The Web Marketing Association is offer tips to improve your chances at winning a 2010 WebAward on the WMA Facebook Fan Page every weekday for until the May 25th entry deadline.
Here are 10 more Tips:
WebAward Tip #6 – Selecting the Most Appropriate category. The best way to pick the category your site will compete in is by saying to yourself “What would be best for my marketing program if I win?”. Many categories overlap because over the years people complained that they were one and not the other. The other thing to consider is how competitive the category might be. The “Mutual Fund” category is narrower than the “Financial Services” category and might be easier to take the top prize. However, Best Financial Services Website might have more cache for your marketing efforts. Sometimes the best idea is to enter both categories and double your chances to win.
WebAward Tip #7 – Tell Your Other Offices. One of the most prestigious awards given out each year is the Top Agency award, given to the agency which wins the most awards in a given year. If your agency has multiple offices or international offices, make sure they submit their entries also. We will combine all offices of the same company to count for that award.
WebAward Tip #8 – Non-English sites Are Welcome! The international WebAwards accepts sites in 10 languages (English, Spanish, French, Italian, Russian, Dutch, Chinese, Japanese, Greek and Turkish) and assigns these sites to judges who are fluent in that language. However, if an English version of the site is available, please submit that site as we have many more English speaking judges that other languages.
WebAward Tip #9 – Don’t Forget Microsites. It’s not just major enterprise websites that win awards. Sometimes it is the microsite, a site dedicated to a single product or concept, that does very well. It all starts with the URL you submit on the entry form.
WebAward Tip #10 – It’s Not Just The Big Names That Win. We pride ourselves for having a fair competition where it’s not only big brands that win. Judges are assigned sites to review without knowing who else might be in the category. Other website award programs have a history of sending only “big name” sites judges as nominated sites. At the WebAwards, the judges review all of the sites and the one with the highest scores wins.
WebAward Tip #11 – Enter The Same Site Every Year. Your site does not have to be new to enter the WebAwards each year. As Internet standards change, judges view sites differently and criteria scores can be different year over year. It’s a great way to benchmark your site and know what areas need to be improved over time.
WebAward Tip #12 – The URL You Enter Is Our Starting Point. Judges start their review based on the URL provided on the entry form, so you can submit sections of an overall website, not just the homepage. This is helpful when one division or product line has great content and wants to promote itself, but the site is part of a larger organization.
WebAward Tip #13 – Blog About The WebAwards. The more people know about the WebAwards, the more impressed they will be when they hear you have won one. Please help us by blogging about the WebAwards and sending people to www.webaward.org to learn more.
WebAward Tip #14 – Don’t Enter A Banner Ad. Each year several banner ad campaigns are entered the WebAwards and the nominators are always disappointed that they do not win because they don’t have meet the requirements of a website. Banner ads belong in the annual IAC Awards, not the WebAwards.
WebAward Tip #15 – Don’t Enter A Landing Page. Each year landing pages are entered the WebAwards and rarely do they win awards. Landing pages usually are missing several key elements of a complete website and they are better suited to the annual IAC Awards, not the WebAwards. Micro sites however, tend to do very well because of their narrow focus.
Click here to enter the 14th annual Web Marketing Association WebAwards.