How to Navigate Agency Awards

Almost every industry is propped up by another. 

I’ll bet your agency relies on the success and growth of healthcare, CPG, finance, automotive, or some other similarly sized industries. That reliance is one of the risks of specificity (a worthwhile risk to take in my book). 

You may not realize it, but agencies themselves prop up another field. 

The awards industry. 

There are quite literally thousands of agency awards that exist simply because agencies do. Each one of them makes their money by charging hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars for the honor of recognizing you. 

Here are a few of the “coveted” categories: 

• Best Use of TikTok 

• Best Social Media Community Management

• Best Flexible Working Policy

• Most Creative Use of Budget

Best Flexible Working Policy aside, there are legitimate awards out there that have a great judging process, are a fantastic way to promote your agency, and are genuinely trying to highlight incredible work. 

But for every one of those, there are about four cash-grabbing awards that aren’t worth the tax on the submission fee. 

Four Questions to Ask Before Submitting for an Award

Have you heard of the award before?

There isn’t much value in being an early adopter of an award. The point is to be recognized and known. If you haven’t heard of an award, don’t submit for it. If you keep hearing about it year after year, do some research and see if it may be a fit for you. 

Does it feel prestigious enough that you would tell current clients you won the award?

Again, the point of an award is to be recognized and known. Winning an award is a big deal and should be treated as such. Post your win on LinkedIn, let your clients know that you won, and throw a party to celebrate. If winning the award isn’t something you would share with your biggest client or result in a team-wide celebration, it probably isn’t prestigious enough for you. 

Is there clear criteria for the award? 

If you do end up submitting for an award, you want to make sure it’s going to be a fair competition. Take the time to understand how your work will be evaluated and only submit for awards that clearly outline what they value and how they conduct evaluations. 

Do they have at least 2-3x the LinkedIn followers as my firm? 

Awards are a new business tool. Winning them in a vacuum means nothing and they seldom come with a cash prize. The prize is the PR that comes from the victory. The awarding organization should have a strong LinkedIn presence (at least 2-3x the followers your agency has) and plans to promote their award recipients to make a victory and subsequent promotion worthwhile. 

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I don’t have many suggestions for actually winning these awards. Doing good work and following the submission instructions are probably a good place to start.

However, existing in an interdependent business ecosystem means we can have an impact on the industries that count on our business. Ask yourself these questions honestly and let’s reward the players who are doing things the right way.