WHY NOMINATE FOR THE MARITIME STANDARD AWARDS?

Go for quality – Being recognised by The Maritime Standard with an award raises your profile as a high quality product or service provider and makes your business stand out in a big way.

Reinforce corporate direction – Winning an award can help strengthen your corporate strategy. Whether your business is just starting up or well established, The Maritime Standard Awards can benefit you.

Industry specific awards – If your business is targeting a niche sector within the shipping and maritime industry, nominating for a TMS Award is a smart choice as it will highlight your expertise in this sector.

Focus on your strengths – To give your business a better chance of winning, make sure you only focus on awards that relate to your strengths. The TMS Awards has 21 categories, so you can choose the category which best suits your business.

Think local – The TMS Awards are specific to your region. As a result winning or being shortlisted will mean more to your local customers.

Learn from your competitors – If your competitors have been nominating and/or winning an Award, that is reason enough for you to be nominating your business too. This will especially help to demonstrate your competitive edge.

Focus on the customer – Remember your potential clients have a choice. Even if you are the best, you can’t stand out just by telling others that you are. Having an impartial award bestowed upon your company may be the ultimate differentiator in the eyes of a prospective client.

The most important consideration is this: Make sure you nominate! Once you’ve submitted the nomination, ensure you monitor progress by signing up for e-mail updates so you know when the finalists and winners are announced.

REWARDS OF AWARDS

Get a competitive edge – An award shows customers that you are better than your competitors. Awards offer the benefits of increased awareness, third-party validation and establish market leadership. Using the Awards as a sales tool can be bonus for your account executives.

Build credibility – Winning an Award will encourage prospective clients to take you seriously even before they dig deeper into your company’s background. Awards and winners are generally well covered by the media which further enhances your credibility and provides third-party endorsement.

Grow your business – The Awards will help you land new business because your company has received a stamp of approval from a well respected and independent third party.

Boost morale – Winning an award boosts employee morale and improves retention, giving workers something to be proud of. Employees like to feel part of a recognised team, and validation from a recognised independent panel of judges can have more impact than internal recognition.

Attract talent – Winning a TMS Award can help attract and land top quality candidates who want to be part of a winning team.

Free publicity – Winning a TMS Award can be a valuable weapon in your marketing arsenal. The free publicity an award-winning company receives can result in more business, increasing your visibility in a crowded marketplace.

It’s easy to nominate your company for an Award in one or several categories.
Send in a nomination for your company in any of this year’s categories based on your eligibility for a chance to win one of the highest honours in the maritime industry. Nominate now!

In addition to the obvious thrill of winning, being nominated and shortlisted as a finalist has numerous benefits that directly relate to the company’s overall goals and profitability.

As a finalist or winner, here are some of the ways you can promote your business:

1.    Flash the Badge: Use The Maritime Standard Award Finalist or Winner badge on your website, brochures and other marketing materials, and business cards. Show the badge off at trade and consumer shows and in all your marketing.

2.    Social Media: Announce your shortlisted finalist or winner status through your social media channels. Tag #TMSAwards when you do and we’ll “like” and share your posts.

3.    Run a PR campaign: What better time to get in touch with the media than after winning an award? You will not only gain recognition for your success, but it will project your business to the front of the queue when they are looking for an expert in your category.

4.    Display your award: Showcase your trophy or finalist certificate in a prominent place so that employees and customers see them on a daily basis.

5.    Close the sale – Inform your sales and customer service team about being shortlisted as finalists or winning an Award, so they can use it to earn the confidence of existing and potential clients.