It seems that someone is giving away or receiving an award, wherever you look. So, the big question that arises is: Do they mean anything?

 The answer—in the case of our Readers’ Choice Awards—is an easy one: Yes, they matter—and they matter to all involved: 1) those giving the award; 2) those receiving the award; and 3) the reader, who is making a purchase decision because of these awards.

 As marketers, we understand that the Readers’ Choice Awards make a huge difference to businesses in many ways, most notably, awareness. Awareness is where it all begins for any business. Simply put, no awareness=no business. Do awards mean more sales? A recent survey from business.com says yes: 37% more sales.

 For the past 12 years, STYLE’s Readers’ Choice Awards have generated more voters, and votes, than all the other local/regional awards from media companies, combined. Yes combined.

 This year was our biggest awards voting ever with over 90,000 votes cast, 8,500 of which were “write-in” votes—amazing! This is the kind of reader involvement that publications can only hope for. Does it say something about our readership and involvement in the community? We’ll let you answer that.

 From time to time, we hear that people think our winners are only advertisers, and honestly, nothing could be further from the truth. Here are the facts: When we tally all winners from all regions, and then do the math, 79% of the winners are not advertisers.

 What this all comes down to is you—the reader. Your engagement with our awards platform clearly states that you not only enjoy voting for your favorite businesses, but you trust the process and act on the outcome, engaging with our partners by buying products and services from them. How do we know that? Because they tell us!

 We are proud to deliver such a meaningful awards platform, one with checks and balances and one that utilizes high-end algorithms (had to get the word in!) that automatically place questionable results on hold, which allows us to see and review abuse, and which keeps the voting results accurate and above board.

 So here you have it—the most in-depth, local business awards available in the Sacramento region. Awards you can trust and awards that we know help you make decisions. All of us at STYLE are proud to present this year’s winners to you and all our 250,000 monthly print and online readers.

 Please feel free to email us if you have any questions or would like more information about our awards, our company, anything. It’s been a grand 15 years we have served this community; we look forward to the next 15, and we hope to continue to earn your time and trust.

 

Thank you for reading!

 

Terry Carroll & Wendy Sipple
Publishers/Owners

STYLE Magazine