I know that many have an opinion on the veracity of dental awards but that is a debate for another day. Here, I want to purely consider them from a PR and marketing perspective. And, measured in this sense, they are tremendous! Their value to your business can be huge – https://strategiq.co/why-awards-should-be-part-of-your-2020-business-strategy/

So, how can you win and get the most out of them?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Become an Award winner!

• Which ceremony? There are a number of dental awards and they all have their own particular spin and feel. You need to decide which will suit your practice best.
• You may also consider non-dental awards – these will speak to a different audience so my advice would be to enter both. Non-dental awards are often supported by a local paper or local group and that means that good local media coverage is likely. It also means you will be considered as not ‘just a dentist’ and as a local business and dare I say it, a human being?!
• The most valuable resource that we have. A really great award entry will take some considerable time to pull together. It will require one person to take responsibility for the process and deliver a stunning entry. It’s probably not you! Delegate to your practice manager or perhaps consider an external agency?
• This really follows on from the last point. Consider the design of your entry. Make it look good; make it stand out. An entry written in Word and using ClipArt is not going to cut it in 2021.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Read the Question! It may seem an obvious point but so many practices get this wrong. Carefully consider whether the information you are conveying actually meets the brief?
• Prove it! I am sure that you have a wonderful team and practice and do it all so well. Your patients all love you! Question is, can you provide the evidence? If you can’t, you won’t win.
• So, you have submitted your entry and you have been shortlisted for say, Practice of the Year. Tell everybody about it. A press release should be written for the local media and you should be telling your Facebook page, Instagram and Twitter followers and also emailing your existing clients. As you approach the event, increase the coverage that you give to it on social media and email.
• The event. If it is for the team, take the team. I know awards are not cheap but it does not reflect well on you to be up for a team award and not take them! Make sure that you take plenty of pictures that can be posted on social media in the run up to the prize giving. If you win, again post pictures and material on to your social media. If you don’t, I would still recommend a magnanimous post in defeat.
• If you have won, tell the world! As with being shortlisted, a press release and most importantly a photo, social media, emails, patient newsletter, point of sale materials in the practice, website story and so on.
• Work with an agency that knows what they are doing. At the risk of blowing our own trumpet, we have written 42 dental award winning entries – more than anyone else, ever!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Existing patients love the fact that you have won an award as it validates their choice of you.

New patients want to go to an ‘award winning practice’ – who wouldn’t?

If you would like to work with an agency that can help you in this goal, then don’t forget that BAPD members qualify for a FREE marketing and communications audit. To find out more, please visit https://www.coronadental.co.uk/bapd-member/ or call us on 07947 470896.