If you’ve made it to the shortlist as a Merton Best Business Awards 2019 finalist then huge congratulations. With 150 entries this year – a record number in history of the awards – you have been selected from the cream of the crop across the borough. With such stiff competition, it really is an amazing achievement to have made it this far.
With the winners to be announced at the glittering awards dinner on the 26 September at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, there are still a few weeks to go until you’ll find out if your business has made it the top spot. However, that doesn’t mean you should rest on your laurels.
Being a finalist is a huge achievement and one you should be shouting about. So, what can you do to make sure you generate as much noise and publicity as possible to really shine the spotlight on your business?
Use social media
Utilise all your social media channels to share your good news! By focusing all the positive aspects of your business, this is a chance to share with your followers why you’ve been shortlisted. Showcase your best products, staff members, customer reviews. Schedule a social media campaign and take amazing photos and snapshots of your business to gain maximum visibility. In this way you’ll drive much more traffic to your website and social media platforms and gain new fans.
Don’t forget to #MertonBest too, so we can also help share your content! (we are on Instagram too @MertonBest).
Get in touch with the local press
The local press love nothing better than feel-good stories from the local community. Send out a press release to local papers, magazines or even get in touch with local radio stations to really shout about your nomination.
Tell all your customers to spread the news
Word of mouth plays a vital role in making sure businesses are successful. Send out a newsletter to all your customers thanking them for their support. And ask them to spread the word. Or even better - tell them face to face and ask them personally to share and engage with any of your social media posts. There’s nothing better than good conversation!
Last year’s finalists share below how making it to the shortlist really helped their business…
How did the lead up to the awards benefit your business? What did you do to promote that you were an awards finalists?
“Having been a previous winner, this year we knew how to capitalise on our nominations much better. We put out press releases to industry publications and local press to highlight our selection as finalists. Our social accounts were also an excellent way to highlight this fact. These in particular bred a mass response of well-wishes and congratulations.”
How did the lead up to the awards benefit your business? What did you do to promote that you were an awards finalist?
“The lead up to the awards was extremely effective in helping to bond our team. All members of staff were excited at the prospect of receiving recognition. A real motivator and ensured the team all felt valued. We used social media, especially Twitter, as a means of communicating our entry and then to communicate our success.”
We hope these suggestions will help you make the most out of your Merton Best Business Awards nomination. Wishing you all the best of luck!
Time & Leisure are proud to be chosen as Media Partner of the Merton Best Business Awards for the seventh year running.