1. #pubcon
How To Win aHow To Win a
Search AwardSearch Award
Presented by: Judith LewisPresented by: Judith Lewis

2. #pubcon
Just Who Do I Think I Am?
• Judge of UK, EU, US and MENA Search Awards
• Judged Search Awards since their beginning
• Helped describe criteria
• Work to ensure fairness
• Also been doing search since 1996 for some awesome
companies

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Our Timeline
• We pre-score all entries
– This can take approx. 16-24h or 2 – 3 full days
– NO I AM NOT EXAGGERATING
• Come together to judge (or hop on a conference call)
– US Search Awards are always done on a call
• Pick winners in all categories
– Yes, we know who has won before the shortlist is released
• Shortlist is released
• Announcement of winners at awards ceremony

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How *DO* You Win a Search Award?
What is the secret to the success of the
winners? What technique can you use to
ensure you have the best chance of success?

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MATCH YOURMATCH YOUR
OBJECTIVES TOOBJECTIVES TO
YOUR RESULTSYOUR RESULTS

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Other Hot Tips
• Fill in all the sections
• Pick the right category for your entry and adjust if entering multiple ones
• Don’t lie (we’ll catch you)
• Give a budget (no budget, no points)
• Keep to the word count (+10% only)
• EXPLAIN what it is you did, why and how
• Give absolute numbers backed up by real tools and analytics/AdWords/etc screen shots and don’t make up graphs
• Don’t assume we’ll use the supporting material
• Don’t waffle, tell cute stories or be arrogant
• Demonstrate creative thinking and/or innovation
• Demonstrate thought leadership and activities outside BAU
• Don’t preload a tool with data – let us use our own accounts
• Ensure your agency assertions are tangible and measurable with real work examples

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Fill in ALL the Sections
• Check which sections you need to complete for your
entry
• Don’t let an entry go out with a blank section in the
middle of other filed in sections
• Don’t use supporting materials to complete the
section
• Don’t make us hunt for information

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Choose The Correct Category
• If you enter a B2B category, ensure your entry is for
B2B work
• If you enter best use of social media, include what
social media you used
• Running a PPC campaign and optimizing does not
qualify as integrated or innovative on its own

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Don’t Lie
• We check entries against many tools – and when you
say your videos got X views, we do check and have
caught people falsifying numbers
• We have blackhat spammers who have seen and done
it all on the panel
• Real data, real challenges, real increases and real
information are essential

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Give a Budget with Actual Numbers
• We need to know how much you spend to correctly
assess the value for money
• No budget, no points (from me – other judges may
vary but ROI is how you win or lose)

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Keep to the Word Count
• If the entry is too long you risk being marked down
• We have more than just your entry to judge
• 1,000 seems a lot until you start completing the
fourth section and run out

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Explain What it is You Did, Why and How
• Do no assume we can mind-read (this happens a lot)
• We don’t know the campaign – show us why you are
proud
• Show us your creative thinking and approach (staying
concise but still illuminate the process)
• Support this with URLs (helps if they are still live too)

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Show Me the Data
• Use real numbers from analytics or other specialist
tools
• Back numbers up with verifiable screenshots
• Do not only use percentages – we can do math
• If relevant, ensure tool shows YoY as well as
campaign data

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Supporting Materials
• These are *not* a core part of the entry
• Do *not* assume all judges will read them
• They are referred to in the case of disputes, confusion
or clarity
• Include key screenshots and information within your
entry
• Do not use supporting materials to increase your word
count allowance

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Story-Telling & Hubris
• Don’t get flowery outside “Implementation &
creativity” – wasted words on stories mean fewer
words to explain why and how you are awesome
• Don’t get cocky – we are human and may not see the
numbers through the arrogance
• Don’t try and impress us with fluffy words and
buzzwords

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Creative Thinking
• “Implementation & creativity” is about showing brilliance
– Demonstrate your insight, your thinking, your creative approach to
the problem, your skills and why you should win
• Show innovation and creativity especially within tight
budgets
– you don’t have to be inventing something new to show innovation
– creativity counts

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Thought Leadership
• When entering for agency or individual awards,
demonstrate thought leadership outside daily work
• Illustrate to the judges how your agency is
outstanding through how others write about it
• Individuals must demonstrate leadership within
company/agency outside usual role activities
• External activities absolutely count

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Tools and Data
• Give judges a 2 week or 4 week demo account which
we can load with our own data/client info
• Tool entries are 50% judged on live performance of
tool so if we can’t play, we can’t score

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Agency Entries
• Talk about the team as well as the clients
• SMART objectives are important (applies for
individual entries too)
• Every agency has challenges – be honest
• Enter strong campaign work that can be shortlisted
• Mention the team by name – maybe include a photo

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Follow this guidance
for the best chance
at winning
We can’t guarantee you’ll win but by
following this advice you’ll improve your
chances

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Find Me Online
Twitter: @JudithLewis
@MostlyAboutChoc
LinkedIn: http://uk.linkedin.com/in/judithlewis
Web: http://www.decabbit.com
Blog: http://MostlyAboutChocolate.com
SEO Blog: http://www.SEO-Chicks.com
HuffPost: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/judith-lewis