The OpenWater Blog

5 Feelings You Have When Planning Your Awards Marketing Strategy

Marketing is important, especially for your awards program. In fact, one of the biggest tasks in getting your program up and running is the marketing. In order to have a successful program, it’s crucial to get the word out by finding, appealing to, and engaging with past and potential awards entrants.

And on top of the importance of marketing, it can also be really fun (as a marketer, I may be a little biased here). It’s exciting to find and execute new marketing ideas, engage with those in your industry, and watch how all your efforts play out.

That being said, awards marketing can also be stressful. To be honest it can sometimes feel like you’re on a roller coaster of emotions.

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I’m so prepared for this awards season! Wait, will I get everything done before the call for entry? It’s cool, I got this. But is this twitter ad really going to hit home? What about the awards website?…

Awards marketers, this one’s for you. Here are five feelings we’ve all had when planning our awards marketing strategy.

1. Excitement

Here’s something most marketers can agree on: marketing is pretty fun. And when it comes time to start marketing your awards, you’re full of fresh and new ideas based on things you’ve seen in your industry and from your work analyzing your success from last year. You can’t wait to get started!

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Tip: don’t get too caught up in the glow of fresh, new marketing ideas. Remember to take some time to build your content calendar and create a budget.

2. Stress

Marketing your awards program can be stressful at times: so many different avenues to take and so little time! And, if you’re like many awards admins, you’re working on marketing on top of other duties related to planning and executing your awards program.

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Tip: One way to make things easier is to devote some time to planning everything out. This will help you get organized and save time down the road. Check out our Social Media toolkit to help you get started!

3. Confidence

You’ve got this. You’ve planned everything out and are within your budgetary limits. Your strategy is ready to go and full of fun, interesting, and innovate ideas. Let’s do this!

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4. Uncertainty

You’ve read some articles about how the press release is dead, so should you bother with one this year? How much of your budget should go to advertising? Is your awards website in need of some sprucing up? There are always some questions that crop up when you’re planning your strategy and that’s ok!

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Tip: Instead of letting your questions lead to stress, check out these 10 FAQs about awards marketing to help you out.

5. Pride

You did it! It’s a great feeling seeing people engaging with your organization and watching the submissions roll in. Good job, you! Time to sit back and relax (and then begin planning for next year).

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Check out our Awards Marketing Bible to help ensure next awards season’s marekting strategy is better than ever!

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What have your experiences been like marketing your awards? Let us know in the comments!

Miriam Hancock

Miriam Hancock
Miriam is the Marketing Coordinator for OpenWater. When she isn't writing and designing content she paints and cooks for her own personal blog.

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