In this episode of Build Momentum, we are joined by Doug Roberts, founder, and CEO of Institute for Education Innovation (IEI), as well as Alexa Escobedo, IEI’s marketing coordinator and project manager for the first-ever Supe’s Choice Awards.

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Some Questions I Ask:

• Give us a quick overview of IEI. (2:10)
• How did you conceptualize this new awards program?  (3:20)
• What do you recommend companies or organizations consider before launching an awards program? (7:02)
• What are the first action steps for starting an awards program? (10:58)
• What do you think went really well this year? And what would you do differently? (16:16)
• Do you feel like the awards program is elevating your profile and do you think it is making an impact in the industry? (24:07)
• What final advice or insights would you like to share? (25:55)

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In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• About the Institute for Education Innovation (IEI) (2:16)
• How to conceptualize an awards program (4:45)
• Considerations before launching an awards program (7:19)
• Starting an awards program (11:26)
• An overview of what happened in the Supe’s Choice Awards for 2021 (16:22)
• The long-term branding benefits of an awards program (26:02)

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Quotes:

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“The people making the decision have to be authentic about who wins, so you have to really believe in what you're doing, and it has to come from the right place.”

“I would say the setup part was the most difficult. Once it was set, as far as getting the judges in there, getting the scorecards—that ran very smoothly, but there was a lot of front-end work. So I would also say to anybody who's starting off, don't get discouraged if you feel very overwhelmed in the beginning, because really doing all that hard work, in the beginning, is what pays off in the end. Then it becomes a smoother ride.”

“I think our members care to be part of this conversation about quality. One of the things they tell me all the time is that they appreciate that the companies that get in front of them are usually either ready for prime time or ready to roll up their sleeves and listen and work with them and let them provide input. I think that’s an important part of what we do, positioning these discussions to be successful between them. And I think Supe's Choice now could be a way to introduce concepts that can turn into larger discussions.”

“Even if you don't win, you are still seen by so many district leaders that you could get potential leads that way. It really is a conversation starter. And it's a great low-cost way to be seen.”

“You have to have some standing in your industry, you have to have a good network and a list to message to in the beginning to grow from. So [starting an awards program] shouldn't be the first thing you do; you should have something going already. I think that's really important. We were able to build off of our existing brand network membership to grow this.”