SlideShare is often overshadowed by its cousins Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube. The fact of the matter is that, although SlideShare may not be on everybody’s lips, traffic talks and SlideShare is seeing quite a bit of it, especially from the business sector.
According to the SlideShare.com, it’s bringing in more traffic than any of the other social media platforms. An average of 3 billion presentations are viewed monthly, over 15 million presentations are uploaded and a further 400,000 brand new presentations are added each month. When it comes to content marketing, SlideShare offers one of the most valuable platforms to get your message out there. And the best part isn’t the bustling traffic either, it’s that SlideShare is completely free to use.
We’ve been using SlideShare for a number of years now, especially when we want to share valuable information that we know will engage people who want to grow their business with effective communications strategies.
Here are a few tips for making top-shelf SlideShare presentations that will engage potential clients and cement your position as an expert in your field.
A picture is worth a thousand words; an infographic – two thousand, perhaps more. You’ve been told hundreds of times to throw in plenty of images in your presentations, right? While it’s true that images do a great job of keeping information fresh and interesting, nothing is quite as engaging and informative as a stunning, well-designed infographic.
Infographics arm you with the best of both worlds. You’ll want to share important product information like time-saving features and the low operating costs, but you also want to drive interest by presenting these features in a visual way.
Infographics can present detailed and dense information in an attractive and easily-consumable fashion and SlideShare is the perfect platform to employ them.
Sharing is caring… your knowledge is a gift – get it out there for all to see. SlideShare is a social media platform just like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. When you publish an instructional presentation with SlideShare, you are sharing your knowledge with the world.
Content marketing is all about getting people to engage with your knowledge, your proposals, your expertise in your field. Go further and share your SlideShare presentation across a number of social media channels—get them talking about you, your products, your business. Creativity is the key to success; that, and the use of free owned media channels to access new audiences.
In 2014 it’s no longer good enough to simply advertise, set up a website and wait for the customers to come flooding through the doors. Building and maintaining relationships is now more important than it has ever been. Virgin Atlantic uploads holiday snaps to Instagram and Dominos is encouraging customers to design their newest pizzas.
Don’t advertise on SlideShare, they’ll see right through it. A subtle call to action is a must – a scream to action is not advisable. Remember, content marketing isn’t about selling (at least not on the surface). Your presentation is all about sharing the gift of knowledge with people around the world. You’ll develop a trust, you may even develop an in-depth conversation. It’s important to tell your audience who you are, but what you can offer professionally should be self-evident in the content of your presentation.
Make the call to action an invitation to offer an opinion, the chance to add to the discussion. Email address capture forms, links to further information on your website, etc. are all great ways to encourage further engagement.
SlideShare is habit forming and so it should be – produce content frequently to stay on top. Creating one presentation isn’t enough. Once you’re sharing information with colleagues, industry peers and potential clients, you’ll awaken a very powerful lust for knowledge in your audience. This is a good thing – you’re developing a relationship built on mutual gain and trust. The key to maintaining this relationship is to continue publishing great content, content that is a pleasure to engage with, relevant and useful.
SlideShare is ranked 121 in the world’s most visited websites. In a world jam-packed with advertising messages, the average person just wants honest information from a trustworthy source.
Short and simple: the most attractive qualities (of a SlideShare presentation). We live in a busy bustling world and we want our information fast and furious. The worst thing you can do when it comes to a SlideShare presentation is drag. it. out.
Work hard to make the information as fresh as possible. Prepare your SlideShare presentation on a Sunday evening after dinner when you’re feeling relaxed. No one will want to engage with something you didn’t enjoy writing – would you? Have fun with your presentation and be sure to include all kinds of visuals.
SlideShare presentations should include just enough information to keep your audience wanting more. Also, it’s important to keep things simple; your audience may be interested in what your industry provides, but may not be au fait with the lingo.
So there you have it – SlideShare is another exciting free-to-use media platform that attracts huge audiences from around the world.
The team at Infodec Communications has been using SlideShare to publish a number of communications and marketing guides to help our clients make the most of their budget. Remember, the success of any content marketing strategy relies on an integrated strategy; a plan that takes advantage of a number of different media channels and platforms.
We hope this helps you make the most out of your SlideShare presentations. With 3 billion presentations viewed monthly, now is the time to get on board.
Lost for words? Contact us today to discuss what we can do to promote you, your products and your business to the growing online marketplace.