Prospecting and targeting the right advertising categories is imperative to the success of your Best Of. The task can seem daunting, but applying focus to top advertising categories and scalable prospecting will set you squarely on the path of achieving your goals.

Prospecting

When prospecting for your Best Of, you need to think strategically. A Best Of can offer 2,000+ potential advertisers, but if you have a sales team of 1-5 people, targeting that many advertisers is not scalable. This is why you need to promote focus and scalability when constructing your prospecting plan to drive the most revenue. Sell efficiently and effectively by concentrating top business categories:

• Businesses that are competing in 3+ categories on your ballot

If a business appears in 3 or more categories within your ballot, then they will be more likely to purchase larger packages for all 3 phases – which means you will get more for your efforts. These businesses also typically possess bigger budgets, again leading them to have more capability to invest in your larger packages. Create a list of businesses competing in multiple categories to help make it easier for your to close those sales.

• Businesses that are competitive

You’ll also want to focus businesses that are highly competitive in your market. These businesses have FOMO (fear of missing out) and relish being considered ‘the best’. They use their photos, their voice, their face in their advertising.

Since being perceived as the best in important to them, winning a Best Of is marketing they can use all year long, and they will be very likely to purchase packages in each phase to push to prove they are the top in their industry.

• Businesses that have purchased from you historically

This might seem a like a bit of a no-brainer, but it’s still worth mentioning! If you sold to a business last year and they had a good experience, sell to them again for your upcoming ballot. Reach out to this group of businesses because these should be the easiest sales you make. This group of businesses will want to win again this year, and if they didn’t win, they’ll want to do anything they can to come in first this year.

Scalable Prospecting Outreach

This is what would be considered a one-to-many approach. There are so many opportunities for prospecting within your Best Of, so create a plan for reaching out and collecting prospecting leads with as little effort as possible.

Email Campaigns

Formulate email campaigns to cast a wide net targeting local businesses. Start by targeting last years’ winners.

Send an Announcement Email

Send an email announcing the return of your Best Of 3 months prior to the nomination phase. Provide the dates of your Best Of and use strong sales language like ‘claim’ or ‘defend’ your title. Include links to your packages and a way for businesses to sign up to receive your media kit.

Use Your Daily Newsletter

Embed featured entrant examples within your daily newsletter to promote your packages. This allows business owners to see what advertising the ballot can offer, and also fosters FOMO – the fear of missing out!

Growing Your Prospect List Year-Round

Your Best Of should be celebrated and promoted throughout the year. Create a sign-up form or widget for Best Of emails. Include these widgets on your site and within corresponding articles. You can also include this as an opt-in within promotions you run all year as well.

Best Of Landing Page

A landing page is a one-stop-shop for all information about your Best Of. Advertisers should be able to come there to learn stats from last year, gather your media kit, information about advertising opportunities, and a way to get in touch with your sales team. It should not only offer information, but also gather leads for your team. Make sure to place things like graphics, marketing tips, and the media kit should be placed behind a form.

What to include in your landing page:

• A Mission Statement
• A Media Kit – remember to place it behind a form to constantly collect leads
• Marketing tips – put those behind a form too!
• Graphics
• Sales Opportunities – leave a spot for businesses to submit their interest in advertising
• FAQs
• Rules
• Past Winners
• Social Media Posts
• Category List
• Category Definitions
• Opt-ins for your newsletters – especially any Best Of specific newsletters