by 
Do you use SlideShare?
Wondering how to generate leads from SlideShare?
With the right design and content, your SlideShare presentation can become a powerful lead-generating marketing tool.
In this article, you'll discover four simple steps for creating a SlideShare presentation that people can't resist.
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Why SlideShare for Lead Generation?
The great thing about SlideShare is that the platform generates over 70 million visitors a month, and 5 times more traffic from business owners than Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn. This means there is a ton of potential for you to redirect some of those valuable visitors back to your site.
#1: Look to Others for Guidance
It's important to understand what's already working for others on SlideShare before you spend too much time putting together a deck that no one wants to look at.
To begin, search SlideShare to see what some of the most popular slide decks look like, and understand which elements you should replicate in your own decks.
For example, if you're trying to get people to participate in an Instagram class you're promoting, you can search the social media category in SlideShare.
Flip through some of the slide decks you see and make notes on the following to guide your own SlideShare deck:
- Cover slide elements
- Number of slides in each deck
- Font size and the number of words per slide
- Color scheme
- Title
- Types of content in each deck (slide deck, infographic, document, etc.)
- How and when images are used
- Tone of the language
#2: Craft Your Content
Before you start copying and pasting chunks of text into a PowerPoint template, take a minute to think about what pieces of information are absolutely crucial to your audience's interests.
Carefully consider the angle you're going to use to engage people. How will you encourage people to click through your presentation to the end? In addition to text and images on your slides, consider uploading infographics or other documents that might be interesting to your audience, as in this example from Jay Baer's deck How Fast Is Fast Enough?
Here are some points to keep in mind when designing your presentation:
Start With an Outline
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GET THE DETAILSAn initial outline should quickly break down the text you want to include in your SlideShare.
Keep it brief. Most SlideShare presentations have between 30 and 60 slides. If each of your slides has a 100-word paragraph on it, you no longer have a slide deck, you have a novela. Instead, aim to limit the text on each slide to the length of a tweet.
Story is important. If you want your presentation to succeed, it has to present an intriguing angle. Want to do a presentation about how to use Facebook Live? Try positioning it as, “The Worst Ways to Use Facebook Live.”
Inject Personality
Have a conversation. Talking directly to your readers is a great way to build trust and hold their attention. Ask questions they're likely to ponder, then continue to answer those questions.
Use humor. For some reason we've been conditioned to act serious and professional all the time. But the honest truth is, people get bored easily. Humor is a very powerful tool and can boost people's opinions of you. It makes you likeable. When people like you, they're more likely to listen to and trust you. If your readers trust you, you can tell them what to buy. See what I'm getting at?
Teach Your Audience
The primary purpose of a SlideShare should be to teach your audience something they don't know. Showcase your expert knowledge on SlideShare and you'll get leads and traffic.
Offer immediate value. Include points that offer actionable and useful tips for the reader, as in the example below from Peg Fitzpatrick's The Art of Social Media: Power Tips for Power Users. People should leave the SlideShare having learned something. You'll want to avoid general takeaways and focus on sharing valuable tools, best practices, and descriptions of how to complete specific tasks.
Use examples. To help your audience understand the subject matter better, instead of saying, “share good content on Instagram,” show people what good content looks like with plenty of examples from credible sources.
Consider complementary content. Don't shy away from creating content that's not directly related to the product you're trying to sell. If your product aligns but doesn't compete with another product, why not create a deck to appeal to audiences interested in both products?
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The type of content you include in your SlideShare is the most important factor. Create content that is practical, entertaining, and credible. By the end of the presentation, if your reader has learned something new, you might be able to turn that audience member into an advocate who becomes a valuable lead.
Here's an example of a successful presentation by High Spark's Eugene Cheng, a master when it comes to SlideShare. The angle of the SlideShare is compelling and provides quick and actionable tips to teach the reader how to create a great PowerPoint.
#3: Include a Call to Action to Convert Viewers
After the third page in your slide deck, you can include links. And those links still work even if your presentation is embedded on another blog. Use those links to ask your audience if they want to download a PDF of the full article that your presentation is based on. Maybe suggest they join a course on the subject that your SlideShare is about.
#4: Design Like a Pro
Here are four major factors to consider when you design your deck: font, color, title, and theme.
Make sure your font is easily readable. The fonts used in your presentation should be no smaller than 30-point size. For your title font, aim to use at least 100-point size.
Pick no more than two font styles. The different styles can add contrast to your design and help you make certain important points really stand out. Still, more than two different font styles can make your design look messy.
Choose your colors carefully. Much like fonts, colors should be used sparingly. When in doubt, use your brand's color palette. This is usually 2 or 3 major colors, with a few additional shades and tones. Try to pick contrasting colors so your text doesn't blend in with the background.
Write a catchy title. Your choice of words and your cover design are what will really sell your presentation to an audience.
Be thematic. If you're creating a presentation about Snapchat, include branding elements from Snapchat so people can easily associate your slide deck with the social platform. Check out this example on Snapchat Visual Marketing Strategy by Robert Katai.
The entire presentation follows the theme of Snapchat. From the bright choice of colors to the repetitive use of the ghost icon, it becomes clear to the reader what this presentation is about.
But theme doesn't just mean aesthetic choices. It means the language you use throughout your presentation. Keep your theme consistent, or you'll frustrate and confuse your reader. A great example of a consistent theme is this presentation by Officevibe.
Simple. Consistent. Effective.
Helpful Tools
If you aren't confident in your design skills, you can always hire a freelance designer to do the work for you. You can also try using some other services or tools that can help you with the process.
With SlideModel, you get access to over 10,000 unique PowerPoint templates. If you're looking for some original templates that aren't available on Microsoft PowerPoint, and you don't want to use complicated software, you can find something that suits your tastes on SlideModel.
Haiku Deck is another tool that can help if you're not a bonafide designer. It's easy to use, and helps you put together a presentation in less than 10 minutes.
Final Words
Typically, you aren't going to get hundreds of thousands of views on SlideShare without getting featured on the homepage. To boost views that produce traffic and leads, you'll need to promote your deck.
Do you have friends in high places? Reach out to them. Look for blog posts that have embedded SlideShare presentations in the past, and ask if they would be interested in posting yours. The embedded presentation is what will get you lots of views.
Just remember that there isn't one secret weapon that will generate millions of views and leads for you on SlideShare. It takes a certain level of skill and a fair amount of work, but it can definitely be worth it. Follow the steps above and soon you'll see the views pouring into your presentations. It won't be long before many of those views convert into valuable and long-term leads.
What do you think? Are you inspired to use SlideShare to generate leads for your business? What tips can you share? Leave your thoughts in the comments.
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