Then make sure hat you register for the 2008 Wommie Awards hosted by the The Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA).

The Wommies recognise outstanding word of mouth campaigns and is a coveted accolade for the word of mouth marketing industry. The Wommie Award is presented annually to companies that demonstrate a unique flair in executing an ethical word of mouth marketing programmes and previous Wommie Award winners include Affinitive, Brains on Fire, The Coca-Cola Company, Fanscape, Hass MS&L, Quicken Loans, Yahoo!, and Converseon.

Wommie Award winners will be chosen by a peer review panel and will be publicly recognized at WOMMA’s forthcoming Word of Mouth Marketing Summit 2008, which is taking place on 13-14 November 2008 in Las Vegas.

You can register for the Wommies by submitting a case study and the closing date is September 1 2008. You can access the guidelines for writing a case study here and you can submit your word of mouth case study here. Unlike many marketing awards there is no fee for entering the awards.

All eligible submissions will be published in WOMMA’s Case Studies Library as a great reference point for best practice in word of mouth marketing.

At a time where marketing budgets are under pressure and the fact that we know that referrals are one of the most effective strategies for business development, many organisations are increasing their focus on word of mouth marketing.

I’ll be interested to see how many of the Wommie submissions this year are embracing social media as part of their word of mouth strategies.

So don’t forget to submit your word of mouth marketing case study before 1 September 2008.or more information or to submit your case study.

What examples of great word of mouth marketing have you seen in Ireland?

The awards are taking place on Saturday, March 1st at 7.30pm at the Alexander Hotel Dublin.

The full list of all finalists can be found here, and for those of you interested in the finalists in the business blog category, you will find them listed below – good luck everyone! Great blogs and brilliant people are behind them!

Best Business Blog Sponsored by FirstPartners

• BH Consulting Blog
• Brightspark Consulting
• Bubble Brothers
• Fortify Your Oasis
• Frank Fullard
• Ice Cream Ireland
• Interactions
• Keith Bohanna
• McGarr Solicitors  
• O’Conall Street
• Pat Phelan
• The Blacknight Blog
• Worldwide Cycles

Sponsored by The Irish Times, the programme ranks the fastest-growing technology companies in Ireland.

Applications for the 2007 Deloitte fast 50 awards is now open - the closing date for nominations is September 3, 2007. And what’s even better is that unlike many awards today, there is no cost for entering or nominating an entry.

For more details on the background and entry requirements read the Deloitte Fast 50 FAQ’s.

If you are or know of a business in technology then I highly recommend you consider entering the Deloitte Fast 50 – entering for awards is not just about the winning.

Here are five benefits you can realise from entering for awards:

• it ups your game – by entering for awards you have the opportunity to stop and reflect on the actions you have taken and what areas you can improve against. So often we are busy with the here and now we don’t get a chance to stand back from the business and reflect on what strategies are proving the most successful
• it can build your employer brand – with the ever increasing challenging market for great people, being an award winner can help you attract the best of the best. When you were on your way up the corporate ladder didn’t you aspire to work for leading edge companies?
• it can enhance your personal brand – as the leader of the organisation, being cited as a finalist or even the winner of an award will enhance your personal reputation and lead to greater professional and personal success
• it can build your corporate brand - entering for an award if you are in the short list will ensure that you get profiled by the media – just think all that free PR! That alone will help you enhance your profile and potentially lead to more clients and strategic joint ventures
• it encourages you to celebrate success – all to often it is easy to forget the challenges we face on the road to success. Taking time out to reflect and celebrate success with your team will ensure that your people feel recognised and valued for their contribution to your success.

So head on over to check out the entry requirements for the Deloitte Fast 50, 2007 – and be sure to let me know if you are in the finalists won’t you!