According to the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy, there are an estimated 29.6 million small businesses in the United States. The question is, what can be done to help cash-strapped businesses stand out from the crowd?
One of the easiest and most inexpensive ways for you to stand out from your competitors is to win industry awards. They are a way to gain recognition for yourself, your business and your company website. Awards bring you prestige and more traffic, and they enhance your credibility as a business.
It can take a considerable amount of time to apply for industry awards, even though winning can lead to measureable growth. In this economy, how do you justify that time? Here are the top five reasons you should add awards to your marketing program.
To land new customers. Customers like to be associated with a winning company, and potential customers often make their purchasing decisions based on the decisions of other businesses like theirs. When prospective customers see that you’ve won an award, it can sway them to choose you over your competition because you’re seen as a stable and high-quality company.
To help land VC funding. This is an essential part of the recipe for your company’s success, as VCs and the banking community look at awards lists and rankings to find powerful growers. Awards can help small businesses become profitable, get funding, get purchased or go through an IPO.
See full article at: Industry Awards Create Buzz for Your Business – Industry Awards – Entrepreneur.com.
