Tag Archives: broadcasting contest

BetterBNC saves time for your judges.

We repeatedly hear from organizations looking for an easier contest experience for judges who volunteer their time and energy to evaluate entries. Some platforms require that judges download all entries in their category before reviewing which is time consuming, cumbersome and eats up space on their own computers.

With BetterBNC judges simply click on links to review entries hosted online. The process is fast and easy — and it’s one of the reasons we receive so many customer referrals from individuals who have used the platform to judge contests.  Judges want to be able to use their valuable time reviewing and commenting on your entries rather than waiting on downloads.

Schedule your complimentary BetterBNC demo today and we can show you how easy the judging experience can be from the judges perspective.  The platform is also easy and intuitive for contestants and your contest administrator.  Email karen@smalltownpapers.com to take a look.

Can I use BetterBNC for my contest?

BetterBNC was created specifically for media and PR contests – print journalism, broadcast news, advertising, photography and public relations work.   But increasingly, we’re asked whether we can accomodate new and different types of contests being added by organizations.  We’re hearing more about film awards, video production, business achievement, and online awards programs and we’re excited to be adding these to our BetterBNC contest portfolio!

Contact BetterBNC to see if the platform is a good fit for your contest.  Our tech team will look at the process and way the contest operates to determine if our platform is your best way forward.  What delights us most about these inquiries, is that organizations are growing their awards programs by expanding and adding new contests.

Set up your complimentary BetterBNC demo today by contacting karen@smalltownpapers.com.

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.

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.