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They’ve cast the votes! They’ve tallied the ballots! And Small Business Trends proudly announces winning first place in the Freshest in Small Business Awards, by FreshLime.

The awards recognize small businesses. But more specifically they identify those who work day in and day out to provide the best service possible to their customers.

Small Business Trends feels deeply honored to win this award. We thank FreshLime, creators of the award. Most of all, we thank you, dear readers, who voted for us and made it possible.  You are the best!

The Hidden Benefits of Awards

Participating in awards isn’t all about winning.

Just taking part — whether you win or not — is a great experience. Why? It’s an opportunity to get out and engage with your community by asking them to support you.

Most small businesses hesitate to ask their customers to vote for them on awards.  We feel the same way. We hate to bother people. But occasionally — and sparingly — it is a good thing to do. It forces you to engage, and you just might like the response.

It took a lot of courage for us to publicly ask for votes each day for a couple of weeks.  So imagine our surprise by the positive community reaction.  No one seemed annoyed. No one  snapped at us. On the contrary, people seemed really willing to help.

“It gave our team such a boost. You can’t believe how gratifying it was to learn how much the community supported us,” said Small Business Trends founder and CEO Anita Campbell.

Offering an award is a great strategy, too. Without the awards, we probably wouldn’t have gotten to know FreshLime as well.  By participating, we got curious. We checked them out and learned a lot about the company.

FreshLime operates a customer data platform. The platform is designed to help you understand and market to your customers based on several criteria. These criteria include purchase history, lifetime value, previous interaction, feedback and demographics.  The company says their product helps small businesses get discovered, get selected and get repeat business.

Hopefully some of our constituency who voted for us were intrigued enough to check out FreshLime, too, while they were at the site voting.  See how offering an award can help your business?

Congratulations to the Other Winners

Small Business Trends joins two other great small businesses — New York Insulation and Natura Pest Control — as top winners.

New York Insulation, in second place, specializes in asbestos, lead and mold abatement. The company also handles thermal systems re-installation and structural fireproofing. Founded in 1989, the company took second place in the award.

Natura Pest Control, in third place, operates two locations in Vancouver, Washington and Portland, Oregon. The company specializes in controlling house pests like ants, fleas, mice, rats, roaches, spiders and wasps. The company guarantees its work and pledges to re-service properties where pests reappear, for free.

We’re delighted to be in such great company.  They and all the entrants represent the kinds of companies we serve everyday with expert advice and tips.

This article, “Small Business Trends Wins Freshest in Small Business Award by FreshLime” was first published on Small Business Trends