Hello,

Thank you for

downloading the Building
a Brand on Social Media
Sample. We hope this
meets your needs.
Ryan
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PREFACE

Understanding Your Training Package

Your Velsoft training package contains the following items:

o Instructor Guide: Contains all textbook information plus this preface, icebreakers,
activities, delivery tips, and more!
o Student Manual: Contains textbook information as well as areas to take notes. Each
manual also includes an evaluation form, action plan, and recommended reading
list.
o Handouts: Contains pre- and post-class answer keys as well as any additional
information or activity resources.
o Pre-Assignment: Task for participants to complete before the workshop to get them
thinking about the learning that will take place.
o PowerPoint Slides: PowerPoint presentation highlighting talking points in the
course.
o Quick Reference Guide: Two-page cheat sheet of tips and facts covered in the
course.
o Outline: Word document that outlines the overview and objectives of the course
and summarizes each session to be covered.
o Advertorial: Pre-made flyer that you can customize and distribute.

Look what you get!

Fully customizable Word and PowerPoint files!
Instructor Guide PowerPoint Slides
Student Manual Quick Reference Guide
Handouts Outline
Pre-assignment Advertorial

 2005-2018, Velsoft Training Materials Inc.

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Preparing for Training

To begin, read through this Instructor Guide. This is intended to be a guide and not a bible! Be
guided by your experience, the needs of the participants, and your own common sense, as well
as the information in here. Most of the suggestions and all of the information have been
developed through research and hands-on, classroom experience, but you will want to
customize the material for your particular audience.

Practice writing on flip chart paper before the workshop. You may want to draw lines on the
paper (lightly, in pencil) to help you. As well, many of the flip charts suggested in this course can
be prepared ahead of time. The first page should be set up like this:
o Name of Workshop
o Facilitated by < Your Name>
o Your Organization’s Name

For an extra touch, include sheets with the words Courtesy, Participation, and Confidentiality
written on them and post them around the room. You might also want to add the words
Exercises, Role Play, Learning, and Fun.

Have an emergency kit ready with the following items:

o Extra markers
o Tape and sticky putty
o Adhesive bandages
o An extension cord
o Safety pins
o Tissues
o A bottle of water
o A fuzzy toy (which can be used for many activities and to spice up any lecture)

Arrive at least one hour before the start of the session to ensure that:
o Signs are placed directing trainees to your room.
o The classroom is set up as desired.
o You know where washrooms, break facilities, smoking areas, and fire exits are
located.
o You have all necessary resources for the day.
o Materials for the morning are laid out, particularly for the icebreaker.
o Pens, sticky notes, and scrap paper are placed at every table.
o If you are using a laptop, it should be connected to the projector and both items
should be turned on.

 2005-2018, Velsoft Training Materials Inc.

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Our Top 10 Training Tips

Although we will provide advice throughout the workshop, there are a few tips that we think
every trainer should know.
1. I always shake hands with each participant and introduce myself as they come into the
classroom. I find that it breaks the ice and sets the type of friendly atmosphere that is
conducive to learning.
2. I always practice before the big day, even if I have delivered the course beforehand.
3. Bring extra activities with you. I have a list of children’s games that I’ve adjusted for
adults.
4. Always have a backup plan! For example, if you plan to use PowerPoint slides, make
sure you have a copy of the Instructor Guide, which includes the information to be
covered.
5. I like to print my instructor guide and place it in a three-ring binder. I put any
customized information in here, plus during the workshop I make notes about what
worked and what didn’t. This will be a resource that you can build on in the future too!
6. Things will go wrong during your workshop. If you are well prepared and confident, you
should be able to resolve most situations quickly and easily. Try not to let participants
see you stressed!
7. Involve participants as much as you can. Have them help you set the agenda, guide
activities (by passing out or collecting forms, for example), lead discussions, and
improve the course. The more participants put into it, the more they will get out of it.
8. Be ready to learn. I have not yet taught a workshop where I didn’t learn something.
Challenge yourself!
9. Tie everything back to the workplace. It’s no good knowing information unless
participants know how to use it.
10. And finally… don’t be afraid to have fun! I always bring a few fuzzy toys with me. I use
them as a speaking hat during discussions – whoever is speaking has the toy. Plus, it
sparks creativity and keeps participants interested.

 2005-2018, Velsoft Training Materials Inc.

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Materials Required

o Flip chart paper

o Markers
o Soft ball or object
o Plenty of blank paper (Morning icebreaker)
o Extra pens and pencils (Morning icebreaker)
o Sticky tack or non-marking tape (Session Five and Session Seven)
o Timer (Session Five)
o One set of Case Studies cards from the Handouts folder per four to six participants,
cut up and placed into an envelope (Session Seven)

We also recommend having several tablets or laptops with Internet access available to
participants throughout the course.

