How good is your business at getting the message across?
As a business grows so too does the number of people an organisation must communicate with. As well as effectively communicating internally with staff, getting yourself heard in a competitive market place is a key challenge facing most businesses. As the deadline for entries draws close the fourth and final category in this year’s Business Challenge is searching for companies whose communications strategies have enabled them to stand out from the crowd.
Tim Jackman, Business Challenge sponsor and Director of Legal and Business Affairs at Twofour explains the idea behind the new award saying “All organisations need to engage with their stakeholders wherever they are and whatever the size. We want hear from organisations who have recognised this, to find out how they have gone about it and to celebrate their success. It may be a great brand development campaign, a better way of engaging with employees or a way of getting the best out of relationships with supply and distribution channels.”M
Building good relationships and effectively communicating with people is often simpler said than done though so what does it take to achieve effective business communications?
Business Challenge 2006 winner Sharps Brewery is one local business for which stand out communications has played an important role.
Managing Director Nick Baker says “I am constantly surprised at how little time and resource many otherwise excellently run businesses, devote toward communicating their message or USP to their stakeholder group. As a result this often leads to hastily prepared, unclear outpourings which are rarely cheap and often ineffective. While we do not always get the ideal result, at Sharps we do commit a significant amount of management time towards thinking about who and what we are, who our stakeholders are and how best to communicate efficiently with them and we constantly review the effectiveness of every pound spent. Often with surprising results!”
The judges will be looking for a company that has successfully used communication tools and platforms to communicate and work with its key audience.
Tim Jackman explains “We want to understand what the organisation’s objective was, how it went about it and how successful it was. It can cover either an external or internal communications plan or a combination of the two. We want to see successful and innovative ways of communicating messages using platforms ranging from new media, websites and photography to publications and events.”
There is still time to put your company up for the Challenge, with the closing date still a week away on the 6 June. Open to any business organisation (public, private and voluntary sectors) headquartered or having a major operating base in Devon or Cornwall this year’s award categories are:
- Business Excellence Award
- Corporate Social Responsibility Award
- International Trade Award
- Communications Award
Notes to editors
The Devon and Cornwall Business Challenge 2008 launched on Thursday 10 April 2008. The Devon and Cornwall Business Challenge awards are recognised as being the most prestigious in the region. The Challenge has been running for 20 years and in that time has recognised many key regional businesses for their commercial talent.
In 2008 there are four award categories:
- Corporate Social Responsibility Award presented by Bond Pearce LLP
- Business Excellence Award presented by KPMG
- International Trade Award presented by RBS
- Communications Award presented by Twofour
The closing date for entries is Friday 6 June 2008.
Finalists and other guests will be invited to a gala dinner at the Headland Hotel, Newquay on Thursday 9 October where the winners will be announced.
www.businesschallenge2008.co.uk
Please note a media pack is available from Liz Morgan (details below).
For more information please contact:
Liz Morgan
Bond Pearce LLP
Tel: 0845 415 6625
Email: liz.morgan@bondpearce.com
