Tag: social media

Are Presentation-Type Posts Getting More Popular on Instagram?

Instagram

social media

Nov 01, 2021

Instagram has become one of the biggest and most diverse platforms for brands to present digital visual content. Between Stories, IGTV, and IG Live, the platform has continuously given users new and exciting ways to express themselves.  

However, in recent years, presentation-type posts have grown in popularity. What started out as a simple, seamless way to upload more content within a single post has transformed into a format that strategically boosts engagement and helps spread relevant information.  

The Numbers Don’t Lie  

According to SocialInsider, carousel-type posts are among the most engaged throughout the entire platform. Below are some key insights from the study: 

  • ~19% of Instagram posts are carousels  
  • Carousels hold a ~1.92% average engagement rate  
  • Posts with both images and videos have the highest average engagement of 2.33%  

The increased potential for engagements is what makes these kinds of posts very valuable. As more users leave comments, brands develop a clearer scope of their audience and how they can further improve their content.

Content with a Purpose  

With greater narrative potential in these carousel posts, there has been a growing trend in utilizing them as a way to tell more relevant stories. 

Similar to the structure of a PowerPoint presentation, the opening image raises a compelling message that further builds upon each succeeding image. 

These PowerPoint-like posts are enabling creators and influencers in spreading highly informative content to wider audiences. 

While posting informative content is not necessarily new to the platform, 2020 saw a boom in these types of posts due to pressing topics like the COVID-19 pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the US elections. 

Instagram became a space many people utilized to learn more about increasingly relevant topics. It became essential to post carousels to help spread valuable information for people looking for it. Brands saw this as an opportunity to be part of the conversation and to connect with their customers. 

The Rise of Instagram Reels 

Reels are among the newest features of the platform, and it bears many of the same strengths of carousel-type posts. The feature allows users to create 15- to 30-second video clips and style them up with music, filters, and other augmented reality effects. Much like carousels, Reels are highly engaging, diverse in their content, and most importantly, an ideal tool for relevant storytelling.

Building Brands  

Carousels and Reels have become major content focal points across Instagram. Brands and creators started using them in strategic ways to further improve their image and visibility. 

Carousels are unmatched in their ability to incorporate different styles of content within a single post. The flexibility of both carousels and Reels provides greater opportunities for interactive and engaging storytelling. 

From a series of interconnected images and videos to an informative Reel, these presentation-type posts are ideal for engaging people on more narrative-centric content and interactions.

3 Ways to Improve Public Relations for Your Business

business

marketing plan

networking

powerpoint designer

presentation tips

public relations

publicity

reputation

Rick Enrico

SlideGenius

social media

Sep 11, 2017

A good product stays just that – a good product – unless it gets a boost that enhances its marketability.

Don’t let the fruits of your labor slip into anonymity.

Access your target market through a strategic marketing plan and effective public relations effort.

Increased publicity will give your business the boost it needs.

Networking

One of the most instinctive ways to build your public relations is through networking.

Whether consciously or not, you form a network with individuals you encounter as you build up your business.

These can come in the form of long-time customers or corporate partners.

Even your employees and personal friends are part of your network.

If you’re still starting out, it’s time to prioritize these relationships.

Take care of your employees by giving benefits and convincing them your vision is worth believing.

Individuals whose beliefs are aligned with yours will be ready to support your enterprise.

Similarly, customers who follow your work and favor your product can recommend you to their own friends and family.

Aside from these person-to-person cases, you can also expand your network the old-fashioned way.

Forge partnerships with like-minded individuals and organizations relevant to your field.

You’ll be able to help each other out when it comes to resources and promotion.

Build Your Reputation

To impress people enough to convince them to invest requires plenty of self-exposure.

Showcase your product – and make it appealing.

Strategize your marketing plan and assess your product’s strengths and weaknesses.

Develop your product’s strong points and emphasize your advantages over the competition.

You can start small by relying on your personal network to endorse you.

But once you’re ready, you can present yourself to prospective clients.

This may come in the form of press releases or public presentations.

If you’re pitching to a journalist, make sure you craft the right message.

You can tease them with a preliminary pitch that will get them interested enough to ask for more details.

For public presentations, make sure to strike a balance between content and delivery.

Prepare an outline of all your main ideas with a professionally-made PowerPoint to boot.

This keeps your audience’s attention while getting all the important points across.

Social Media

The Internet plays an undeniably huge role in our lives.

Use it to promote your business by tapping into social media.

Make a site where you can advertise your product or service.

You can see how well you’ve drawn your target market in by monitoring site traffic.

The more people follow your page, share your tweets, or visit your website, the more likely that you’ve caught their attention.

It also makes your profile available to interested investors.

Keep an eye out for influencers online who can help promote you to virtual audiences.

