Winning industry or local business awards are often considered one of the cornerstones of a successful marketing strategy. They are a great way to boost your firm’s profile, celebrate success and boost your team’s morale.
However, the awards process can be tricky, resource-intensive, and even costly.
In this blog, we look at how to be strategic when it comes to entering legal awards, share some quick tips for success and give some insight into how you can maximise being shortlisted or winning an award for your law firm.
Why Enter Legal Awards?
There are numerous benefits of entering legal awards or professional services categories at your local business awards. Some of the perks include:
- Credibility and prestige
- Showcasing your expertise
- Differentiate from your competitors
- Brand recognition
- Partnership strengthening
- Networking opportunities
- Team morale and motivation
- Positive press coverage
Make It Part of Your Overall Strategy
When considering which awards to enter, you have to ask yourself what you want to be known for and what you’re aiming to achieve.
Awards shouldn’t be entered on a whim! They should be part of your overall business strategy. If they don’t meet any of your marketing objectives, then don’t enter them.
Think about which specific areas of your business you want to highlight and choose awards that align with those goals. Do your research and find awards that are well-respected and established in your field; those with a long history or solid reputation will carry more weight. It’s also important to consider who is organising the awards, the sponsors and who else is likely to be entering the awards to ensure that everything aligns with your brand image.
For example, if your 3-year plan is to grow, find awards that showcase your firm as a great place to work. Or, if you want to focus your efforts on Family Law, for example, seek out some specialist awards or categories that will highlight your Family Team.
Additionally, consider which awards are recognised by your target audience, whether that’s clients, intermediaries, or industry influencers. Some awards may be more focused on your external reputation, while others could be aimed at internal recognition, such as awards for workplace culture, diversity, or corporate social responsibility (CSR).
Carefully consider your chances of being shortlisted. You have to be quite critical and ask yourself if you really have done enough to meet the criteria and impress the judges. It can be a good idea to select the award you want to be shortlisted for a year in advance. Study the criteria (but be aware they may change) and look at which firms are shortlisted. This gives you plenty of run-up time to improve your chances of success.
How to Write a Winning Award Entry
Award entries are much harder to write than you might think. Every award is different – some will have set questions and additional evidence to provide, and others will be more free. Writing a killer award entry takes time, resources and some creative writing skills.
Using a specialist marketing agency can help to give you a fresh pair of eyes, someone looking at your business from a different angle and providing a different perspective. There is also the added benefit of experience – our team at Consortium write multiple award entries every awards season – we have learned to know what judges look for, what works and the mistakes to avoid.
Consortium has an excellent track record for getting our legal clients shortlisted for industry awards and subsequently picking up awards.
Top 10 tips for writing a great award entry:
- Pick the right award and category
- Allow yourself plenty of time to meet the deadline
- Understand the award criteria – read it multiple times
- Include plenty of tangible evidence
- Don’t assume prior knowledge
- Be authentic and genuine – avoid AI
- Use clear and concise language
- Create impact with an engaging story
- Proofread and edit
- Use a specialist legal marketing agency
How to Maximise Being Shortlisted
Being shortlisted for an award is an achievement in itself, and there are numerous ways to maximise the impact of that recognition. It’s essential to think beyond just a text-heavy press release and consider how you can turn the shortlisting into a mini campaign. Start by showcasing case studies or success stories through social media posts to highlight your strengths. If the award is individual-based, consider interviewing the nominee and sharing a Q&A to give a personal touch to the achievement.
Visual content plays a big role in making your shortlisting stand out – use photos from the event, video snippets, and any moments captured, such as the trophy presentation if you win. Additionally, take full advantage of the branding and logos associated with the award; incorporate them into your marketing materials, email signatures, and website to further promote your recognition.
For awards related to community or employee initiatives, there may also be an opportunity for extra coverage through press releases or media outreach in your relevant sector. The key is to ensure that the shortlisting isn’t just acknowledged but actively leveraged to reinforce your brand and engage with both your audience and your employees.
Taking a table at an awards gala evening can be a great way to treat your team whilst also networking, making new connections and positioning your firm within the local community.
What Happens if You Don’t Win?
Not winning an award can feel like a setback, especially when considering the time and resources spent crafting a strong submission. With the high cost of some award entries, it can be easy to think that it’s a “win or nothing” scenario. Even if you do not secure a podium place, there are still valuable takeaways.
To make the most of your effort, try to focus on the benefits of being shortlisted or even just submitting. Use real-life examples and case studies from your submission to highlight your successes. These can be used on your social media or your website. You can also create engaging visuals, such as Q&A videos.
If someone on your team is skilled at social media, they can do live updates, sharing the excitement and building engagement as the ceremony unfolds. And remember, it’s always a good look to publicly congratulate other winners, even if just in a lighthearted way – it shows sportsmanship and keeps your brand visible in a positive light.
Make the most of the research you have pulled together and use snippets of your entry in your website content or social media. Can you create a case study from some of the feedback you received from clients or team members?
Review your entry, critique it and try to gain some feedback from the organisers if you can. Review the reasons why the winning firm took home the crown. Is there something they are doing that you can learn from?
Don’t be disheartened. You can reuse and recycle your entry for other awards, and if it was your first attempt, you now have a template and a great starting point to work from. It’s not time wasted.
Final Thoughts
Awards can be a powerful tool for elevating your firm’s reputation, showcasing your expertise, and building strong relationships with clients, employees, and industry peers. However, to truly make the most of an award, it’s important to think beyond just the announcement and integrate it into a broader marketing strategy.
Whether you win or simply get shortlisted, remember that the process of entering awards is an ongoing opportunity to raise your profile, foster engagement, and ultimately strengthen your firm’s brand.
For help with your award submissions this year, please get in touch with us today! You can find a list of awards in the legal sector here.