How to start winning the credentials and awards your company needs to build brand reputation

January 14, 2009

Copyright © 2009 PRSA. All rights reserved.

By Jim Senior

This article appeared in the January issue of Tactics.

What’s a credential? It can be an award or certification from a prestigious professional organization, an article in the top-tier press, a review of a new product by a respected industry analyst. It’s third-party validation — a chance to differentiate yourself from the rest of your competition. 

While it’s no magic bullet to build your brand, it’s one of many initiatives available to diversify the information streams of PR strategy and marketing efforts that can create positive buzz. 

Having been the Computerworld Honors delegate for Unisys Corporation for more than a decade and contributing to more than 40 awards and credentials for clients in that global program and others, I believe that credentialing is taking off like never before. The beauty of it is the symbiotic relationship between the credentialer and credentialee.

Companies can receive credentials and awards in everything from the best places to work to Green IT (information technology). The credential and awards industry requires an increasing flow of nominations and submissions to grow business, which includes selling advertising, and staging galas, banquets and conferences where business leaders exchange ideas and credentials are awarded.

Corporate credentials are key in supporting the company résumé with third-party validation to bolster benchmarking against the competition and add a proof statement for your brand. This can generate pizzazz in a major customer proposal or product introduction. It can also fortify a press release or a pitch to targeted media.

Companies are looking to their marketing departments, PR professionals and external PR firms to help them build strong credentials. Here are five key lessons I’ve learned:

1. Form a team to succeed
It’s the team dynamic that makes credentialing successful and helps build brand.

Keep your team small and focused on credentials that support key products. Learn how your company makes money, and know its hot products, core competencies, value proposition and business model. Do the research to identify what credentials your sales and marketing people want. Then establish a strategy with your marketing/PR team to obtain financial support.

Identify five to 10 coveted credentials that would strengthen your public image. Ask your team what would be at the top of its credential wish list. For a bank, this might be a positive feature article in American Banker magazine or The Economist. For a computer company, it might be a glowing report from the Gartner Group. For a car manufacturer, maybe it’s a positive review in Consumer Reports. Such credentials will help strengthen your brand for prospective and current customers.

2. Write relevant, fact-based nominations
Whether you’re nominating a customer or your company, confirm that the nominee genuinely covets the honor. Take it a step further; make sure the submission complements other customer communications initiatives under way and is supported by compelling facts and metrics. For example, if you are recommending a customer for a high-tech breakthrough business solution that your company helped deliver, confirm that the client wants a high-tech public image so that winning the tech award validates his market positioning. Your sales team should be able to tell you how relevant the award is to the client.

In fact, begin with your salesperson or team that works with the client. Only then will you get a true assessment of whether or not the timing is right.  Also, consider your sales team and the client’s team as the stars of their customer’s achievement. You want your sales representative to be at the awards event and bond with the client, strengthening the business relationship.

3.  Avoid the puff piece credentials
Industry insiders have the best handle on the major credentials.  As you study our industry and read about who is winning what credentials, it becomes clear which ones are puff pieces and which ones are worth pursuing. Like speaker placement, you must learn the best venues for your client to shine.  Ask industry-savvy people about the key credentials.  Avoid awards programs that look like campaigns to drum up business. Seek the tough competitions that offer the potential for attention-getting recognition over your competitors. Think of credentials that would make great ad copy to support claims.

4. Leverage your credentials to build brand recognition
Make the credentials visible to justify the cost, time and effort it took to attain them. Track how often someone mentions them and how many times you actually reference them. Publish a scorecard of your qualifications in the “did you know” or “fantastic facts” section of your external and internal company Web sites. Make sure the references are included in your quarterly business briefings that are sent to sales people for their customers. Use them in bios of company thought leaders and to inform industry press and recognized professional societies. For example, in the info tech field, these might include the Society for Information Management, IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.) or CIO Magazine. Establish a strong professional relationship with your A+ credentialers. Read their submission requirements carefully and review the past winners’ descriptions. Dig to create that attention-getting, fact-based nominating submission that attracts the judge’s attention — amid many dull, vague entries — by backing up assertions of success with the clear metrics to prove them.

You will also want to broadcast your successes to your key stakeholders including potential and current customers, investors, senior management team, industry groups and employees who are proud to tell people about the awards won by their company — and even prouder when they have made a contribution to obtaining a credential.  

5. Align credentials with your go-to-market strategy
When you present your corporate overview of who you are and the strengths you possess, it’s time to break out your top credentials. Work with your management team to use them in external speeches, and showcase stories of happy customers and the ways they use your products and services. Successful business leaders love to have a pack of fresh proof statements to reinforce their company brand. Executive decision makers want positive examples of what others have said about your brand.

As the saying goes, “People love to buy, but they hate to be sold.” Customers look to many indicators to support their buying decisions.  And credentialing lets you create a reference store of proof statements while learning more about the exciting industry that you serve.

Jim Senior has managed information technology communications for Unisys Corporation for more than 12 years. He was formerly director of marketing literature and creative promotions for Sperry Corporation. E-mail:  jbsenior@gmail.com.

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