These influencers will also require pitches that are relevant to their own interests.

This is best for making sure you contact the right individual or organization.

As much as social media can give you a leverage, always keep yourself grounded in your original objectives.

Don’t overstep personal boundaries to get undue exposure.

You need to maintain your credibility to keep your clients.

Conclusion

Building your public relations is important for promoting your product.

This can be achieved in a number of ways.

Reach out to your personal network, or expose yourself to a wider audience through presentations and social media.

A combination of the two is even better.

This ensures more feedback from a greater number of people.

 

References

Honeysett, Alex. “4 Steps to Pitching a Guest Post (and Getting a “Yes!”).” How to Pitch a Guest Blog. Accessed October 21, 2015.
“Measuring and Improving Your PR”. Queensland Government Business and Industry Portal. October 9, 2014. Accessed October 21, 2015.
Raposo, Kevin “How to Pitch: Outreach Tips from Journalists.” BuzzStream. May 13, 2014. Accessed October 21, 2015.

Featured Image: “PR” by Niuton may on flickr.com

Attaining Business Goals with the Help of Social Media Marketing

business

powerpoint designer

presentation design

Rick Enrico

SlideGenius

social media

Social Media Marketing

Feb 21, 2017

In today’s digital age, social media is no longer just a platform for connecting with friends and sharing updates—it’s an essential tool for businesses to achieve their goals. Whether you’re looking to increase brand awareness, drive sales, or foster customer loyalty, social media marketing offers an unparalleled opportunity to reach your target audience effectively.

By leveraging the right social media strategies, businesses can build a strong online presence, engage with customers, and ultimately achieve their key objectives. Here’s how businesses can attain their goals with the help of social media marketing.

1. Increase Brand Awareness

One of the most common business goals is to increase brand awareness, ensuring that your target audience knows about your products, services, and brand identity. Social media offers a unique space where you can reach new and existing audiences on a global scale.

How Social Media Helps:

  • Wide Reach: Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn have millions of users, giving you access to a vast potential audience.
  • Targeted Ads: Social media allows for hyper-targeted advertising based on demographics, interests, and behaviors. This ensures that your content reaches the right audience.
  • Consistent Presence: By regularly posting engaging content that aligns with your brand identity, you stay top-of-mind with your audience, building recognition over time.

Example Strategy:

A clothing brand can run targeted Instagram ads showcasing their new collection, using visually engaging posts and stories. They can also collaborate with influencers to reach a broader audience and build credibility.

Metrics to Track:

  • Follower growth
  • Impressions and reach
  • Mentions and tags

2. Drive Website Traffic

Social media can serve as a powerful tool to drive traffic to your website, whether you want users to explore your products, read your blog posts, or sign up for a newsletter.

How Social Media Helps:

  • Link Sharing: Platforms like Facebook, Instagram (with the “Swipe Up” feature in stories), LinkedIn, and Twitter allow businesses to share direct links to their websites.
  • Call-to-Action Posts: Creating content with clear CTAs like “Learn More,” “Shop Now,” or “Read More” encourages followers to visit your website.
  • Promotions and Offers: Sharing exclusive promotions or discounts on social media with links to your website can entice followers to visit and convert.

Example Strategy:

A SaaS company can share a blog post on LinkedIn with a link directing users to download an eBook, driving traffic to the site and capturing leads.

Metrics to Track:

  • Click-through rates (CTR)
  • Website traffic from social media
  • Time spent on the site by visitors from social media

3. Generate Leads and Boost Sales

For many businesses, the ultimate goal is to generate leads and increase sales. Social media marketing offers opportunities to capture potential customers and move them through the sales funnel.

How Social Media Helps:

  • Lead Generation Ads: Platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn offer lead generation ads that allow users to fill out forms directly on the platform, simplifying the process of capturing potential customers.
  • Shoppable Posts: Instagram and Facebook offer shoppable features where businesses can tag products in posts or stories, allowing users to purchase directly from the platform.
  • Engagement and Customer Service: Responding to inquiries, offering product demos, and addressing concerns in real-time on social media fosters trust and can lead to conversions.

Example Strategy:

An e-commerce brand can use Instagram shoppable posts to showcase their products, allowing users to click and purchase directly from the app. They can also run retargeting ads to users who have previously visited the site but did not make a purchase.

Metrics to Track:

  • Conversion rates
  • Cost per lead (CPL)
  • Sales attributed to social media campaigns

4. Enhance Customer Engagement and Retention

Social media is a two-way communication channel, which makes it ideal for engaging with customers and building lasting relationships. Engaged customers are more likely to become loyal advocates of your brand.