Related Courses

o Branding – Creating and Managing Your Corporate Brand

o Marketing with Social Media
o Basic Internet Marketing

Additional Resources

If you would like more information on training, Velsoft offers Train-the-Trainer courses at
several different levels. We also like the following books:
o The Trainer’s Tool Kit, by Cy Charney and Kathy Conway
o Diversity Training, by Cris Wildermuth
o Games that Teach, by Steve Sugar
o Sivasailam Thiagarajan’s books on games and activities

If you have a favorite resource, please share it with us!

 2005-2018, Velsoft Training Materials Inc.

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AGENDA

8:30-8:45 Icebreaker: Mindstorming

8:45-9:00 Session One: Course Overview

9:00-9:30 Session Two: Defining the Terms

9:30-10:00 Session Three: Building Your Social Media Branding Strategy

10:00-10:15 Session Four: Identifying Your Social Media Audience

10:15-10:30 Break

10:30-11:45 Session Five: The Key Social Media Platforms

11:45-12:00 Morning Wrap-Up

12:00-1:00 Lunch

1:00-1:15 Energizer: Sizing Things Up

1:15-2:15 Session Six: Creating Brand-Focused Messages

2:15-2:30 Break

2:30-3:00 Session Seven: Building Customer Trust

3:00-4:00 Session Eight: Developing a Communication Strategy

4:00-4:15 Session Nine: Reviewing and Revising

4:15-4:30 Workshop Wrap-Up

 2005-2018, Velsoft Training Materials Inc.

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Session One: Course Overview

(8:45-9:00)

Setting the Stage

Introductions
Introduce yourself. Establish credibility by giving examples of training experience, and your own
experiences with today’s topic, including some war stories if you have them.

Give the participants a chance to introduce themselves to you. You will probably want to know
their name, their department, their position title, and what their interest is in today’s topic.

Ground Rules
Ask participants for some ground rules that should be followed during the course. Record ideas
on flip chart paper. After the activity, create a final version and post them where everyone can
see.

Some common ground rules include:

o What we say in this room will stay in this room.
o We can disagree with one another and provide feedback as long as we do so
constructively and respectfully.
o We will all put on our listening hats when someone else is speaking.
o Everyone will participate to the extent that he or she feels comfortable. You get out
of a workshop what you put into it.
o We agree that this is the place to make mistakes and to learn.
o We agree to each be responsible for our own behavior.

Housekeeping Items
Let participants know:
o When the workshop will end
o When breaks and lunch will be
o Where they can find break and restroom facilities
o Where fire exits are and what will happen if there is an emergency
o What the building’s smoking policy is
o How you would like cell phones to be handled, although this should be agreed upon
by all participants
o What the classroom food and drink policy is

 2005-2018, Velsoft Training Materials Inc.

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Agenda Review

Present the agenda as a handout, PowerPoint slide, or on flip chart. Review the topics and the
timeline.

Here is how our in-house trainer handles some common concerns.

This looks like a lot of information. Will we be able to cover it all?

Reassure participants that today’s timeline is indeed feasible. If issues arise, promise that you
will involve participants in solving the problem, rather than cutting out topics or breaks
autocratically.

We’d rather spend more time on x rather than y. Is that possible?

If it is at all possible, accept suggestions like these. For example, you may be able to move an
activity (particularly discussion activities) from one topic to another. Make a few minutes
before the session to prepare.

I was expecting to discuss _______. Is it included in today’s course?

If it is included, reassure participants and let them know when it will be covered. If it’s not
included, suggest resources or provide additional information. If you don’t have the answers,
promise participants that you will track the information down and get it to them as soon as
possible. (Give a timeline if you can.)

I didn’t realize that this course covered_______. Why is it included in today’s course?
This can be a tough one! Usually, I briefly explain the connection and let participants know
more information will be provided when the topic is covered.

 2005-2018, Velsoft Training Materials Inc.

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Course Overview

Ask students to turn to Session One in their workbooks. Read the introduction below.

 Workbook Material

Your brand speaks for your company and its products and/or services. In today’s online-
focused world, it’s important that your brand has a definitive, consistent, and responsive
presence.

Whether you’re looking to build a brand from scratch, or strengthen an existing brand, this
course will help you build a brand using social media. We’ll cover how to build a social media
strategy, identify social media platforms that fit your brand, craft strong messages that will
engage your audience, and evaluate and revise your strategy.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this workshop, you will be able to:

o Define terms related to social media branding
o Create a strategy for your social media brand
o Describe various social media platforms and identify what platforms fit your brand
o Communicate effectively over social media
o Deal with negative feedback and criticism
o Create a social media playbook to guide brand ambassadors
o Evaluate your brand strength and revise your strategy

Give participants a moment to write down their own learning objectives in their workbook.

