be ready to nominate yourself.
by sandi leyva
the complete guide to marketing for tax & accounting firms
winning an award brings free publicity and builds reputation and credibility all at the same time. you can win awards for writing articles in accounting magazines, be named to a top 100 most influential people in accounting list, earn your way onto the top 100 fastest-growing accounting firms, win the local volunteer of the year award, and many more.
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the top sources for tapping into accounting awards and contests include:
- professional associations such as aicpa and aaa – innovation awards, member of the year and more
- business magazines such as the city business journals – cfo of the year list, ones to watch
- trade magazines such as accounting today and management accounting – best articles and most influential leaders of the profession
- educational institutions – best instructor
- nonprofit organizations – community awards
- chamber of commerce – leadership awards
tip: awards are a great way to get a third-party endorsement.
you can also search online for awards sites and contests. here are some we know about:
- small business influencer awards: http://influencers.smallbiztrends.com/
- the stevie awards (requires an entry fee): http://www.stevieawards.com/
- the webby awards for websites: http://www.webbyawards.com/
- the apex awards for newsletters: http://www.apexawards.com/
- big awards (requires a big entry fee!): http://bigawards.org/
keep a list, and as you see them, add them to your list. you’ll want to track deadlines for submitting your entries as most of these contests are only held once a year.
you must enter to win!
one of the biggest secrets in awards circles is that no one is just going to nominate you out of the blue these days. you have to enter yourself to win. many people have pr teams that do that, but as a small business owner, it’s perfectly ok to nominate yourself. it may be a little uncomfortable at first, but the saying is trite but true – if you don’t toot your own horn, no one else will.
most of these contests require that you write up a few paragraphs about your passion or purpose so that people can see what makes you tick. many of them take online entries, so entering is really easy. just a few of them charge to enter.