Vote for us at bayareaparent.com/bob-ballot

VOTE US FOR:

Vote for us as your favorite Bay Area family-friendly business in the annual Bay Area Parent

Best of the Best voting contest. Submit your vote today, get the word out to vote, and help us win so other families can also benefi t from your vote!

Voting runs from April 29 to June 30.

Scan this code to vote.

Vote for us at bayareaparent.com/bob-ballot

VOTE US FOR:

Vote for us as your favorite Bay Area family-friendly business in the annual Bay Area Parent

Best of the Best voting contest. Submit your vote today, get the word out to vote, and help us win so other families can also benefi t from your vote!

Voting runs from April 29 to June 30.

Scan this code to vote.

Vote for us at bayareaparent.com/bob-ballot

VOTE FOR US!Business Name: ________________________

Category: _____________________________

VOTING ENDS JUNE 30

Scan this code to vote.

Vote for us at bayareaparent.com/bob-ballot

VOTE FOR US!Business Name: ________________________

Category: _____________________________

VOTING ENDS JUNE 30

Scan this code to vote.

So You Are on a Voting Ballot for a “Best of

the Best” Award – What Next?

Being on the voting ballot for an award in a locally recognized and consumer-influential contest

can be a major boost to your business. With so many savvy marketers recognizing the power of

media and promotion tools to drive engaged and supportive customers to the nomination ballot,

it’s more important than ever to be knowledgeable about the proven tips and tricks to increase

your votes in order to compete. It’s not enough to be on a ballot and expect voters to vote for

you.

Here are a few steps you can take to boost your chances to be a winner.

You Already Have Supporters

Reach out to your customers via your own subscriber list. They already know your business,

your products and services, and are the most likely to support you. Depending on your list size,

you can either personalize your email or send a mass email (but lightly personalized) that

communicates why you should earn their vote based on all the best you offer. If you’ve won

awards in the past, include the awards in your email content. Send them the link to your ballot

and how to vote. It’s important more than ever this year to remind your customers, especially if

Covid-19 restrictions kept them away for a time, and ask for their support this year.

If you don’t have an email list, look at your current customer list of contacts and create one. Use

a professional ESP (Email Service Platform) such as Constant Contact, Campaign Monitor, Mail

Chimp or many others to deploy your email to avoid any blacklisting pitfalls and achieve the

highest deliverability rates.

Also, you may have personal contacts you can reach out to. Send them the same information you

send to your customers but adjust the greeting appropriately since these are your own personal

(and professional) contacts.

Additional tip: in the signature of your email, be sure to include your link to your nomination

ballot!

You Already Have Many “Friends”

With so many social media options at your disposal, don’t forget to post on social media

networks such as Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn and more but focus on the platforms

that you have most engagement with. Social media posts reach an audience that already follows

you or have an interest in your business already, so they are also likely to support you. The post

or message should be fleeting so provide a link to your ballot, instructions on how to vote (if

necessary), and the reason why they should vote for you.

Create Flyers and Engage With Your Customers

Flyers help drive the message to customers who enter your business. Depending on the reason

why a customer visits your business, you can post a flyer on your window, hand them a flyer and

remind them to vote when they get home, or ask them to vote online on their phone while they

are at your business. Create table top versions and display them in your business. This year, we

have QR codes to which voters can scan and vote via their mobile device. Note: Bay Area Parent

reviews IP addresses of votes to determine whether ballot stuffing is taking place, which is

against Best of the Best rules, and may invalidate those votes.

Connect With Your Staff

Your employees and staff work at your business every day. They also have many contacts and

friends. Being voted as a top business in your category can greatly impact your business so why

not ask your own staff to help drive the votes that will help their own business? Being voted for a

Bay Area Parent’s “Best of the Best” award can positively impact your team’s enthusiasm

especially when they are recognized by the public for your company’s products and services.

Remind Everyone Throughout the Year

If you’ve won awards in the past, be sure to remind clients, friends, business associates, and the

public whenever you promote your business. When it’s time to vote, your business is top of mind

already. Display your awards and medals both in your business, your website, in your ads, and in

all of your digital communications.

If you’re looking for an edge beyond the tips above, we invite you to consider Bay Area Parent’s

Best of the Best marketing options including in-ballot marketing to drive readers to vote for you.

For in-ballot marketing options (as well as out-of-ballot) to potentially increase votes , contact

your client representative, the Publisher at @publisher@bayareaparent.com, or visit this page to

submit a marketing inquiry:

https://www.bayareaparent.com/advertise/