Getting an external endorsement for your business by winning a business award or being shortlisted can be invaluable. A win can give potential customers a sign that your business is award winning and therefore trustworthy. It’s a great way of differentiating your company from competitors and will send out positive signals to customers. Of course, you can also porudly display your award status as a badge on your emails and website.

Simply being shortlisted for an award can help to improve brand awareness and help to promote your business to new customers. It’s a perfect opportunity to create some great social media content across all your platforms and in different formats.

Entering the business awards is a great way to think critically about your business as you write your application. You will answer questions about your strategy going forward, so this is a great time to think clearly about where you are headed. Even as a new business, this is a worthwhile exercise.

Having someone else telling you they believe in what you’re doing is always going to help, but winning an award can help boost your team’s confidence. Knowing that a business expert has taken a look at your product or service and sees the value in it, or believes it worthy of an award is enough to give you a real boost to succeed.

The business awards are judged by local business owners and experts, so being shortlisted gives you an opportunity to network with them, ask their advice and get your business ideas in front of them. At the awards ceremony, you’ll also be able to network with other winners and build relationships for the future.

Someone has to win and there’s no reason at all that it shouldn’t be you! But even if it isn’t, simply entering or being shortlisted can reap great rewards.