Do awards matter?

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BlueSky recently received two 2010 IABC Ovation Awards. A proud moment, yes, and a rare moment to reflect on our good work. Yet in the marketing and PR world, these awards are a dime a dozen, each with different criteria and credibility, punctuated with subjective evaluations of hard business results. Do awards matter?

Aside from having a lovely plaque for our wall and statue for our reception area, was the submission worth the ‘ka-zillion’ hours of work? If securing new business is the primary objective, then I would say no. If gaining company profile is the objective, again, I would say no. But I’ve come to one conclusion: the submission process offers a tremendous opportunity to self-evaluate. Is the work we are doing for clients meaningful? Do we help their businesses?

I can confirm with a resounding YES: our work has tremendous value, and that reminder has been very rewarding. The process forced us to lay out all our program objectives and assess whether they were met. Now we have a strong case study demonstrating our skills and the potential of creative, well-executed PR, and our client has results to show for their investment.

Gathering and evaluating the business results also enhanced our client relationship. We now have specific, even more meaningful metrics moving forward and were able to document business benefits in areas we could not have foreseen.

The submission process has also forced us to improve upon our PR plans, going the extra mile to ensure our communications tactics are driving the client’s business. It has also given us an insider’s glimpse of our client’s business – a new level of understanding that allows us to deliver even more and better results.

Will I invest in more award submissions? Absolutely. While the plaque and statue are nice mementos of our accomplishments (not to mention the enhancements to the office decor!) the impact on our creativity, strategic capabilities, client relationship, and business as a whole, has been exceptional. As for the quality of our work, we continue to raise the bar.

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Content Development

Effective, creative content is at the core of what we do. From B2B and B2C, our expertise spans article writing and storytelling, editorial planning, key messaging, video production and more. And we help ensure that your content gets seen. We amplify your brand’s story through an integrated, custom content strategy across digital, print, social and broadcast channels. We maximize owned, earned and paid media to amplify your message, making sure it gets in front of the right audience to drive the results you want.

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Corporate Communications

An integral part of any business, your brand reputation and corporate communication sets the tone with the public, your clients, employees and stakeholders – and we make sure you get the tone right. BlueSky helps you understand what matters to your audiences – both external and internal – and develops meaningful programs that resonate. We help clients with crisis and issues management, employee and executive communications, community relations and corporate social responsibility (CSR). Whether it’s a workplace fundraiser event, an annual report, infographics, HR video or speechwriting, we help you share your message with relevant stakeholders.

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Social Media

Social media demands an always on, two-way communication, transparency, and authentic interaction. More importantly, it demands strategy. We’ve managed social communities, developed social media guidelines and created engaging, impactful content, whether a short Instagram caption or long-form executive-published posts on LinkedIn. Through social listening tools and insights, we can make sure you’re talking about what matters most to your audience, and that your online and traditional PR efforts are integrated seamlessly and effectively.

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Public Affairs & Advocacy

Our in-depth experience providing integrated government relations, public affairs and strategic communications tailored to your needs helps our clients navigate the public policy process in order to successfully achieve central objectives. We work with you to better position your priorities within the current political landscape to ensure you’re able to gain the ear of key decision-makers and reach your goals.

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Influencer Marketing

When it comes to social influencers it’s not about who has the biggest audience, but about engagement, trust and authentic connection. We leverage valued relationships with nano- to celebrity-level creators, working collaboratively to ensure they deliver quality content that resonates with your target audience and is on-point with your brand messaging. Our winning formula requires a thoughtful approach that combines the right people, the right content and the right distribution to maximize engagement and drive impact at scale. You’ll see the results in our campaign evaluations – supported by numbers that exceed industry average performance.

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Media Relations & Media Training

In an environment that is increasingly pay-to-play, earned media remains the holy grail of coverage for brand credibility. Over the years we’ve developed solid relationships with traditional and online media, and we know the elements of success for securing interest from trusted journalists at top-notch publications. We excel at crafting tailored, compelling stories that help keep your brand top-of-mind across print, broadcast and digital channels. You’ll see the results through our media measurement and reporting and assess your share of voice (SOV) among competitors.

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