Lay on the Kudos
Who would you hire to remodel your kitchen: a qualified contractor or an award-winning contractor?
The answer is obvious. When a product or service is given awards, praise, great reviews, and other kudos, people take notice. It is a signal to potential customers that the product or service is something special. “This electric frying pan must be good quality,” they think. “It won a Cuisine Cooking Award!”
If your product or service has won an award or some other accolade, put this fact front and center in your copy. It is a very persuasive marketing message.
Here are some examples of this technique in action:
Award. “Hire this ACE Award-winning copywriter for your next subscription promotion…”
Consensus. “Voted the #1 new car in its class by Automotive Magazine…”
Endorsement. “Recommended by the American Society of Automotive Engineers…”
Testimonial. “9 out of 10 customers agree, End-All Migraine Tablets make migraines disappear in half the time…”
Exclusivity. “The only tax consultancy invited to speak three years in a row at the Tax Managers Symposium…”
Longevity. “Celebrating 25 years of helping dentists build more profitable and personally rewarding professional practices…”
The assumption is that an award is a good indication of product or service quality. And it usually is. However, there are some industries — advertising is a prime example — that hand out awards all the time. If an ad agency enters enough competitions, it's bound to win something!
Still, an award implies that a high-level, unbiased endorsement has been given. It's a credibility booster that just can't be beat. So lay on the kudos where you can. All things being equal, people will tend to choose the award winner.