How Social Media Helps:

  • Interactive Content: Quizzes, polls, and Q&A sessions on platforms like Instagram Stories or Twitter are excellent ways to keep followers engaged.
  • Personalized Interactions: Responding to customer comments, DMs, and reviews shows that you care about your audience, enhancing loyalty and trust.
  • Exclusive Offers: Rewarding loyal followers with exclusive discounts or early access to products on social media can drive repeat purchases.

Example Strategy:

A beauty brand can engage customers by running Instagram polls asking for product preferences or ideas for new releases. Regular interaction through comments and DMs can help build a community around the brand.

Metrics to Track:

  • Engagement rate (likes, comments, shares)
  • Customer satisfaction scores
  • Repeat customer rates

5. Develop and Nurture a Brand Community

Building a loyal and active community around your brand can lead to long-term business success. Social media provides the perfect platform to foster such communities, where followers can interact with your brand and with each other.

How Social Media Helps:

  • Groups and Communities: Platforms like Facebook allow businesses to create groups where fans and customers can connect, ask questions, share experiences, and provide feedback.
  • Hashtag Campaigns: Branded hashtags on Instagram or Twitter can encourage users to share their own content, fostering a sense of belonging and engagement around your brand.
  • User-Generated Content (UGC): Encouraging your followers to create content related to your brand (and sharing it on your own channels) builds authenticity and fosters a stronger community.

Example Strategy:

A fitness brand can create a Facebook group where members can share progress, tips, and success stories. The brand can moderate discussions and occasionally introduce exclusive content or promotions for group members.

Metrics to Track:

  • Number of active community members
  • UGC volume and reach
  • Brand sentiment (positive vs. negative mentions)

6. Improve Customer Support and Feedback

Offering real-time customer service through social media can enhance customer satisfaction and reduce response time. Social media also provides an opportunity to collect customer feedback and improve your offerings based on real-time insights.

How Social Media Helps:

  • Instant Support: Platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram offer a direct line of communication where customers can ask questions, report issues, or seek assistance. Quick, helpful responses can improve customer satisfaction.
  • Feedback Collection: Use social media polls, surveys, and direct messages to gather feedback about your products and services. Customers often feel more comfortable sharing their opinions in an informal setting like social media.

Example Strategy:

A tech company can use Twitter to respond to customer inquiries and complaints. By addressing issues in a timely manner, they can boost customer satisfaction and reduce negative reviews.

Metrics to Track:

  • Response time
  • Customer satisfaction (CSAT) scores
  • Number of issues resolved via social media

7. Gain Market Insights

Social media platforms are valuable for collecting insights about your audience, competitors, and industry trends. By leveraging social listening and analytics tools, you can stay ahead of market changes and improve your strategy.

How Social Media Helps:

  • Social Listening: By monitoring conversations around your brand and industry, you can gain valuable insights into what your audience is talking about, what they care about, and how they perceive your brand.
  • Competitor Analysis: Studying your competitors’ social media strategies, posts, and engagement levels can give you insights into what works and where you can differentiate your brand.
  • Audience Analytics: Tools like Facebook Insights or Instagram Analytics provide demographic and behavioral data, helping you refine your social media approach.

Example Strategy:

A restaurant brand can use social listening tools to monitor mentions of their restaurant and the food industry at large. By tracking trends, they can adapt their menu to meet customer preferences and improve their offerings.

Metrics to Track:

  • Audience demographics
  • Conversation volume and sentiment
  • Competitor engagement rates

Conclusion

Social media marketing is a powerful tool that can help businesses achieve a variety of goals, from building brand awareness and driving traffic to generating leads and fostering customer engagement. By crafting targeted social media strategies and regularly measuring your efforts, you can unlock the full potential of social media to grow your business, build stronger relationships with your audience, and achieve lasting success.

To make the most of social media, businesses should focus on consistent branding, tailored content, and a deep understanding of their target audience. As social media continues to evolve, businesses that leverage these platforms strategically will find themselves well-positioned to reach and exceed their goals.

A laptop screen displays an email icon with a notification badge of 9 new messages. The person's hands are visible typing on the keyboard, set against a blurred background that hints at a "contact us" slide.

Match Your Market: Knowing the Right Social Network for Your Business

Infographic

Marketing

Rick Enrico

SlideGenius

social media

Social Media Marketing

Oct 25, 2016

Social media has become essential for entrepreneurs. Apart from allowing them to connect with clients and customers, it has also become a tool in expanding target markets and promoting a product or service. According to research, 96 percent of business owners use social media marketing, and 92 percent of those agree with the phrase, “Social media marketing is important for my business.” True enough, the form took the business industry by storm.

Using social media, however, isn’t as simple as posting a photo, video, or status update. It takes effort, especially for businesses that wish to target a specific audience and run a special campaign. Many steps are involved in creating a strategy for this kind of communication, including building your audience, determining competition, and, one of the most challenging, choosing a platform to host the tactic.

