Marketing advice
Award marketing packages: why paying to grow someone else's website is a false economy
Winning a local business award is something to be proud of. It shows your customers rate you, and it gives you a great story to tell. But for a lot of small businesses, the congratulations email is quickly followed by another one: an offer of a “marketing package” to make the most of your win.
We're seeing more and more local businesses across Somerset signed up to this kind of package. When you look at what they're actually paying for, it often doesn't add up. Here's why so many of these deals are a false economy, and what your marketing budget should be doing instead.
What these award marketing packages usually look like
The details vary, but the pattern is often the same:
- The awards or directory company writes a blog post about you, or about your type of service.
- That blog post is published on their website, not yours.
- You're encouraged to share the link across your Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn pages.
- Your customers and followers click through and land on their site.
- You pay a monthly or annual fee for all of this.
On the surface it looks like you're getting content written for you and some extra exposure. In reality, you're doing their marketing for them, and paying for the privilege.
Why it's a false economy for your business
1. You don't own the content
The article lives on someone else's website. They control it, they can edit it, and they can take it down whenever they like. If you stop paying, everything you've invested in stays with them. Content on your own website keeps working for you for years.
2. Google gives the credit to their website, not yours
Every article Google finds helps the website it's published on. Fresh, useful content about local services is exactly what helps a site rank. When that content sits on the awards site, it's their site that climbs the search results for local searches like “deep clean Yeovil” or “plumber near me”. Your own website gets little or nothing from it.
3. You're sending your own customers away
Your social media followers are people who already like and trust you. That's valuable. When you share a link to another company's website, you're handing that attention to them. Once your customer lands there, they may see your competitors listed on the same site, other adverts, and offers that have nothing to do with you.
4. Your social shares are doing their advertising
Every time you post that link, you're promoting the awards company's website to your audience, for free. Multiply that by every business on the package and they get a huge amount of traffic and links, paid for by the businesses themselves.
5. You're paying twice
You pay the fee, then you spend your own time sharing the link. That's money and time that could have gone into marketing that builds your business. Add it up over a year and it's often the same as, or more than, a proper monthly marketing plan that works for you.
What the same money should be buying you
| Award marketing package | Marketing that builds your business |
|---|---|
| Blog post on their website | Articles on your own website |
| Builds their Google rankings | Builds your Google rankings |
| Social posts send customers to their site | Social posts send customers to your site |
| Your competitors may be listed on the same page | Your page is all about you |
| Content leaves your control when you stop paying | Content is yours to keep, forever |
| Leads go through someone else | Enquiries come straight to you |
A good local marketing plan should include:
- Regular articles on your own website, answering the questions your customers actually ask.
- Google Business Profile posts, so you show up when people nearby search for your trade.
- Social media posts that link back to your website, turning followers into enquiries.
- Your award, shouted about on your own platforms. Add it to your homepage, your Google profile and your social bios. That's where it builds trust with customers who are about to contact you.
Questions to ask before you sign up to any marketing package
Before you hand over your card details, ask:
- Where will the content be published? On my website, or yours?
- Who owns the content? Can I keep it, or reuse it, if I leave?
- Where do the links point? Will customers land on my website, or yours?
- Will my competitors appear on the same page?
- What results will you report on? Will I see enquiries, calls or visits to my own website, or just views?
- What's the contract length and notice period?
- What happens to everything when I stop paying?
If the answers keep coming back to “our website”, the package is mainly helping them.
Your questions answered
Frequently asked questions
Is it worth paying for a marketing package after winning a business award?
Only if the content and links benefit your own website. If the blog post is published on the awards company's site and you're asked to share their link, most of the value goes to them, not you.
Does a blog post on another website help my SEO?
Very little, unless it links to your website in a way Google counts. The site that hosts the article gets most of the benefit from the content.
Should I share my award on social media?
Yes. Share it proudly, but link to your own website, where customers can find out about your services and contact you directly.
What's a better use of my marketing budget?
Regular articles on your own website, Google Business Profile posts and social media posts that point back to you. These build your own rankings and bring enquiries straight to you.
How can I tell if a marketing package is good value?
Ask where the content will be published, who owns it, where the links point and what happens when you stop paying. If most answers are “on our website”, it's mainly marketing for them.
Make your award work for you
You earned your award through hard work and happy customers. Don't let someone else take the benefit of it. At Blu Digital Designs in Yeovil, we help local trades and service businesses across Somerset build marketing they own: websites, articles, Google Business Profile posts and social media that send customers straight to you.
Been offered a marketing package and not sure if it's worth it? Send it to us on WhatsApp and we'll give you an honest view, with no obligation.