How to use SlideShare for Business
In 2013, Forbes dubbed it the Quiet Giant of Content Marketing and today SlideShare is still somewhat underplayed despite its ability to generate free exposure for businesses.
SlideShare is the world’s largest community for sharing professional content, and yet it isn’t over-saturated from marketeers. This makes it the perfect place to share your best infographics, documents, videos, PDFs, webinars and more, to drive traffic and generate positive brand exposure.
If you’re not using SlideShare (we are!) and you’re in the B2B market, you should be. In this article, we look at how to use SlideShare for business. We give you our top tips for creating engaging content and gaining increased visibility and traffic to your website.
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- Make visuals eye-catching – By our nature we are visual beings. So, use good production practices with high quality images, readable font and text size, and a colour palette that matches your brand and target audience.
- Keep presentations brief – Readers on the web get bored quickly. We want to understand the solution with minimal amount of effort, so get to the point quickly. SlideShare puts the average number of slides at 14, so keep it between 10-20 slides. Also, keep the text brief. The average number of words per slide is 24, so use dot points, numbered lists and use visuals where possible.
- Repurposing or summarising content – Double your exposure by creating a SlideShare that summarises your White Paper, blog post or other text-heavy content. Your SlideShare may be even more successful than the original article.
- More than just PowerPoint – SlideShare now lets you upload a range of media including video, graphics, PDFs and more. So, think outside the box when it comes to creating engaging content.
- It’s not a sales pitch – A well-designed and useful SlideShare presentation – one that people are likely to engage with and share – is one that defines a problem and presents a solution. A good solution is a strategy, a method or an approach, not “you”. However, at the end of the day it is about promotion, so make it subtle. Include your logo on each slide and include links to website or landing page.
Be found through search
- Optimise metadata with keywords – When uploading presentations to SlideShare, you will be asked to complete various metadata fields such as title, description and tags. Adding keyword-optimised information makes it easier to find when searching both through Google and within SlideShare itself.
- Upload new content regularly – Search engines, such as Google, like fresh content. The more content you provide the greater your exposure and chance of being found.
Drive traffic to your website
- Add clickable links – The best way to convert your SlideShare visitors to prospects is to drive traffic to your website through links. It also contributes greatly to your SEO. Text, objects and images can all be hyperlinked and should be placed throughout your presentation, as well as on the last slide.
Build credibility by sharing on social media
- Share and be shared – SlideShare isn’t exactly a social network but it does allow you and your visitors to share content easily on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and other popular channels. Presentations can be easily embedded into your website or blog, and engagement is encouraged with the ability to like and comment.
Reap benefits of community forum
- Keep track of your competition – One of the great things about being part of the SlideShare community is it makes it easy to keep track of what your competitors are posting and learn about industry trends.
- Feature of the Month – Imagine the added exposure if your quality presentation was featured on the SlideShare homepage? Each month, SlideShare staff hand-pick some of the best presentations where they will be seen by thousands of people. Follow our advice and you’ll be well on your way.
Track success using analytics
- SlideShare Analytics – A SlideShare analytics dashboard lets you measure performance of your presentations to find out what resonates with visitors. The best way to create powerful and targeted presentations is by building on and refining your techniques. Find out number of clicks, shares, comments and much more.
Brisbane’s premier digital marketing agency
The power of SlideShare cannot be understated, and the iFactory digital marketing team can attest to how well-designed presentations can help drive traffic and brand exposure.
Want to find out more about how to improve your SEO and engagement with SlideShare? iFactory is Brisbane’s premier full-service digital and creative agency and we’ve been helping our clients achieve digital success through cutting-edge technology and marketing techniques for more than 10 years. Contact iFactory today on 07 3844 0577 and find out what’s possible.
