Twelve Things I Learned About SlideShare
"May you live in interesting times" is the English translation of the first of three Chinese proverbs.
These are very interesting times indeed for business owners struggling to market their products and services without simultaneously emptying their bank account.
It seems not a week goes by that I do not learn about another free or (almost as good) low-cost marketing tool on the Internet.
This week was no exception! I opened an account at SlideShare.
net, a free online slide hosting service.
Users can upload files in PowerPoint and PDF formats, among others.
It is comparable to YouTube, but is primarily for slideshows.
Launched in 2006, the website was originally intended as a vehicle for businesses to share slides with employees.
However, it has since expanded to host slides and videos for entertainment, educational and other purposes.
SlideShare claims 50 million visitors and 90 million page views per month, ranking it as one of the top 250 websites in the world.
The White House used SlideShare to publish President Obama's birth certificate in April 2011.
The impressive list of blue ribbon users also includes NASA, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, IBM, several branches of the U.
S.
military, Dell and the University of Texas.
Here is the list of things I learned about SlideShare that will help you "Avoid Market Obscurity": 1.
Begin your exciting marketing experience by opening a free account at slideshare.
net.
You will be asked to create a public profile that includes a description of your business, address and contact information, logo or picture, website link, industry, keyword tags, and other basic information.
2.
Like most "free" online services, this one has several upgraded versions.
They range in price from $19 to $249 per month.
The extra fees buy customized channels, expanded functionality, visitor analytics and the removal of banner ads, among other advantages.
All upgrades include Zipcast, a virtual meeting service similar to the better-known and admittedly more robust GoToMeeting.
The advantage is that subscribers receive a customized link to share with their attendees.
Those attendees merely click the link without the need to download software or open a SlideShare account.
Regular readers already know my advice on this one! Even if these features appeal to you, I suggest you resist the urge to upgrade until after you have had an opportunity to evaluate your experience over the first thirty to ninety days.
You may find the additional cost is unnecessary.
I should add that the free service includes unlimited slide shows and documents, plus three videos per month.
3.
SlideShare collaborates with social media giants Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to promote and share content.
For example, you can embed presentations on your Facebook Fan page, your LinkedIn profile or your blog.
Viewers can also like, retweet or otherwise share presentations with their followers and connections.
My three presentations had over 150 combined views during their first 24 hours online.
I am confident this activity, which puts to shame my YouTube statistics, was largely the result of the other social media services.
Take full advantage of these capabilities for maximum market exposure.
4.
I have recently begun promoting a simple 12-word marketing strategy to clients and friends.
It is this: Communicate one message, promoting one brand, to multiple audiences, at no cost.
While item #3 fully supports this strategy, do not stop there! I issued three free press releases.
I also published this information as a pdf document on SlideShare, and plan to publish it using several free article marketing websites.
5.
The first slide of a presentation will appear as a small icon link on your profile page.
It should be readable, attractive and descriptive enough to invite viewers.
You will also be asked to provide a description, category and tags for each file.
Making this information keyword rich makes it easier for interested views to locate you slide shows and videos.
Making something keyword rich simply means using certain words and phrases that potential customers are likely to use in search engines when looking for your company, products or services.
6.
SlideShare gives users the option of allowing viewers to download files.
Additionally, presentations can be made available only to authorized viewers with any of the upgraded versions.
It is then a viable option to share private files that are simply too large to email.
An example might be a large contract or proposal in pdf format.
If you do not know how to create a pdf file, Google CutePDF Writer and download their software.
It is a free version of commercial PDF creation software.
CutePDF Writer installs itself as a printer subsystem.
This enables virtually any Windows applications to create professional quality PDF documents.
7.
SlideShare can be used to promote and support your event marketing efforts.
For example, you can made advanced copies of upcoming seminars available online to help invitees decide whether to attend, or provide copies to interested parties who are unable to attend.
8.
Users (and their followers) can post additional information on their wall, very similar to Facebook.
I posted a notice of a free seminar based on one of my uploaded files, along with a link to EventBrite for event details.
9.
I was pleased to see that PowerPoint speaker's notes are visible for each slide.
