See below for some top tips from our judges of what makes a stand out entry:
Lukasz Zelenzy | SEO Consultant
Tip 1: To the point
Jurors often have dozens of applications to assess. This is very busy and time-consuming. It is important to add to the application only what is necessary for evaluation.
Avoid any kind of brochure or other unnecessary advertising material. This only creates chaos and distracts from the heart of the matter.
If you feel it is worth adding slides then focus on what is most important and try to present the data in graphs.
You may be tempted to add screenshots from tools such as Google Analytics, Google Search Console or Google Ads. This way your application will become even more credible.
Tip 2: Share hard data
You’ve probably heard it before but I’ll repeat it because it might be worth it. Hard data is important to jurors.
That’s why it’s worth preparing your client for the fact that in order for your application to be successful and your campaign to be awarded, you have to share data. Hard data. And these should be closely related to the category in which your application will compete.
If it concerns an SEO campaign, organic traffic or clicks in the search console will be a telling metric.
Overall traffic or total revenue may be smaller (although here again there is an exception because e-commerce revenue generated by organic traffic may tell a lot about the quality of a campaign and its results).
And further… for social media campaign it is different, and still different for paid campaigns.
Motoko Hunt | AJPR
1. Write an entry specific to the category
Some companies submit the same entry to multiple categories. Unfortunately, it makes an entry not specific enough to win those categories. Keep in mind that your entry goes up against very strong entries that highlight unique strategies and challenges that we look for in each category. The same goes to some companies who submit multiple entities which are pretty much the same except the name of clients, budgets, and the results.
2. Answer each form field
The judges score each form field separately. If you skip any of them or don’t provide enough information, you won’t score high enough to win the category.
3. Keep it simple
No need to write a book. Focus on answering each question on the form by highlighting how your entry is uniquely different and award worthy. Also, some entries repeat the same or similar information from field to the next. By doing so, considering the word count limit, you are providing less information.
4. Provide enough information
While keeping it simple is important, providing the information with images isn’t good, either. Don’t expect the judges to read between the lines and guess what your campaign success is by just pasting graphs and images. State what was done and how it was done clearly on your entry form.
Alexandra Tachalova | Digital Marketing Consultant
- The most important thing is to follow the entry form requirements. Note: Some nominees leave some of the form’s questions unanswered, which affects the overall score of an entry. Judges are scoring each of your answers on the entry form, and if something is missing, then we’re forced to give a lower score due to blank or incomplete submissions.
- Allocate enough time to complete your entry. In fact, it takes a number of hours and a solid effort from your side to complete the entry fully. So, please make sure to allocate enough time to this process. Otherwise, your entry might be incomplete, not provide enough details, or even missing some crucial data that could dramatically improve your overall score. The ratio is quite simple here: The more time and effort you put into your entry form, the greater the chance that it will be highlighted by judges and end up winning an award.
- Support your entry with additional materials and numbers. Don’t forget the importance of adding supplemental materials to showcase the implementation of your campaign and the overall results. The best way to support your campaign with sufficient details is to attach a detailed presentation that will give judges all the necessary information and leave no room for doubts.