Sponsorship Basics: What You Need to Know

 

Sponsorship can play an important role in your marketing strategies. 

Written by Robyn T. Braley

Do you find sponsorship confusing? If you are a business or community leader, you must understand how and why it works.

I was the sponsorship manager for several years for Alberta's provincial educational TV and radio network, ACCESS NETWORK. Later, with my company, Unimark Creative, I set up and managed client sponsorship funding. Finally, as a Rotarian and community activist, I have helped package sponsorships supporting various projects.

Brand Synergy

You must ask two questions before digging too deeply into sponsorship function or structure.

1. Is there brand synergy between the sponsor and the cause or event?
2. What could go wrong?
3. What would the consequences be? 

The Big Question

Does sponsorship work? That's a good question.

Script Options for Successful Speakers

There's more than one way to format a speech for presentation. What's best for you?

Written by Robyn T. Braley

After your speech is written, you must organize it into a presentation format that suits your style.

Of course, the ideal way to deliver a speech is to memorize it. However, if that’s not for you, there are other delivery methods.

The Last Laugh

As every speaker knows, the path to speaking success is paved with hours of preparation. I learned this principle the hard way.

The first time I spoke before a crowd of 400 people, I was 17 and running to become the President of my High School Student’s Counsel. I aced the debate and won because I told jokes about my opponent. My election victory had nothing to do with visionary thinking or big ideas.

While I won the election, the last laugh was on me. The second time I spoke to that same crowd was one week later. That time, my fellow students expected me to be … well … Presidential.

Position Your Body on Video Calls and Look like a Pro

How you position yourself on video calls directly affects engagement. 

Written by Robyn T. Braley

How you look on screen is determined by lighting, camera position, and what you wear. Conference speakers and tutorial presenters may even require light facial makeup in some situations (Note shiny bald spots). But, it's how you position yourself that makes the greatest impact. 

We have now spent 18 months locked in a virtual world. While COVID protocols may soon be further relaxed, video calls will be with us forever! That means we must constantly strive to look and sound better in the virtual world. 

Why? Let me repeat. First impressions are everything in Virtual Land.

In my last post about lighting, I stated the obvious. People who see you on a zoom call consciously or unconsciously compare you to TV Anchors.

That’s not a bad thing. Television professionals spend many hours refining every element of their look and performance so that viewers will only think about what they are saying. 

Side screen, off-screen, floating heads, and nose hairs don't cut it. 

Onscreen body positioning involves trial and error to find what is right for you in your space. In my previous 2 posts, I talked about lighting and sound. But, getting those elements right doesn't matter if you're too close or too far away from your webcam.

Body positioning is the secret sauce that will make you look like a pro. In the virtual world, perception is reality!

Seven Easy Steps to Improve Your Voice Quality on Video Calls

Written by Robyn T. Braley

The New Reality

Video conferencing has become a matter of necessity due to the COVI9-19 experience. As it became commonplace, we began to better understand the communication needs of the virtual space. 

Whether you speak to an audience of 1 or 100, your sound quality makes a statement about you. If people can't understand you, they can't engage with your ideas and opinions.  

Audiences will make allowances for poor visuals but will not tolerate shoddy audio. My purpose in this post is to help you improve the sound of your voice on video calls. 

Why Your Personal Brand Matters!

Written by Robyn T. Braley

The people who matter to your career and business growth have an opinion about you. Whether you are the CEO of a large corporation, a student, warehouse worker, teacher, online marketer, pest control technician, truck driver, welder, farmer, salesperson or bootstrapper, what they think matters and will influence your success or failure.

Each of us has a brand. For those who own a business, your company brand will usually be closely aligned with your personal brand, particularly in the early years. It only makes sense that the business will take on the personality of the founder. But, the two brands will still have differences.

Defining your personal brand requires authenticity and transparency. Begin by asking pointed questions that require thoughtful and honest answers. 

1. What am I best known for?
2. What do others think I am known for?
3. What do I want others to know me for?
4. What do I need to change to reshape their opinion?

The answers will help you identify the basic elements of your personal brand. You will find positives to build on, and negatives that need some work. Building your brand is a life-long process that requires periodic self-checks.