Guest blogger Effective Communication’s digital account manager Rhys Gregory shares his view on the Wales HR Awards, and what it means for your business.

Winning a prestigious award for your business can be beneficial on many levels, but remember, it’s not just the winning that counts!

Entering the Wales HR Awards gives you the opportunity to showcase your company’s achievements and just entering can be a huge morale boost to your HR team. What better way to start 2017?

If you are lucky enough to be shortlisted, it can seriously give your PR strategy a boost too.

Here are six reasons why entering the Wales HR Awards will benefit your business:

1. Free marketing, even if you’re shortlisted
PR is no longer limited to print. If you are shortlisted, your company’s name will appear on the award’s website, social media and other PR channels.

2. Increased credibility and reputation
Entering industry or sector awards can help build your business’ reputation among existing customers and stakeholders. You don’t need to win either - you can display the fact that you’ve entered and have been shortlisted on your channels as well; including your website, social media, email signatures and be sure to include a line mentioning it in any upcoming press releases.

3. Employer of choice
The awards don’t just reward existing staff, they are also a great opportunity to attract new talent and make your business stand out as an employer of choice.

4. Build media contacts
The exposure that you receive from being shortlisted for the Wales HR Awards will put you in good stead for future PR opportunities with the media. They will have heard of you, know what you’re about, and have the added knowledge of the awards.

5. Increased confidence
For many businesses, entering the awards gives them a confidence boost. Until now, they may have been reluctant to jump in and put their business on the centre stage. The awards give those businesses an opportunity to dip their toes in and see the benefits for themselves.

6. Time well spent
Writing winning awards entries can sometimes be time consuming, but not always.

When you compare the amount of time that you’ve dedicated to writing your entry with the benefits of raised profile and reach you can achieve, they can offer far greater return than other types of marketing activity.

And don’t forget that Wales HR Awards are free to enter anyway!

If you’re considering entering the Wales HR Awards, be quick, the deadline for entries is the 31st January 2017. You can enter online here.