Monthly Archives: October 2015

Helping you improve your contest experience.

BetterBNC has won customer praise for our commitment to customer satisfaction.  The team encourages and, more importantly, listens to suggestions from our customers every day.  Many of those suggestions are now popular features in our base platform.

With our contest platform uniquely designed specifically for print and broadcast journalism, creative and public relations contests, it’s important that we maintain an open dialog with those using the platform. We learn from contest administrators, judges and contestants about the unique features needed for their specific contests.

Understanding how frustrated judges can get when they use a platform where they have to download dozens of large file entries helped us design our own program which uses links and third party sites such as RealView to house large entries and make them easy and fast for judges to review and evaluate.

Contest admins wanted a quick way to house all of their contest information and the idea for customized homepages was born. It is now a feature which comes with sign up or your renewal (at no additional charge) and is being used by most of our contest administrators.

And we heard prospective customers loud and clear when they told us that they don’t like getting a bill at the end of the month or year for their training and support.  At BetterBNC, all training and support is INCLUDED in your base price – you NEVER get an extra charge for training and support. We’re here around the clock to ensure your contest is a success!

Our door is open, our ears are listening – we encourage feedback so contact us and let us know about your contest. What are people saying?  What features would you like to see in the future?  Know of an organization which would benefit from moving their contest to BetterBNC?  Let us know and we’ll reach out to them.

A look at one of the first contests to use BetterBNC.

WNPA_logo_COLOR_1-300x122Some of our BetterBNC team members were delighted to be able to attend the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association (WNPA) meeting in Everett, Washington last week.  It was a chance to see just how far one of the very first organizations to use BetterBNC has come with regard to its awards program.

Judged by the Kansas Press Association, WNPA had strong participation with nearly 60 newspapers uploading entries.  There were 373 advertising, 160 special sections, 1,076 news, 349 photography, 31 web, and 45 general excellence entries.

WNPA puts together a great contest showpiece which is available on their website.  You can click here to take a look, learn about their awards program and check out the winners.  Congratulations to WNPA and all those who participated in their 2015 Better Newspaper Contest!

 

Why our customers say BetterBNC is better.

What sets BetterBNC apart from other platforms?  Customers who have come to BetterBNC from other platforms are quick to share their observations.

First, and what we hear most frequently, is that our customers appreciate that all training and support is included in our base price.  There is no bill at the end of the year for training and support.  They tell us an additional plus is the fact that our support is provided by our Tech Team out of our Washington state office which monitors support requests around the clock.

The second thing we hear most often is that contest administrators like that the platform was built specifically for their industry – journalism, creative, broadcast and public relations contests.  We do not have a generic platform that requires customization to make it work for these organizations.  Our team is made up of individuals who have worked in print journalism, broadcast news and PR, and we know firsthand the features that make for an easier contest experience for everyone.

BetterBNC has been designed to be easier and more efficient for contest administrators and contestants but just as important in its evolution has been creating an easy and smooth experience for judges.  We have received rave reviews from judges who tell us its the best contest judging experience they’ve had – intuitive and easy to use.

BetterBNC is also commited to continual improvement and adds new features each year to enhance the contest experience.  We listen to customers who have provided invaluable input and suggestions. In 2015, we added two features which come at no additional charge. One allows administrators to easily and conveniently email contestants and judges from the admin dashboard and the other allows the contest to easily create its own branded contest landing page.

We look forward to an even better 2016! Contact us today to take a look at the platform and discover how it can enhance your next contest.

 

Important Info. for BetterBNC Customers

We’re excited about the upcoming contest season – the largest yet for BetterBNC as we continue to welcome new organizations to the platform thanks largely to your referrals. We have important reminders for you below and, as always, please contact us if you have any questions. We appreciate your choosing BetterBNC for your awards program!

Contest Renewals
Thanks to those of you who have completed your contest renewals and sent in the information required. If you haven’t yet completed your renewal, send it in today. If you have questions, please contact Karen@smalltownpapers.com or PaulJ@smalltownpapers.com and they can assist you.

Are you new to BetterBNC?
If this is your first year with BetterBNC, help us ensure your contest is ready to go when the Call for Entries goes out. If you haven’t already, please complete and return your template as soon as possible.

BetterBNC Website Refresh
We’ve had a fantastic response to the BetterBNC website refresh launched this summer. If you haven’t yet checked it out, visit www.betterbnc.com today.  If you use BetterBNC screenshots in your contest instructions or other promotional material, you’ll want to capture the updated shots. If you need assistance, please contact the head of our tech team Cody France (Cody@smalltownpapers.com) You may have noticed the new Admin Overview Chart available in “Entries.” Admins could always examine an overview of entries, but now we’ve added a great new overview tool for entries made by Open Call contestants. It’s already in your Admin/Entries window – simply click to reveal.

Easy Download of Winning Entries
We’ve seen a dramatic surge in the use of Entry Asset Manager. Contest admins are discovering the value in having all the attachments for winning entries downloaded in one highly organized zip file. If you retain your winning entries on your own server, or want to create a powerpoint visual presentation for your awards ceremony, Entry Asset Manager can increase your efficiency by gathering all assets on one place for instant download. If you would like to add the Entry Asset Manager module to your contest, contact us today.

Use Marketing Manager to Email Judges & Contestants
Contest administrators are enjoying the Marketing Manager feature which allows you to conveniently email judges and contestants right from the dashboard. Use this feature to:

  • Create & save Campaign Email Templates
  • Send Campaigns to target audiences
  • Fully format typeface and fonts
  • Include your logos, graphics and images
  • Monitor progress of Sent, Received, Opened and Bounced

There are six different types of campaign emails to choose from and you can create a template to use in the future or create emails when you’re ready to send. Be sure to remind your members and participants to add email.smalltownpapers.com to their “safe senders” list to ensure contest email lands in their inbox. Marketing Manager makes communicating with your contestants and judges more productive and is included in the price of your renewal.

Build Your Customized Homepage Today
One of our most popular new features is the customized homepage which allows you to easily create a branded contest homepage.
From the administrator dashboard, simply click “Design Settings” to start building your own page.

Customer Q&A
Q: Why doesn’t the platform allow large PDF files to be entered?
A: You may have noticed BetterBNC’s 20mb file size limit for entries. The reason we don’t permit larger files to be uploaded is simply because it takes longer to download which creates a more cumbersome process for your judges, particularly if they have standard DSL. Customers are encouraged to limit file sizes to 5mb or less or opt to use an online e-publishing platform such as Issuu, VuDu or RealView. When contestants make entries using the e-publishing option, they enter the URL web address of the document rather than uploading. Judges are able to easily view and evaluate the entry.

Do you have a question for BetterBNC? Email Karen Tarica at karen@smalltownpapers.com.