiley |
