So, here's something I’ve seen a bit too often—solid brands doing solid work, and yet, sort of vanishing into the background noise. Like, really, there’s effort and results happening, but if no one *sees* that credibility? That’s like baking the best chocolate cake ever and forgetting to tell anyone it’s in the breakroom. And honestly, in some respects, that’s where trust seals and awards come in.
Now, I’m not just saying this because I run award programs—although, yeah, obviously, that plays a part. I’ve been in your shoes, juggling way too many campaigns at once, trying to prove results to a team who only half-read the reports. That’s why I think this isn’t just fluff—it’s functional. Let’s break this down.
How Trust Signals Quietly (but Totally) Do the Heavy Lifting
Okay, so trust isn’t always flashy. But it’s kind of like background music at a nice restaurant—you *feel* it before you realize it’s there.
Those little badges? The award logos in your email footer? The ‘2025 Winner’ mention on your homepage? Yeah, they’re doing a lot of whispering in your audience’s ear: “This company knows their stuff. You won’t regret clicking this CTA.”
Studies show (and we all love a good stat) that trust seals can boost conversion rates by *up to 42%*. Pretty wild, right? In fact, adding something like a recognized security seal can reduce shopping cart abandonment significantly.
And awards—especially ones judged by actual experts and not, you know, just bots—tend to stick with people. Someone sees that you were named a winner by a credible source, and suddenly they’re not just considering your product. They’re kind of rooting for you.
For example, some companies absolutely nail their awards pages—we rounded up 10 favorites here: https://www.bintelligence.com/blog/10-award-pages-that-we-love.
Your Buyer Isn’t Skeptical. They’re Exhausted.
Let’s face it. Whether you’re a PR account exec scrambling to hit a media placement goal or a marketing director whose CEO just asked, “What exactly *are* we getting out of this webinar spend?”—it’s a bit much. People don’t just want to know you’re good. They want it proven, and preferably without having to read 50 lines of copy or a case study that opens with a metaphor about climbing Everest.
Awards and trust seals? They’re like the marketing version of someone vouching for you in a meeting before you even speak.
That’s especially true for your audience. If they’re on your site, poking around your pricing page or checking out your customer stories, they’re already kind of into it. What they need is that little nudge—that extra sprinkle of “Oh wow, other people trust them too.”
Where You Show It Matters More Than You Think
So, yeah, you’ve got the badge. Now what? Here's where folks drop the ball.
The best placements:
- Homepage hero area? Obvious win.
- Landing pages tied to high-intent campaigns? A bit of a no-brainer.
- Checkout page or demo form page? Yes, and yes again.
- Your email signature? Sneaky smart move.
- Social proof banners on LinkedIn ads? Yep, go for it.
What you want is for your credibility to show up naturally—just kind of hanging out wherever your audience is about to make a decision. Don’t overdo it. Nobody wants to feel like they’re on a NASCAR website with 47 badges. But one or two that really pop? That sticks.
Awards Make Your Brand More Human
Here’s the part people don’t talk about enough. Awards don’t just validate *what* you do. They hint at *who* you are.
I mean, we’ve seen companies win a “Best Places to Work” award and use that to attract top talent faster than you can say “Glassdoor review.” And some of the best stories we’ve seen come from smaller companies—scrappy, smart teams doing wildly cool things that their customers absolutely adore.
That human element? It’s kind of the secret sauce. Especially when your audience is tired of jargon and big promises. An award judged by real humans, recognizing real results? That’s something people still believe in.
For a little bit more check out our ebook How to Win Business Awards and Influence Revenue. Now and it's second edition!