Even if you do not usually take advantage of this feature in your presentations, you should consider using it to replace whatever narrative you would ordinarily add in a live venue.
10.
One PowerPoint feature that will not translate through SlideShare is animation.
I typically have numerous visuals enter and exit slides as appropriate to support my verbal narrative.
In reviewing my posted slide shows, I quickly noticed that all visuals are in screen.
In my case, this made for some very busy slides.
Consider tailoring your uploaded slides accordingly.
11.
If you decide one or more slides do not convey the full story after you view them online, you can simply adjust your PowerPoint and replace the original file with a new upload.
This will save having to reenter descriptions and tags, something I learned was necessary after I deleted several files to make minor changes.
It also maintains the correct viewing statistics.
12.
I am always surprised by the cost of printing projects.
My frustration over this expense is magnified by the need to "bring a few extra copies" just in case more attendees show up than expected, while knowing most will be left behind or tossed in the trash on the way out.
SlideShare presents an opportunity to reduce or eliminate this unnecessary outlay.
First, I suggest presenting only a cryptic outline of your presentation at the event, probably no more than one or two pages.
The purpose of this short handout is merely to facilitate note taking.
It has the added advantage of directing attendees' undivided attention to you rather than flipping through a voluminous handout.
Then allow attendees to download their own slides, either before or after the seminar.
Since they will only print those of interest, this is a legitimately green initiative.
As a last bit of advice, if you are one of the almost 15 million unemployed Americans, please consider creating and posting a visual resume on SlideShare.
net.
It will add another venue for prospective employers to find you, while demonstrating your communication skills and knowledge of current social media tools.
Well, that is my entire list.
I hope you will find something of value, and more importantly that it will encourage you in your continuing pursuit of the low-cost marketing experimentation I talked so much about in my book, Highly Visible Marketing - 115 Low-cost Ways to Avoid Market Obscurity.
Finally, for the record the other two Chinese proverbs are "May you come to the attention of powerful people" and "May you find what you are looking for.
" Again, both would seem to apply to my small business and middle-market target audience, especially when you consider that the most powerful person of all is the customer whose attention you are looking for!
These are very interesting times indeed for business owners struggling to market their products and services without simultaneously emptying their bank account.
It seems not a week goes by that I do not learn about another free or (almost as good) low-cost marketing tool on the Internet.
This week was no exception! I opened an account at SlideShare.
net, a free online slide hosting service.
Users can upload files in PowerPoint and PDF formats, among others.
It is comparable to YouTube, but is primarily for slideshows.
Launched in 2006, the website was originally intended as a vehicle for businesses to share slides with employees.
However, it has since expanded to host slides and videos for entertainment, educational and other purposes.
SlideShare claims 50 million visitors and 90 million page views per month, ranking it as one of the top 250 websites in the world.
The White House used SlideShare to publish President Obama's birth certificate in April 2011.
The impressive list of blue ribbon users also includes NASA, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, IBM, several branches of the U.
S.
military, Dell and the University of Texas.
Here is the list of things I learned about SlideShare that will help you "Avoid Market Obscurity": 1.
Begin your exciting marketing experience by opening a free account at slideshare.
net.
You will be asked to create a public profile that includes a description of your business, address and contact information, logo or picture, website link, industry, keyword tags, and other basic information.
2.
Like most "free" online services, this one has several upgraded versions.
They range in price from $19 to $249 per month.
The extra fees buy customized channels, expanded functionality, visitor analytics and the removal of banner ads, among other advantages.
All upgrades include Zipcast, a virtual meeting service similar to the better-known and admittedly more robust GoToMeeting.
The advantage is that subscribers receive a customized link to share with their attendees.
Those attendees merely click the link without the need to download software or open a SlideShare account.
Regular readers already know my advice on this one! Even if these features appeal to you, I suggest you resist the urge to upgrade until after you have had an opportunity to evaluate your experience over the first thirty to ninety days.
You may find the additional cost is unnecessary.
I should add that the free service includes unlimited slide shows and documents, plus three videos per month.
3.
SlideShare collaborates with social media giants Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to promote and share content.
