Slideshare is a lot like Google Plus.
Most marketers have tried it, but not many are sure what to do with it. Slideshare stands quietly on the sidelines of most marketing operations, never really getting the chance to shine.
However, Slideshare has the ability to deliver some serious results for B2B marketers.
Visual content is exploding onto the marketing scene right now. Consumers want something that can capture and hold their attention. Marketers need to start diversifying their content beyond the standard blog posts and white papers and into more compelling visual content.
With an estimated 58 million unique visitors a month, Slideshare provides a huge platform for brands to showcase their slide decks, videos, and even documents. And after last year’s acquisition by Linkedin, Slideshare is only going to get bigger.
So how can you start generating real business results from Slideshare? Let’s take a look at 6 easy tips.
1.) Looks Do Matter (At least at first)
As viewers are scanning through Slideshare, your presentation only has a fraction of a second to jump out and grab their attention. This means the design and feel of your presentation are crucial. Make sure your presentation is clean, colorful, and easy to read.
If you lack the design resources to create an entire slide deck worthy of an art museum, focus on your title slide. This is the thumbnail viewers will see and it will draw viewers in.
2.) Optimize for Keywords
Just as with all your marketing content, you want to make sure you are optimizing for keywords. You should spend as much time crafting the perfect title for your slide decks as you do for your blog posts. Also make sure you are using the presentation description and tags to accurately explain the subject of your presentation and add in a few extra keywords.
3.) Make Use of Multimedia
Unlike other forms of visual content like infographics, presentations on slideshare can be loaded with multimedia options. Make sure you are adding in links to other relevant content and to your social sites. Also consider adding in video. Sources say that videos on Slideshare receive even more engagement than those on YouTube.
4.) Promote Across Channels
Slideshare makes it easy to share your presentations across multiple social channels. Easily embed your presentations in blog posts, web pages, and Twitter. Embedding your presentations allows your audience to engage with the content without ever leaving the page. As any content marketer knows, the less friction you have in the viewing and sharing process, the better your engagement.
5.) Make Use of Analytics
Unlike social channels like Twitter, Slideshare provides Pro members with a full suite of analytics tools. This analytics dashboard provides you with a comprehensive view of how your presentations are performing, what your page traffic looks like, and much more. This type of data is crucial to analyzing and adjusting your Slideshare strategy.
6.) Activate Lead Forms
One area in which Slideshare excels dramatically over other social networks is with its lead generation options. You have the ability to display custom lead generation forms at any point throughout your presentation or upon download. Slideshare allows you to tailor form fields to your needs and run multiple campaigns across your content. Slideshare provides an organized list of all your leads that can be easily exported and uploaded into your CRM or marketing automation platform.
Although still a relative outsider in the social game, Slideshare can make a big splash in any content marketing strategy.
Are you using slideshare? Did we miss any tips? Let us know in the comments!
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