What Happens If You Commit the 7 Deadly Sins of Awards
A well run awards program can provide countless benefits to your organization: more members or customers, increased publicity, and heightened prestige and influence in your industry.
But getting there isn’t always so easy. Implementing and running an awards program is a big project that can take a lot of time and effort. And sometimes in the flurry of planning and preparation (and the resulting exhaustion) some tasks can slip through the cracks.
While it may not seem like such a big deal, forgetting or ignoring some of these tasks can have dire consequences for your program. In fact, there are seven that we think are so bad we’ve labeled them the Deadly Sins of Awards.
What are they and why are they so bad? Keep reading to find out!
Deadly Sin 1: Just winging it
If you decide to wing it, everything you do will become completely unfocused and disorganized. What are the goals of your program? What are you hoping to achieve this year? How are you going to get the word out? How are you going to pay for anything?
By winging it, you obviously have no opportunity to prepare. This will make it harder for your process to be successful and nearly impossible to run smoothly and efficiently.
Deadly Sin 2: Not setting a budget
Do I really need to explain why you really really need a budget? Costs add up quickly, particularly when you consider how much it will cost to pay staff and judges, run advertising, invest in software to track submissions, fund an awards gala, and produce the awards themselves.
You don’t want to be in the hole at the end of your program. Instead, avoid this deadly sin and simply take the time to consider and plan for your expenses before spending a penny.
Deadly Sin 3: Disregarding timing
If you don’t ensure that your awards ceremony doesn’t conflict with a holiday or another big industry event no one will show up. Poor timing (not just for your ceremony) could also negatively impact submission rates. So take that little bit of extra time and map out the timeline for your program. You’ll be happy you did later on.
Deadly Sin 4: Not keeping up with your program
After you get all your planning and preparation done and open your call for entry your work still isn’t done. Setting things in motion and taking a step back is not an option for successful programs. Without nurturing your contacts and continuing concentrated marketing efforts throughout your program it’s so much harder to get people’s attention to apply, not mention getting them to remember to apply.
Deadly Sin 5: Deciding not to categorize your awards properly
If you don’t break up your program into different categories, how will people know where to apply? Having categories that are too broad is confusing and will bring conflicting types of entries. Conversely, having too many categories will be confusing for entrants, causing them to abandon their entry, place themselves in the wrong category, or apply to multiple categories.
Either way you could end up in an unpleasant quagmire.
Deadly Sin 6: Not associating your awards with your organization’s brand
Some organizations make the mistake thinking that their awards are separate from their organization. But that kind of thinking is silly. Awards are a great promotional vehicle for your organization and by not tying the two together you’re missing out on some valuable marketing options that could build the prestige of your organization.
Deadly Sin 7: Assuming you don’t need a system in place to help manage your program
With all there is to do with your awards finding a system to help manage things is important. Some people think cobbling together a bunch of systems (like an upload systems, spreadsheets, and email) can take care of what they need. But, since these things are made to work together it can easily cause things to get complicated and disorganized, making your job more difficult than before.
However, a system that combines all elements of an awards program into one space, like awards software, can help streamline the process and take care of some of the most time consuming and pesky tasks.
Even in the midst of getting your program up and running, it’s important to keep an eye out for these sneaky mistakes. But, now that you know these seven sins they don’t have to trip you up ever again! To learn more about them and how to avoid them, download our guide!
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