For example, you can embed presentations on your Facebook Fan page, your LinkedIn profile or your blog.
Viewers can also like, retweet or otherwise share presentations with their followers and connections.
My three presentations had over 150 combined views during their first 24 hours online.
I am confident this activity, which puts to shame my YouTube statistics, was largely the result of the other social media services.
Take full advantage of these capabilities for maximum market exposure.
4.
I have recently begun promoting a simple 12-word marketing strategy to clients and friends.
It is this: Communicate one message, promoting one brand, to multiple audiences, at no cost.
While item #3 fully supports this strategy, do not stop there! I issued three free press releases.
I also published this information as a pdf document on SlideShare, and plan to publish it using several free article marketing websites.
5.
The first slide of a presentation will appear as a small icon link on your profile page.
It should be readable, attractive and descriptive enough to invite viewers.
You will also be asked to provide a description, category and tags for each file.
Making this information keyword rich makes it easier for interested views to locate you slide shows and videos.
Making something keyword rich simply means using certain words and phrases that potential customers are likely to use in search engines when looking for your company, products or services.
6.
SlideShare gives users the option of allowing viewers to download files.
Additionally, presentations can be made available only to authorized viewers with any of the upgraded versions.
It is then a viable option to share private files that are simply too large to email.
An example might be a large contract or proposal in pdf format.
If you do not know how to create a pdf file, Google CutePDF Writer and download their software.
It is a free version of commercial PDF creation software.
CutePDF Writer installs itself as a printer subsystem.
This enables virtually any Windows applications to create professional quality PDF documents.
7.
SlideShare can be used to promote and support your event marketing efforts.
For example, you can made advanced copies of upcoming seminars available online to help invitees decide whether to attend, or provide copies to interested parties who are unable to attend.
8.
Users (and their followers) can post additional information on their wall, very similar to Facebook.
I posted a notice of a free seminar based on one of my uploaded files, along with a link to EventBrite for event details.
9.
I was pleased to see that PowerPoint speaker's notes are visible for each slide.
Even if you do not usually take advantage of this feature in your presentations, you should consider using it to replace whatever narrative you would ordinarily add in a live venue.
10.
One PowerPoint feature that will not translate through SlideShare is animation.
I typically have numerous visuals enter and exit slides as appropriate to support my verbal narrative.
In reviewing my posted slide shows, I quickly noticed that all visuals are in screen.
In my case, this made for some very busy slides.
Consider tailoring your uploaded slides accordingly.
11.
If you decide one or more slides do not convey the full story after you view them online, you can simply adjust your PowerPoint and replace the original file with a new upload.
This will save having to reenter descriptions and tags, something I learned was necessary after I deleted several files to make minor changes.
It also maintains the correct viewing statistics.
12.
I am always surprised by the cost of printing projects.
My frustration over this expense is magnified by the need to "bring a few extra copies" just in case more attendees show up than expected, while knowing most will be left behind or tossed in the trash on the way out.
SlideShare presents an opportunity to reduce or eliminate this unnecessary outlay.
First, I suggest presenting only a cryptic outline of your presentation at the event, probably no more than one or two pages.
The purpose of this short handout is merely to facilitate note taking.
It has the added advantage of directing attendees' undivided attention to you rather than flipping through a voluminous handout.
Then allow attendees to download their own slides, either before or after the seminar.
Since they will only print those of interest, this is a legitimately green initiative.
As a last bit of advice, if you are one of the almost 15 million unemployed Americans, please consider creating and posting a visual resume on SlideShare.
net.
It will add another venue for prospective employers to find you, while demonstrating your communication skills and knowledge of current social media tools.
Well, that is my entire list.
I hope you will find something of value, and more importantly that it will encourage you in your continuing pursuit of the low-cost marketing experimentation I talked so much about in my book, Highly Visible Marketing - 115 Low-cost Ways to Avoid Market Obscurity.
Finally, for the record the other two Chinese proverbs are "May you come to the attention of powerful people" and "May you find what you are looking for.
" Again, both would seem to apply to my small business and middle-market target audience, especially when you consider that the most powerful person of all is the customer whose attention you are looking for!