Action Plans and Evaluations

Next, pass out evaluations and action plans. (Both of these items are in the Handouts folder and
the Student Manual.) Ask participants to work on these throughout the day. They will also have
a few minutes at the end of the workshop to finalize their ideas.

 2005-2018, Velsoft Training Materials Inc.

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Session Two: Defining the Terms

(9:00-9:30)
Let’s have a look
What is Branding? at Session Two, it’s
one of my favorites.
(15 minutes)

What is a Brand?

 Discussion Points

Ask participants: what comes to mind when we say, “brand?” Answers might include:
o Meaning
o Value
o Information
o Marketing
o Sales
o Emotions/feelings
o Senses
o Making your mark/marking your territory
o Reputation
o Perception

There are many definitions of a brand, but our favorite comes from Simon Middleton, a British
brand expert. In his book Build a Brand in 30 Days, he says, “Brand is about meaning. Your
brand is everything that your customers and prospective customers think, feel, say, hear, read,
watch, imagine, suspect, and even hope about your product, service, or organization.”

What’s in a Brand?

Your brand can include:

o A catchy name
o A logo (an image) or logotype (words associated with an image)
o Trademark colors
o Characters
o A particular style, look, and feel
o An attitude
o A set of feelings and values
o Anything you want!

 2005-2018, Velsoft Training Materials Inc.

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What is Social Media?

(15 minutes)

What is Social Media?

 Discussion Points

Ask participants: what comes to mind when we say, “social media?” Answers might include:
o The names of specific platforms
o Interacting with others
o Videos
o Audio
o Blogs
o Likes
o Followers
o Friends

Social media is a term used to describe how people interact, create information, share
information, and build communities in a virtual environment. Social media in its current state
started to evolve with the rise of the Internet in the mid-1990’s.

The Rise of Social Media

1960’s-1980’s
During these decades, the foundation of the Internet and social media began to be established.
In 1969, ARPANET was established, followed by the first commercial Internet service
(CompuServe). Internet services continued to grow over the next 30 years with the addition of
IRC (text-based chat), BBS (Internet bulletin boards), and ListServ (electronic mailing lists).

1990’s
During the 1990’s, the Internet as we know it today started to take shape. Services like The
Palace, GeoCities, Six Degrees, Napster, Classmates.com, and Blogger were all started during
this decade.

2000-2010
Social media and the Internet as we know it grew exponentially during this decade. 2003 in
particular was a big year, with the introduction of Skype, LinkedIn, MySpace, Plaxo, SecondLife,
del.cio.us, and the first version of Facebook. Wikipedia, Twitter, flickr, YouTube, digg, Tumblr,

 2005-2018, Velsoft Training Materials Inc.

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Reddit, and Posterous were also founded during this decade. As well, the first iPhone was
launched in 2007, changing the face of the Internet dramatically.

2010-Present
Social media continues to grow. Google+ and Pinterest have joined the list of successful social
media networks. App-based social media platforms, such as Instagram and Vine, are also
becoming more popular. The mobile device market is growing, too; the first iPad was launched
in 2010 and Microsoft released the Surface two years later.

What is Social Media Branding?

Social media branding is about making sure that your brand is the same online as it is offline.
It’s about creating a constant, consistent, responsive, engaging experience for the customer
every time they encounter you on the Internet.

Your social media presence is about building relationships with each customer that encounters
your brand. That requires:
o Creating a strategy that supports and strengthens your brand
o Identifying how to provide value to customers in meaningful ways
o Humanizing your brand to build connections with your audience

 2005-2018, Velsoft Training Materials Inc.

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Workshop Wrap-Up

(4:15-4:30)

Take the last 15 minutes for a quick review and to answer any questions the class may have.

In closing:
o “Focus on how to be social, not on how to do social.” (Jay Baer)
o “Social media changes the relationship between companies and customers from
master and servant, to peer to peer.” (Paul Gillin)
o “A brand is no longer what we tell the consumer it is – it is what consumers tell each
other it is.” (Scott Cook)

This is also a good time to help participants wrap up their action plans, collect evaluations, and
to pass out certificates.

 Trainer’s Tip

If you haven’t provided students with the Student Manual, print out the Recommended
Reading List and give it to participants as a bonus.

Let’s jump to the end

with the Workshop
Wrap-Up.

 2005-2018, Velsoft Training Materials Inc.