Brand and profile building masterclass to drive online presence

Fortitude Communications delivered an interactive brand and profile building masterclass to employees of Ignite Training, Ignite Sport, Velocity Football and Oxford City FC.

Digital has revolutionised how organisations and employees communicate key messages to enhance brand awareness and reputation. 

Done successfully it strengthens existing relationships and supports business development. Digital is a key component, with 66% of people in the UK active on social media. 

Fortitude Communications delivered the interactive training workshop to employees of Ignite Training, Ignite Sport, Velocity Football and Oxford City FC to provide them with the knowledge base to communicate online. 

What was delivered?


The session educated the participants on how they can utilise their online profiles to drive brand awareness and improve reputation by showcasing their key services, skills and qualities via storytelling.

Fortitude director Greig Box Turnbull and senior account executive Shaun Reynolds delivered the masterclass to develop employees’ knowledge, awareness and confidence of all forms of social media, with a focus on LinkedIn. Participants included Oxford City FC’s head coach Ross Jenkins and head of media Andrew Gate and Velocity Football’s head female coach Lauren Haynes. 

It included tips on developing a professional profile, what makes good content and how to stand out from the crowd. It acted as a refresher for staff who are already active online and a valuable development tool for those who were new to social media or yet to setup a profile. 

READ MORE: Media training professional Rugby League players

Brand awareness


Louise Merritt, operations director of Ignite Training and Ignite Sport, commissioned Fortitude to deliver the masterclass at Jurys Inn in Oxford. 

She said: Thousands of people across the country engage with our apprenticeship, education, school sport, coaching and matchday provisions each month. 

We wanted to provide colleagues with professional support to improve their understanding of the value of brand awareness and social media and how to use it effectively. It was an invaluable investment in our team’s personal development and our group of company’s wider reputation. 

We have already witnessed an increase in strategically placed content which promotes the fantastic work of individuals and groups we work with. The session was incredibly engaging and insightful and all the team benefited from it. Everyone also received a copy of Fortitude’s presentation so they can use it as reference tool.” 

Why is social media important? 


Social media platforms like LinkedIn provide an instant platform for individuals and companies to communicate, educate, engage and build relationships. 

It makes it essential for content to appear professional, well-informed, educational and personal. 

  • LinkedIn is responsible for over 50% of all social traffic to B2B websites and blogs
  • Feed updates are viewed 280 billion times annually 
  • Each LinkedIn connection introduces you to an average of 400 new people

Hands-on learning


The masterclass ended with a practical session and in small groups the participants wrote their own post to publish live from the event. 

They included attention grabbing headlines and a brief explanation of what they had learnt from the masterclass. They also used additional features such as emojis, a photograph and hashtags to maximise awareness. Posts were then shared to the profiles of everyone in attendance, including those who had just set up their account. 

Communicating with confidence 


The masterclass was well received by those in attendance whose job roles included director, football programmes manager, sports coach and apprenticeship tutor. 

Sorcha Murphy, Ignite Training business development manager, said: Fortitude’s brand and profile masterclass was really informative and insightful. My role requires me to showcase Ignite’s core services to potential delivery partners, with a lot of my work fulfilled via online awareness. It was a great night and we all picked up some useful tips.” 

Kyle Bestley, Ignite Sport coach and tutor, added: It was great to broaden our knowledge on the benefits of effective PR which can promote our key services and programmes. A big thank you to Greig and Shaun for delivering an engaging and insightful CPD evening.”

Andrew Gate, Head of Media at Oxford City FC, said: It was an informative evening. Some of my colleagues did not have online profiles before this evening, but Fortitude helped set up their accounts and develop their first posts to give them the confidence required to have and develop an online presence.” 

READ MORE: Helping charities drive fundraising campaigns via communications

Bespoke media training 


Fortitude Communications deliver media training and brand and profile masterclasses in bespoke formats to suit most briefs. 

This includes one-to-one CEO and spokesperson training and group sessions. Our team are professionally trained and experienced journalists and corporate communications professionals. 

If you would like to enquire about a bespoke training session for your business or organisation contact us here.

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