Monthly Archives: June 2015

The Value of Awards Programs

cupWe’re excited to see that so many of the contests using BetterBNC are growing and thriving.  With our online platform, the contest process is easier than ever before which means more people are entering and it’s easier to recruit judges.

In a post in the fall, we released the results of a poll we conducted which explored the value of journalism, media and PR awards programs.

  1. The majority of those polled indicated that awards programs and recognition provide member news and PR organizations with a marketing opportunity to differentiate themselves from competitors.
  2. Contests provide individuals with recognition that can help them advance their careers.
  3. Respondents also indicated that they believe the spirit of competition improves the overall news or PR product.  (Here’s a great blog on how student contests lead to better news stories)
  4. Ultimately, contests can increase involvement, membership and awareness of the sponsoring organization.

In an article in The Tallassee Tribune this week announcing the winners of the Alabama Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest, Shannon Elliott with Tallapoosa Publishers, Inc. wrote about the value of the awards to her newspaper group.

We are constantly evaluating our work and looking for new, innovative ways to bring the news to our readers and a solid response to our advertisers.  Winning these awards confirms we are among the best in the state and we will continue to find ways to improve through our editorial products and by providing new and exciting avenues for our advertisers to get their message across.

Contests provide newspapers with an advertising edge and individual contestants with a way to differentiate them from their peers.  When executed well, contests will see the number of participants increase and for many organizations that translates to a larger and more active membership.  (Click here to read more about OCPRA which has experienced 15-20% growth.)

The summer is a great time to move a contest to a new platform.  Take a look and see if BetterBNC can improve your contest experience.  Email karen@smalltownpapers.com to schedule a complimentary demo today.

5 Reasons to Move Your Contest to BetterBNC

  1. top5Just for Media & PR:  BetterBNC has been designed specifically for journalism, media and public relations contests.  BetterBNC is NOT a generic platform that has to be customized for media and PR awards programs.
  2. Training & Support:  BetterBNC includes all training and support in its base price – you never get a bill at the end of the year for support.  Our tech team is responsive and works with customers to ensure contest success.
  3. Easy Judging:  Judges prefer BetterBNC for its ease of use and intuitive interface.  We receive inquiries every week which are the result of judges’ recommendations.
  4. Customized Homepage:  BetterBNC allows you to create a customized contest homepage hosted by BetterBNC at no additional charge.  You can use an easy page builder to create the page or build it from scratch.
  5. Marketing Manager:  BetterBNC has a feature allowing the contest administrator to email contestants and judges conveniently from the administrator dashboard.

After you’ve presented your awards, wrapped up your conference or convention, it’s a great time to give BetterBNC a call, schedule a complimentary demo and see if BetterBNC can improve your contest experience for the coming year.  Email karen@smalltownpapers.com to schedule a demo and learn more about the platform.

When you sign on to BetterBNC, we build your contest and conduct a training for your team so you’re ready to go whenever your call for entries goes out.   Contact us today to get started.

Streamline and Simplify Your Contest

simpleIn working with the numerous organizations currently using the BetterBNC platform for their awards program, we’ve found that even those resistant at first have discovered great success after streamlining and simplifying their contest.

Many have come into BetterBNC with cumbersome judging structures or entry fee schedules and rates, among other things.  For some contests, particularly those large awards programs, the structure is absolutely necessary and works beautifully.  With others, we often hear it described as very simply,  “just the way we’ve always done it.”

As it may require customization to accommodate these structures, BetterBNC encourages organizations to take a fresh look and see if it’s possible to simplify things to make it easier and more efficient for everyone involved and save costs.

When it is possible, the big winners are the contest participants including the judges who have a simple, intuitive and straightforward approach to evaluating entries.  As well, contestants report that the time required to make entries has been reduced and the process is more clear.

Change can be difficult but it’s only for that first year.  We haven’t had a contest administrator yet tell us they prefer the more cumbersome approach.  What we hear frequently is that simplifying the process has resulted in more contestants and an easier time recruiting judges.   When an organization’s awards program is growing and thriving – everyone wins.

Your judges want an easier way to evaluate entries.

computerWe had a great call with an organization looking at BetterBNC this week.  They were referred to us by one of their contest judges who said they needed to find a better way to run their contest – especially for the judges.

The judge had used BetterBNC to judge another contest and gave the platform a strong endorsement saying it would alleviate so many of the issues that existed.  We hear this often.  BetterBNC has worked hard to ensure a smooth and efficient process for everyone involved – particularly judges who donate their time and expertise to the awards program.

The organization was surprised to learn that moving to BetterBNC was an easy and affordable process.  Step one is to set up a demo to learn how the platform can streamline the contest process. BetterBNC builds the contest for organizations so it’s ready to go when you’re ready to issue your call for entries.  The administrator can make any needed changes through the intuitive dashboard and all training and support for the year is included – no surprise charges for customer and tech support.

Take a look at BetterBNC – set up your complimentary demo today. Email karen@smalltownpapers.com for details.