B2B companies just getting started in strategic public relations may not fully realize the value that speaking at conferences and industry awards can bring. Here at Crenshaw, we work with a client base of high-growth technology companies and have found that gaining speaking opportunities and industry visibility strengthens the credibility and recognition of your brand. Often, they support your path to market leadership. And here’s how it works:
Influence buyer decisions
The B2B buyer’s path to purchase is notoriously long and competitive. Software solutions are expensive, and buyers who are forced to make the right choice want as much information as possible to evaluate the quality of SaaS, AI, cybersecurity, and data products. Young companies need to find ways to get recognition from trusted third parties. Awards provide an unbiased way to demonstrate innovation in the form of industry impact, benefit to others, or pioneering practices that have been successful in this field. If buyers find helpful comments from technical managers during their internet searches that help them make decisions, the company’s products will definitely be on the shortlist. As the new company’s brand name and the names of its managers appear more and more at industry conferences, podcasts, or webinars, their visibility and credibility in buyers’ minds will naturally increase. For more information on how PR can turn prospects into customers, see our previous post.
Drive differentiation – or establish a new category
Solution providers usually face fierce competition in a crowded market. They want to use every strategy to differentiate themselves in a field of similarly positioned companies. The fundamental effect of a well-designed PR program is to differentiate from competitors – an effect that advertising and marketing cannot achieve with the same force. To win industry awards for your software product, you need case studies to show how your SaaS worked in the real world with real user examples. Attending an awards ceremony allows you to share how one piece of software is different from the rest. And winning an award gives companies more opportunities to tell their story and convey their message of differentiation. Additionally, young companies can introduce and popularize new categories by having their executives speak on panels or keynotes at relevant conferences. Customer relationship management (CRM), local search optimization, and digital product catalogs were once new product or service categories but are now widely known.
Supporting employer branding
Awards, in particular, can be a great way to boost morale for managers and employees. Who doesn’t love to win? While product awards are a great way to build credibility, there are also worthy awards that focus on a company’s customer service, workplace culture, and individual achievements. Just as young companies need to gain credibility for their products, they also need to find ways to show the industry (not just tell them) how well their customer service and customer experience departments are performing. Especially in the B2B technology space, buyers are looking for partners that provide great service in addition to great products. Additionally, B2B companies are constantly competing for tech talent in today’s job market. Millennials are known to value employee experience and want progressive employers that value a diverse and inclusive workplace. Receiving DEI and Best Places to Work awards such as Inc., Glassdoor, and Crain’s is essential to attracting talent.
Building a leadership position
As a conference and awards manager, I am tasked with helping my fast-growing technology clients build their speakers bureaus. This is a long-term undertaking that prepares them for market leadership. Startups looking to IPO and market leadership in the future should start building their speakers bureaus now. While you may not have the resources to sponsor 20 industry conferences a year, you can build up a list of key speakers and a speaking history by winning speaking engagements. Submitting a non-profit topic idea to a technology conference can help you land a speaking opportunity. Technology conferences are usually attended by top company managers, founders/CEOs, CTOs, or chief human resources officers, depending on the target group. When you look at the speaker list at technology conferences, you will see the same brand names everywhere: they are always category leaders or aggressive challengers. Success breeds success.
Creating case study content
Most successful submissions require customer case studies with quantifiable success metrics. This is an opportunity for young technology companies to strengthen their relationships with their customers, as it essentially raises awareness of the brand’s innovative approach and their solutions. Many startups are in the early stages of generating success stories for their customers. Awards submissions handled by your PR team or in-house are a good place to create stories and create case study content that actually has value. The content can almost always be used for multiple PR strategies, from media pitches to white papers and blog content. When solution providers and customers work together to create these case studies, it helps strengthen customer loyalty. Speaking engagements also provide an opportunity to repurpose marketing and PR content. Especially in the era of virtual and hybrid events, recorded webinar/conference videos can be used for post-event PR and marketing. Moreover, relevant digital content has the added benefit of better SEO with higher domain value.
Top tech industry awards and media outlets like Digiday, The Drum, AdExchanger, AdAge are great channels for young companies to prove their value. Speaking at major conferences helps young companies participate in conversations relevant to their category, ultimately establishing their brand and management as industry authorities. For more information on how to create a successful awards ceremony, see our previous post on how to run a world-class conference and awards program as part of your PR campaign.
