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Congratulations on being named to the 2022 IC100! This is a moment worth celebrating and sharing. This page includes everything you need to announce your IC100 award to your customers, stakeholders, employees, media, and community. If you would like to download this information as a PDF click here.

Distribute a press release

Distributing a press release detailing the news of your award can help increase awareness of your achievement and generate greater interest in your company, the work you do, and the goods and/or services you provide.

We’ve included a link to a sample press release that can be downloaded, filled in with the details of your company and its ranking on the IC100, and then shared on your company website and distributed to media outlets. Be sure to include information on how readers can contact your company with follow up questions and interview requests.

DOWNLOAD SAMPLE PRESS RELEASE (word document)

Post a blog

In the wake of receiving a major award, a blog post on your own website or on an industry platform is an opportunity for your company to share more about the work that helped make it an award-winning operation.

A blog post can help you to:

• Share your success with your target audiences in your company’s authentic voice
• Have editorial control over the story you’re telling
• Publicly recognize individuals within your organization who contribute to its success
• Reassert your company’s commitment to its employees, customers, and community

Sample outline for a blog post:

• Announce the award: Open the post by sharing with readers information about the IC100 award you won, what it represents, which organization presented the award (ICIC), and what your company and staff did that earned you the award.
• Present any challenges you may have faced, and the approach you took to address the challenge: Small businesses faced unprecedented challenges throughout the pandemic and continue to face hurdles in its wake. How did your company adapt or pivot strategically to remain open for business during the past several years? Are there any lessons learned or bits of knowledge gained that you can share with your audience(s)?
• Highlight your company’s culture, employee-focused development, and contributions to building a more vibrant community: In particular, highlight those activities that show how you did well (grew your business) by doing good.
• Share insight into what’s next for the company: This is an opportunity to provide a glimpse into your company’s future and share any news or plans to keep the company on a growth trajectory.

Here are some ICIC-approved quotes you can use:

QUOTE #1:

Steve Grossman, CEO of ICIC, stated, “Businesses continue to contend with profound socioeconomic issues that have severely tested their ability to emerge stronger. The global pandemic, inflation, severe workforce limitations, and supply chain issues continually impact small business owners. Yet despite this challenging outlook, the Inner City 100 class of 2022 prevailed and stayed open for business. We couldn’t be prouder of these heroes whose energy and optimism inspire us every day.”

Grossman added, “The 2022 Inner City 100 small business owners knew that new strategies were required to deal with the seismic shifts they faced, and they responded admirably. They stepped out of their comfort zones to innovate, adapt, build resilience, and pivot with impressive results.”

QUOTE #2:

“At ICIC, we get up every morning and ask ourselves two questions: What can we do today and throughout the year to close the racial wealth gap? What can we do today and every day to end concentrated poverty? When life expectancy in the under-resourced communities we serve is in many cases more than 20 years shorter than in more affluent neighborhoods, we know we have so much more to accomplish. Yet, the success of the Inner City 100 reminds us of the original intention of taking up this mantel and inspires us to rededicate ourselves to achieving this ambitious, essential mission,” stated Steve Grossman, CEO of ICIC.

Share on social media

1. Download graphics here sized for Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram
2. Use the post suggestions provided below or use them as inspiration to create your own posts
3. Include the #InnerCity100 or #IC100awards hashtag to ensure we’re all part of the same social conversation
4. Tag @icicorg on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, and @initiative-for-a-competitive-inner-city on LinkedIn [Important note: Be sure to type out and select @icicorg on Facebook and Instagram, and @initiative-for-a-competitive-inner-city on LinkedIn posts for proper tagging].

Sample Social Media Message #1: 

Proud to announce that we’ve been named an #InnerCity100 winner by @icicorg for being one of the 100 fastest-growing businesses in under-resourced communities in the U.S.: [link to your press release, ICIC’s official press release or the Inner City 100 webpage]

Sample Social Media Message #2: 

We’ve been recognized as one of the nation’s fastest-growing companies in an under-resourced community by @icicorg. Look for us, we’re #[insert your company’s ranking] on the #InnerCity100 list! https://bit.ly/InnerCity100_2022_award_winners

Share on your website and in your email signature

Adding the 2022 Inner City 100 Winner logo to your website and/or email signature is an excellent means of regularly promoting your win to your audience and community. The logo is available in JPEG and PNG format, including a high-resolution version. Please do not attempt to reformat this, or any other custom graphics in the kit, yourself. ICIC will work with you to obtain additional file formats, if needed. Do not modify, compress, extend, slant, expand, distort, or alter the graphic. If you are resizing for a specific use, please lock the aspect ratio so the logo is not distorted.

Download the official 2022 Inner City 100 winner logo and the usage guide here.

How to use the logo:

1. Website promotion: Add the logo to your website’s homepage to show off your win
2. Update Your Email Signature: Be sure to mention your win! Or you can use the graphic to insert into your email signature as shown below:

The 2022 Inner City 100 Winner logo can also be used on company collateral and on printed and digital materials.

ICIC Communications contacts

If you have questions on how to best leverage the recommendations in this toolkit or need assistance downloading any of the graphic assets included, please get in touch with ICIC’s Communications team below:

André Ledgister, Director of Marketing and Communications, email: aledgister@icic.org

Jasmine Martin, Marketing and Communications Manager, email: jmartin@icic.org