Craft Butchers Awards

While some businesses make excellent use of an award win to promote themselves and their products, others fail to utilise the opportunity effectively to raise their profile and potentially increase sales.

This information is to provide guidance on how to make the most of an award and capitalise on the 'award winning status' to build business.
Within the following sections are details of the options and opportunities available.

Immediate activities

• Social network marketing: Social networking websites such as Twitter and Facebook can be used to promote your business. Using these websites can be an effective way of instantly communicating any award win. The Scottish Craft Butcher Facebook page (facebook.com/scottishcraftbutchers/) has stories about these most recent awards for you to like and share.
• Website: Update your website with your award winning details – use previously prepared text to make this easy. This will highlight your success with your current customers and consumers and have the greatest impact. Link the win to available publicity information about your product and company. (www.craftbutchers.co.uk)
• Staff recognition: Ensure that employees are informed of the award win as it can provide a real morale boost for staff.
• Communication: Move quickly to tell your customers, local press and other press contacts about the award win. Make it easy for the press by preparing text (you can update previously prepared text) and provide links to any updated website, this ensures the availability of reliable information.
• Build business: Target new customers and market sectors with news of the award win. This can assist in business development by creating interest with potential new customers.
• General PR: Capitalise on the generic press release provided by Scottish Craft Butchers. This will be sent to the main media including specialist food publications, daily newspapers and most local newspapers (the latter will be alerted to local winners).

It is up to you as an award winner to follow up local press leads.
If nothing appears phone them up and invite them to come and get a picture with you, your products and your award.

Image files of both your certificate and the awards roundalls can be sent to you on request.”ƒ

Getting the most out of your award

• Think carefully about what winning means. It is an independent product evaluation, a real endorsement of your product / business from an experienced panel of judges. It provides credibility and integrity regionally, nationally and internationally. It benchmarks your product / business and places your business up there with the other winners of these prestigious awards.
• It increases brand awareness and company profile – often through website activity which can raise your search engine profile.
• Build your winner status into your marketing literature including leaflets, adverts, newsletters etc.
• Enhance your packaging with your winner status using the logo and/or on-pack promotional messages such as 'Award Winning'.
• Be proactive with PR activity -think about how you communicate you're your customers and how this can be improved. Ensure that you have appropriate media quality photographs available of your product presented in a suitable format. By stimulating media interest you will then generate industry and consumer interest. PR can act as effective, unpaid advertising.
• Incorporate winning logos into company literature and customer presentations. Use the logos on business letterheads, email signatures / banners etc.
• Use the feedback from the award to increase your business's market awareness. Feedback can be thought provoking and can provide ideas for future development. It provides an opportunity to look at yourself, your product, your business processes and your markets and to focus on the future.
• Use the awards to get into new markets, attend new events, and meet potential new customers.
• If you have a number of awards (won over time) and it is appropriate for your market(s), think about creating a specific leaflet relating to award winning products. At the very least compile an 'Awards Schedule' to endorse products and to email to customers, to frame and use at local markets, display in your window etc. Think about creating a section on your website listing your awards and associated press releases, this is a useful tool for future PR. You could create a media information pack either hard copy and / or electronic on your website.
This could include the award press release, company background, appropriate photography, product or company literature, logo etc.

Past winners recommend awards because:
• They provide status and differentiate your business from the competition.
• They are invaluable for promotional literature.
• They provide product and business recognition along with brand exposure which creates interest.
• They are a useful 'conversation opener' with existing and potential customers.
• They help new product and business development.
• They are a worthwhile business process and add to business credibility.
• They are motivational for staff, helping to develop and 'grow' staff and encourage team building.
• They demonstrate a business's commitment to innovation and the development of unique
products.

Summary
• There are opportunities around every corner so make the most of them.
• Be selective but also be realistic.
• Winning an award can provide great recognition and puts your brand in the spotlight.
• Awards open doors to new business opportunities e.g. new listings.
• Stay ahead of the competition – “All the hard work has been worth it!”