8 Tips for Submitting a Winning Loyalty360 Award Entry

With an emphasis on objectivity, the Loyalty360 Awards annually recognize brands that build lasting and profitable relationships with customers through customer loyalty campaigns, strategies, and programs.
2021 marks the 8th annual Loyalty360 Awards – and we're looking forward to the best submissions yet.

If you're not familiar with them, the Loyalty360 Awards are open to brands of any industry from around the world. Any brand with a customer loyalty strategy, initiative, or program is eligible to enter.

Additionally, one part that makes our awards unique from other industry awards programs is our focus on objectivity. For the Loyalty360 Awards, there is a two-part judging process, with the final winners selected by conference attendees at the 2021 Loyalty Expo in Charlotte, NC. As such, Loyalty360 Award winners benefit from peer recognition and media coverage from Loyalty360 and our event media partners.

For the 2021 Loyalty360 Awards, we're still accepting submissions – and if you have additional questions or need the link to our entry page, you can find that here.

Still wondering how your brand can get the attention of this year's judging panel and conference attendees? Here are 8 great tips to help: 

  1. Choosing Your Category (or Categories)

If you have a question on which category may be a best fit for your brand, category descriptions are included in the nomination packet, and the questions for individual categories can be found here. Also, feel free to reach out to Loyalty360. We are happy to provide category suggestions based on the campaign, program, or strategy you would like to submit.

If you do have an initiative that stretches over into more than one category, don't be afraid to go for multiple awards. Remember that brands submitting for three or more categories are eligible for the 360-Degree Award – an overall award based on an amalgamation of a single brand's respective finishes in the individual or multiple categories.

  1. Tailor Your Submission for Each Category

Often brands have a campaign, program, or strategy that could fit into multiple categories. When submitting for more than one category, be sure to read each question and adjust your responses accordingly. Each category has a different set of questions that tie back to its overall theme or topic. Mention why your brand is not only building overall customer loyalty and customer experience but what you are doing specifically regarding the category topic. The same judge may not read all your entries, so also include background information on your brand for each submission.

  1. More Than Loyalty Programs

The Loyalty360 Awards are focused on much more than just programmatic loyalty. Just because your brand doesn't have a long, established loyalty program does not mean you're counted out. Most of our categories focus on bigger picture customer loyalty and customer experience – from campaigns to new technology adoption, employee initiatives, and more. This year we have fifteen different categories that almost any brand fits into.

  1. We Want Results - Share Metrics and Overall Impact

One of the most essential pieces of advice we give every year – quantitative and qualitative metrics are among the most important parts of every entry. Providing them is one of the best ways winners set themselves apart from the pack. Some departments (shout out to PR and legal) are reluctant to share sensitive data, but typically there is a clear connection between the amount of detail shared and the most impactful entries that come through each year.

We take brands' trust seriously and handle the metrics shared in award entries very carefully. All entries are judged in a blind fashion. Brand names and references are not shared, and awards submission details are not shared outside of judging without your permission. This is your chance to share your successes – don't be afraid to put yourself out there. Sharing program, strategy, campaign participants, revenue, growth, employee comments, user feedback, and more give judges a complete picture of your entry.

  1. Everyone Loves a Good Story

As you go through your award submission, be sure to connect the dots. Give us background information on your company and the details of the initiative you are nominating and the results, but tell us how your entry impacted your company overall. What did your team learn? Were there hurdles along the way? Where is the initiative today, and what's next? All these pieces help paint a bigger picture that can give the judges additional context.

  1. David and Goliath

Each year, we see various entries from new launches and long-term programs to small, medium, and large businesses across a variety of industries. Just because you have a new program or not a Fortune 500 brand doesn't mean you should count yourself out. The Loyalty360 Awards are for B2C and B2B brands from across the world, and we're proud to recognize a vast array of brands each year. Check out our previous winners' list to see brand finalists from past Loyalty360 Awards.  

  1. Get Your Team Involved

The Loyalty360 Awards is a great way to recognize your team and partners for all their hard work. As any program, strategy, or campaign is a group effort, we see that submitting awards entries are as well. Be sure to get input and feedback from your team, supplier partner(s), and/or brand client(s) to help build a complete story.

  1. Tell us What Makes Your Brand Unique?

Finally, we want to know what makes your brand unique and why you believe your team is deserving of a 2021 Loyalty360 Award. With thousands of loyalty and customer-focused strategies out there, we need details on what makes your brand stand out, what your team's most significant learning or takeaway has been, and what you've done to build lasting loyalty and positive experiences with your customers. The work that brands put forth each year always amazes us, and we are looking forward to more great stories this fall.

The deadline to submit for this year's Loyalty360 Awards is August 12, so be sure to get those final entries in soon. Finalists will be announced in September and will compete in the final judging round during Loyalty360's Loyalty Expo in October.

For more information on the awards and to submit, visit the Loyalty360 Awards submission portal here or contact CarlyStemmer@Loyalty360.org.
 

Recent Content

Membership and Pricing

Videos and podcasts

Membership and Pricing