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Bespoke trophies for extraordinary moments

Bespoke Trophies

Make the Case: 6 Reasons Custom Plaques Make Your Accreditation Programme Stronger

No room for accreditation awards in your programme budget? Here are 8 ready-to-present justifications that'll convince the boss.

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Hattie Lomax

November 27, 2024

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Custom plaques are a powerful way to honour excellence while enhancing your brand’s visibility and value.

Whether you’re accrediting businesses, awarding employees, or celebrating milestones, a well-crafted plaque is a tangible symbol of accomplishment.

In this blog, we’ll explore why custom plaques aren’t just decorative—they’re strategic tools that elevate recognition programmes and leave a lasting impression on recipients.

What is an accreditation award, and what does a custom plaque look like?

An accreditation is a formal recognition of excellence, given to organisations or individuals who meet specific standards of quality and performance. The accreditation itself isn’t a physical item, but they are often presented as custom plaques or trophies. An accreditation from a credible body can make a lasting impression on the recipients employees, customers and stakeholders.

At Gaudio, we design and manufacture custom plaques and trophies in the UK. Our in-house team have worked with accreditation programmes of all shapes and sizes, and we know what it takes to keep things running smoothly:

  • Personalised Design: Each plaque can be personalised with your logo and company name, as well as the recipients’ logos, company name and accreditation date. Our Investors in People plaques are a great example of how branding is incorporated into the design.
  • Tailored Fulfilment: Let us know your requirements, and we can handle personalisation and shipping to individual addresses.
  • Stock Options: Our stock-holding options are free, so you can take advantage of large quantity purchases without the hassle of storage.
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Custom Accreditation Plaque Examples

The Benefits of Custom Accreditation Plaques

1. Brand Recognition and Positioning

  • Boosting Brand Visibility: When your recipients display a custom plaque, it showcases not only their achievement, but also your brand in physical locations.
  • Trust and Credibility: Awards and plaques displayed in offices and online symbolise quality and strengthen the association between your accreditation programme and excellence in the relevant industry. Plaques are a visual symbol of achievement, reinforcing the prestige of earning the accreditation, which reflects positively on your organisation.

2. Increasing the Value of Your Accreditation

  • Tangible Reward: A custom plaque makes the accreditation feel more valuable and prestigious because recipients receive a physical representation of their achievement. Awards, such as bespoke trophies and custom plaques, motivate organisations and individuals to engage actively with programmes, fostering a culture of excellence that’s directly associated with your brand.
  • Stand Out Against Competitors: Much like your recipients may choose to become accredited to stand out against competitors, offering custom plaques where your competitors may not is a way to differentiate. Offering high-quality, visually appealing plaques gives your accreditation authority against competitors that don’t.
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3. Media Coverage and Customer Advocacy

  • Generate Media Coverage: Providing recipients with some media-ready copy and photos of manufacture inside the Gaudio factory alongside their custom plaque makes a perfect ready-to-go PR kit.
  • Display and Influence: Businesses are likely to display plaques in visible areas, such as reception desks or conference rooms. Visitors, clients, and stakeholders of these businesses will see the plaque and associate your organisation with trust, excellence, and credibility.
  • Word-of-Mouth: Proud recipients may share their achievement on social media or with their networks with a picture of their custom plaque, which can be personalised to include their name and logo as well as yours, creating organic promotion for your accreditation program.

4. Content Marketing and Storytelling

  • Engaging Content Creation: Develop blog posts, videos, and infographics that highlight award recipients and showcase the impact of the accreditation programme. Use recipients custom plaque as a featured image and give other organisations an in-depth look into the physical and organisational rewards of your accreditation.
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5. Stronger Customer Relationships

  • Networking Opportunities: For some accrediting organisations, hosting an annual award ceremony is a vital part of their customer relationship strategy. Encourage peer recognition by allowing customers to vote in an array of categories, and celebrate winners with a custom trophy designed by Gaudio to match your bespoke plaques. Promote a culture of recognition and support within the industry, and keep existing customers engaged.
  • Personalised Interaction: Custom plaques offer an opportunity to engage directly with accredited businesses during the awarding process, strengthening the relationship. Presenting businesses with a plaque creates a sense of pride and accomplishment, fostering goodwill and loyalty toward your organisation.

6. Driving New Business

  • Incentivising Engagement: Enhance the value of your accreditation programme by including the plaque as part of the accreditation, or alternatively offer the plaque as optional merchandise. You can offer additional plaques for businesses with multiple locations.
  • Aspirational Goal: Prospective clients may view the plaques at accredited businesses and be inspired to pursue accreditation themselves, boosting your sales pipeline.
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7. High-Impact, Low Cost Investment in Your Business

  • Utilise stock options and price breaks from Gaudio: Custom plaques, especially when ordered in bulk, are relatively inexpensive compared to the long-term brand benefits they offer, including potential positive impacts on brand positioning, customer retention and lead generation. Your Account Manager at Gaudio will provide a free design and quote based on your requirements.
  • Longevity of Impact: Unlike certificates or digital recognition, custom plaques are hard-wearing, suitable for indoor and outdoor use. With a robust lifespan, custom plaques provide value to recipients and your organisation for years.

8. Long-Term Retention

  • Tiered Recognition: With bespoke design, you can implement a system of progressive awards, motivating organisations to achieve higher levels of recognition and promoting continuous improvement within the accreditation programme. For example, you may offer bronze, silver and gold levels of accreditation, with a corresponding plaque or trophy.
  • Motivation for Retention: Existing accredited businesses will see the plaque as a badge of honour and be more motivated to renew their accreditation to avoid losing their status and the associated recognition.
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Accreditation Awards at Gaudio

Tailored Fulfilment

Shipping to suit your schedule.

Free Stock Holding

For quick turnaround.

Smart Prices

Make the most of our budget-boosting pricing.

Branded Designs

The benefit of bespoke? Brands can shine.

Ready to celebrate with your own custom plaque design?

Integrating trophies and plaques into the marketing mix and strategy of an accreditation scheme enhances the overall value, and increased value means an increase in interest. They serve not only as symbols of achievement but also as powerful marketing tools that can drive engagement, build brand recognition, and foster a sense of community among participants. By leveraging these awards strategically, accreditation programs can create lasting relationships with organisations that benefit the business for years to come.

If you know exactly what type of plaque you’re looking for, or you’re interested in exploring design options, a member of the Gaudio team will be more than happy to help you start celebrating.

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Blank

When you order a blank trophy, it will arrive without any personalised details. The trophy is blank for you to add your own personalisation, or use as a decorative piece.

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Select your layout using the dropdown menu, then enter your details. The live proof shows you an approximate visual of how your trophy will look when it’s engraved. Once you’ve added the details you want and purchased your trophy, we’ll begin manufacture right away.

Please note: The live render is an estimate of how your trophy will look, and the final result may vary in size, colour and placement.

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With the Gaudio Proofing Service, simply add your chosen trophy to your cart and checkout as normal. A member of the team will be in touch to collect the required details, and we’ll send you proofs to approve before manufacture. Delivery time excludes proofing.