Should you Leverage Industry Awards in your Small Business Marketing Strategy?

NEW YORK, Oct. 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- For a budget-conscious small business, incorporating industry awards into your marketing program is an inexpensive way to stand out from the competition. Winning industry awards provides a unique opportunity for businesses to boost brand awareness, increase store or site traffic and enhance your credibility as a business. The award application process shouldn't be daunting and can require minimal effort. To streamline your award application process:

• Research.  Spend a fair amount of time researching specific industry-related award opportunities and be sure to expand the search to local levels as well. Look into your chamber of commerce, local business development authority and local chapters of professional organizations for additional award opportunities.
• Eligibility requirements. Before you spend a significant amount of time applying for awards, ensure you understand the entry eligibility requirements first. Is there an application fee? Is membership required?
• Attainable deadline.  If you want to provide a quality submission, find opportunities that provide you with enough time to plan out your entry in advance. 

For further discussion on the two remaining tips to help you identify and apply to industry awards, read the latest PR Toolkit post here: http://bit.ly/1LpOu8n.

PR Newswire's Small Business PR Toolkit is a comprehensive resource that provides small businesses and entrepreneurs the tools to develop an affordable public relations and marketing plan that helps generate interest from potential customers, engage with key audiences and grow their businesses. The toolkit features relevant content such as informative white papers, interactive webinars and how-to articles and premium access to educational resources, as well as the opportunity to take advantage of special offers designed specifically for small businesses. To request information on how PR Newswire can help your small business, click here. You can receive updates on new Small Business PR Toolkit content by following @prnsmallbiz on Twitter.

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