Awards season is underway and the same is true for the franchise industry.
Last week, Entrepreneur magazine released its acclaimed 41st annual Franchise 500 list, and we are pleased to announce that a number of our clients representing a variety of industries were included. Published annually by Entrepreneur, the Franchise 500 is a comprehensive ranking of the strongest brands in franchising from across all industries.
9Round (#139), Restoration1 (#167), School of Rock (#219), ComForCare (#352), Gold’s Gym (#427) and 12 of Neighborly’s home service franchise brands (rankings ranging from #65 – #475) all made the coveted list from a competitive pool of 1,100 applicants.
The complete 2020 Franchise 500 ranking can be found here.
Congrats to all of our clients!
You won! Now what?
So if your company is a recipient of a prestigious award, what’s the best way to maximize that recognition? Here are a few ways to leverage an award:
Press release: Start with distributing a press release to announce the recognition. This release should be sent directly to industry contacts whose audiences will have an interest in the news. If the award is especially significant (i.e., your brand topped the list), consider sending the press release out on PR Newswire to maximize SEO and obtain broader coverage.
Website: Add the logo of the award to your company’s homepage and post the press release in the company newsroom.
Social Media: Share the recognition across all your company’s social media platforms as well as via individual employee pages. If there is an awards ceremony, take and post to social media photos of brand representatives at the event or of team members holding the award in the office.
Marketing materials: Depending on the significance of the award, the logo can be included in everything from employees’ email signatures to brochures and signage.
Share external coverage: Often times the host organization of the award will do its own publicity around the latest winners. Take advantage of leveraging any of the publicity they garner by pushing it out to your own audience.
Notify important stakeholders: Whether you’re looking to convince a franchise prospect to pull the trigger on signing a new agreement, or you’re eager to secure a new investor to fund your business’s next phase of growth, make sure those potentially valuable parties are kept in the loop on all your brand’s latest accolades. The more they hear of your achievements, the more inclined they’ll be to join the fun.
Blog: And, lastly, you can do what we’re doing right here. Post a blog about the accolade.
Awards are great third-party, independent validation for a brand and should be taken advantage of appropriately to maximize the recognition your team worked so hard to earn.
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