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ARTICLE
Awards are great and they work for some people, whilst for others they can be pointless and perhaps even a costly mistake. And just because you don't win awards, it doesn't mean you're not a good DJ. How many of us will ever feature in DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJs? Does it matter? No. And even if we did, would our clients care? After all, how many times have you heard David Guetta being booked for a wedding at your local village hall?
With a PR background, I’m always thinking about the bigger picture; what is the strategy. Taking a step back from my initial question, you should be asking what it is you’re trying to achieve. For example, if you're a DJ that wants more pub work, is it going to be beneficial to win a wedding DJ award? Probably not. Yet imagine the advertising power that Harry Kilb now has as the National Wedding DJ of the Year, when speaking to couples looking for a wedding DJ.
It's also beneficial to have some data that you can reflect on, which can be as simple as how many bookings you have each year. This is a good starting point from which to consider the current situation and what you want to achieve in the future. Once you've worked out where you want to be, you can think about what you need to do to get there. That's a simple gap analysis done (and another buzzword ticked off).
Let's be honest, industry awards are mostly pay to play; they’re run by businesses that will take your money to hand out awards. I'm not criticising that, it's a successful business model and does wonders for those that win. But like any advertising, if it’s not done effectively then you're wasting your money. I've recently been getting inundated with emails telling me I've been “successfully chosen” for an international award. With my cynical PR hat on I translate that to “we want your money.”
That's why research is important...
To read the full article, you’ll need to have a physical copy of the magazine which you can sign up for here for 6 issues delivered to your door from just £16!
https://store.promobile.online/products/pro-mobile-magazine-6-issue-1-year-subscription
You’ll also get full interactive access to this and the last year of magazines via the Pro Mobile Magazine App which is available from both the Apple App Store and Android PlayStore
With a PR background, I’m always thinking about the bigger picture; what is the strategy. Taking a step back from my initial question, you should be asking what it is you’re trying to achieve. For example, if you're a DJ that wants more pub work, is it going to be beneficial to win a wedding DJ award? Probably not. Yet imagine the advertising power that Harry Kilb now has as the National Wedding DJ of the Year, when speaking to couples looking for a wedding DJ.
It's also beneficial to have some data that you can reflect on, which can be as simple as how many bookings you have each year. This is a good starting point from which to consider the current situation and what you want to achieve in the future. Once you've worked out where you want to be, you can think about what you need to do to get there. That's a simple gap analysis done (and another buzzword ticked off).
Let's be honest, industry awards are mostly pay to play; they’re run by businesses that will take your money to hand out awards. I'm not criticising that, it's a successful business model and does wonders for those that win. But like any advertising, if it’s not done effectively then you're wasting your money. I've recently been getting inundated with emails telling me I've been “successfully chosen” for an international award. With my cynical PR hat on I translate that to “we want your money.”
That's why research is important...
To read the full article, you’ll need to have a physical copy of the magazine which you can sign up for here for 6 issues delivered to your door from just £16!
https://store.promobile.online/products/pro-mobile-magazine-6-issue-1-year-subscription
You’ll also get full interactive access to this and the last year of magazines via the Pro Mobile Magazine App which is available from both the Apple App Store and Android PlayStore
The full review can be found in Pro Mobile Issue 118, Pages 22-23.
