Tell your success story in a variety of ways

Congratulations! You’ve been nominated for an industry award. This award is a great achievement. Now, the question is: How do you capitalize on this success? 

Achievements offer a great way to present your brand to a wider audience.  They give your product or service credibility. That said, you still need to merchandise your business to develop it and present it in the best possible way.  While there are many ways to tackle this, here are three strategic areas we suggest you focus on. 

Social Media:  With social media, you control the content you publish. You have the ability to post different types of content that can ultimately reach a large audience.  Make the most out of your achievement.  Start with sharing the news and making sure you take it a step further.   Post photos or videos.  Interact with customers or partners and thank them for their part in your achievement.  Always look for ways to take the story to the next level.  Remember, even though social media is a cost-effective way to reach a large audience, make sure that you aren’t “blindly posting.”  Good, valuable content still rules and your posts should remain strategic and targeted. 

News Release: News releases are another way to merchandise your business.  They allow you to share information about your company. While they are relatively easy to compose, a news release still requires strategy in crafting the release.  When writing a release, make sure all information is organized, well written, and presented in a way that attracts the attention of editors and reporters. 

Advertise: An advertisement provides one of the best ways to get your story in front of your audience.  For one, it is paid media and allows you to distribute it through whichever channels you’d like.  When it comes to advertising, the skies the limit regarding when and where to place your story.  With print ads, you can go from social media to magazines to posters to billboards. Videos offer multiple uses, from social media to YouTube to television.  There are also placements on radio, on television and then there’s a host of non-traditional venues such as apps, webinars, websites, etc.  The possibilities are endless, and working with an agency ensures that your message is creatively and strategically placed. 

Merchandising your business requires investments such as developing relationships within your industry media and with your target audience.  It also requires time to effectively tell your story and still achieve your goals.  After all, you and your team have been nominated for a great honor, it’s time to tell the story and reap the benefits of all your hard work. 

This article was written by Chris Martin and previously appeared in TEQ Magazine.