As awards and bestseller status still matter,
your new product or company
may benefit from having it.
And you’re in luck.
It is now ‘Best Of 2008’ award season.
There are two main types of awards,
awards that are committee or expert driven
and
awards that are ‘reader choice.’
The latter is the easiest to influence.
How?
By recruiting your fan base.
Typically you choose a few
of your most loyal fans
to nominate your product
(by nominating you,
this will give them ownership of your potential win).
Then you announce the nomination to your full mailing list
(you could offer a discount to celebrate your nomination)
and tactfully ask for votes.
When you win,
of course you’ll want to contact this list,
letting them know
and offering them a ‘thank you’ gift.
Some people call this bribery.
I like to think of it as rewarding loyalty.