BusinessWeek conducts a survey each year to find the Best of the Web. This year’s survey is going on right now, and you can vote on your favorite web site, blog, social network, podcast, news site, business news site, and much more. There are 25 categories to vote on and one open ended question, “Who holds most sway over the direction of all things Web?”
While I don’t agree with many of the choices given in the survey, it’s still interesting to take a look at the choices in each category. Take a few minutes to check out which brands are included in the 2009 survey, then take a moment to think about what you have to do to get your brand’s website or blog included in this survey next year.
Surveys, awards and other recognition, similar to the BusinessWeek Annual Best of the Web Survey, can do a lot to boost your brand’s image in consumers’ minds. If a big media organization like BusinessWeek and its readers like your website and brand, then consumers are likely to jump on the bandwagon and assume you must be doing something right.
Take a look at some of the brands included in the 2008 Best of the Web Survey from BusinessWeek. There are some very well known brand names there. Imagine the traffic the brands and sites listed in the “Newcomers” category are experiencing simply because they made it onto this survey.
Truth be told, awards and recognition may not seem like much, but they hold value in consumers’ minds. That’s what counts. Plus, they’re great PR and an excellent way to leverage the social web to grow your brand.
Spend some time researching online and find awards, recognition and events that your brand can participate in, then leverage those opportunities. Imagine the boost getting on BusinessWeek’s list of the Best of the Web could give your website?
What are your thoughts on awards and recognition? Have you had particular success with similar programs?
Image: Flickr
Susan Gunelius is the author of 10 marketing, social media, branding, copywriting, and technology books, and she is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She also owns Women on Business, an award-wining blog for business women. She is a featured columnist for Entrepreneur.com and Forbes.com, and her marketing-related articles have appeared on websites such as MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, TodayShow.com, and more.
She has over 20 years of experience in the marketing field having spent the first decade of her career directing marketing programs for some of the largest companies in the world, including divisions of AT&T and HSBC. Today, her clients include large and small companies around the world and household brands like Citigroup, Cox Communications, Intuit, and more. Susan is frequently interviewed about marketing and branding by television, radio, print, and online media organizations, and she speaks about these topics at events around the world. You can connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Google+.
