In it to win it – four tips for taking home IT and security industry awards
Winning an industry award is a great way to stand out from the competition, particularly in a market as crowded as cyber security.
Having confirmation from leading third parties that you’re in the top of your field is excellent ammo for sales conversations with prospects, and the presence of logos like the SC Awards and UK IT Awards are a nice feather in the cap for any marketing material.
And besides, who doesn’t like a little ego boost every so often?
But bringing home the gold is easier said than done. If an award is worth winning (and not just a case of pay-to-win) then you’re going to face some stiff competition from the best and brightest in the industry.
The Code Red Comms team has been entering our clients into the top business awards for years, and we’ve developed a strong sense of what makes a winner.
Case in point, 14 of the award entries we drafted for our clients made it to the shortlist for the upcoming SC Europe Awards 2022,one of the most prestigious cybersecurity recognitions. We’re confident that a lot of those finalists will come out on top by the end of the awards night on the 21st of June.
Here are four tips to securing a win:
Don’t claim to be a leader, prove it
So you think you’re the leader in MDR/cloud security/incident response/whatever your chosen field is? Well so does everyone competing against you.
To really stand out and have a chance at winning, you need to do more than talk the talk.
The best way to do this is with tangible proof. If you’re claiming your solution blocks malware, back it up with stats on how swift and reliably it does its work. If you’re talking about how fast the company is expanding, come armed with some sales and market share figures.
Whatever you do, stay clear of empty marketing fluff and overly aggressive sales hype. If you make a claim, make sure you can back it up.
And remember, the judges are usually under NDA, so anything you share will be for their eyes only.
Get some references in your corner
If you say you’re the best, that’s bragging. If someone else says you’re the best, that’s a ringing endorsement that will catch the judges’ attention.
Including testimonials from partners and clients will make all the difference in the credibility of your award entries – and indeed some awards require references as part of their entry criteria.
The kind of reference you want will vary based on the award and category. If you want to win a security solution or service-based SC Awards category, a testimony from a happy customer will work wonders. If you’re angling for Security Vendor the Year in the CRN awards, it’ll be endorsements from your channel partners.
Quotes from industry analysts about the strength of your solution or service can also work well for a variety of awards, as can commendations from other bodies you’ve worked with.
Make an impact
You’ve got stats, you’ve got support from third parties. Now it’s time to polish that copy until it shines.
The judges will see hundreds of entries, so your copy needs to be eloquent, dynamic, and interesting to read.
This is where Code Red Comms comes in. Our team knows how to take the statistics, testimonials, and any other evidence of your greatness, and present in a clear and compelling way for the judges.
Go the extra mile
Content is ultimately what will win the award for you, but presentation can help your entry to stand out.
If the award allows you to be more creative with the format, it’s always worth taking the opportunity.
PDFs are the most common option, giving you the chance to design elements such as branded graphics for statistics. A short video can also be very effective, enabling your spokesperson to deliver your key messages or a customer to provide compelling testimony in a more engaging way.
While we wait for the SC Awards results next week, we’re also hard at work on entries for the upcoming CRN Sales & Marketing and UK IT Industry Awards, both of which close for entries on 1st July.
If you’re eying up one of these two awards, or any others coming up this year and beyond, why not get in touch and see how we can help?