Through the emerging years of social, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn have proven their worth in reaching global markets. Facebook remains as the most used application, while every second, 6,000 tweets are delivered worldwide. These statistics do sound effective for a marketing strategy, but are they right for your business? Identify the ideal social media platform for your business with the infographic below.

https://www.slideshare.net/SlideGenius/match-your-market-knowing-the-right-social-network-for-your-business

Deciding on a social media network can be hard, especially for first-time marketers. Put the above-mentioned tips in mind and gradually build the attention and credibility your business deserves.

Whichever platform you choose, remember to use social media as a source of two-way communication with your audience. Posting content online won’t be effective without knowing how to interact with customers and clients alike. Use it as a bridge to many opportunities that can lead your business to major marketing success. Post with an objective and make sure to target the audience you would want to reach long-term.

Resources:

Pick, Tom. “47 Superb Social Media Marketing Stats and Facts.” Business2Community. January 19, 2016. www.business2community.com/social-media/47-superb-social-media-marketing-stats-facts-01431126#Kq740lvQJvMD3E83.97

De Mers, Jayson. “The Top 10 Benefits of Social Media Marketing.” Forbes. August 11, 2014. www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2014/08/11/the-top-10-benefits-of-social-media-marketing/#250ab8682a4d

Edgecomb, Carolyn. “Social Media Marketing: The Importance of a Two-Way Conversation.” Impact. June 7, 2013. www.impactbnd.com/blog/social-media-marketing-the-importance-of-a-two-way-conversation

5 Types of Web Content to Boost Your Business Presentations

business presentations

online media

presentation tips

Rick Enrico

SlideGenius

social media

web content

Feb 03, 2016

Are you more of a fan of visually presented information? Just scroll down all the way to the bottom for an infographic version of this post!

Contrary to popular misconceptions, corporate pitches aren’t just cold, blank, and straightforward. When it comes to presentations, content and design should work together to supplement your pitch.

Whether you’re talking to a customer or an investor, all parts of your deck should aid you in engaging and grabbing the audience’s interest. To do that, you need relevant visuals that add to your ideas. This may mean images and animation, but it can also come in the form of live Web pages. Not only can embedded content give proof of your company’s achievements, but they also encourage clients to contact you.

Embedding Web Content into Your Business Presentations

For users familiar with the 2010 version of Microsoft Office, LiveWeb is a useful add-on for embedding Web content on your slides. It can also enhance your credibility in a pitch by providing a concrete look of your offerings. This gives you an opportunity to leverage them for your business.

The direct LiveWeb feature has been discontinued in recent versions of PowerPoint, but you can download a third party add-in to bring it back. There are also other add-ins which are available for PowerPoint 2013 onward that have the same functions as LiveWeb. One of these is PowerPoint’s Office Mix, which allows users to insert Web pages, apps, and even interactive quizzes into their slides.

Let’s take a look at which Web sites are ideal for embedding and how the content you use from them can contribute to your pitch:

1. YouTube

YouTube Web Content

Compared to other learning styles, visual learning is the most common among a large group of people. Engage your audience visually to keep them hooked onto your pitch. Broadening the range of media you offer further supports and visualizes your main points, making it easier for viewers to digest.

For instance, videos can transform the way customers perceive your product. In an article on the effect of videos on its viewers, Invodo’s Claire Queally shows that buyers who view company videos are two to three times more likely to purchase something from the brand.

Take this marketing strategy from the Web to your own presentation by embedding YouTube videos into selected slides. Whether they’re product demos or AVPs about your company, this gives you an opportunity to both inform and impress them. Just make sure that your videos are relevant to your pitch and people’s current interests. At the very least, they should reflect the benefits your clients will be gaining from your products, as well as your advantages over the competition.

If you’re planning to deviate from the usual company video and simply insert a supplementary clip to entertain viewers, don’t stray too far from your core message. For example, a recorded speech from a keynote speaker related to your topic is acceptable, but a random cat video might miss your target audience and your point entirely, especially in a formal business setup.

2. Twitter

Twitter Web Content

In the age of social media, influencers are more accessible than before. Most of these prominent figures are found on the net, where their followers can easily see them. However, keynote speaker Jay Baer differentiates influencers, who simply raise brand awareness, and brand advocates, who actually convince others to invest in you. These online reviews on brands can impact people’s perception of you, especially for millennials who are often tuned into digital media.

To gain a wider audience and increase the probability of lead conversion, show your tech-savvy prospects what others think about your brand. Display a live Twitter feed on your deck to access customer opinions in real-time. Doing this gives your clients the latest updates about your company. Convincing people to invest in you will be easier if you can show positive impressions from past clients and customers. At the same time, you won’t be able to show a Twitter feed without enough mentions.

Encourage customers who support your product to use hashtags and other social mentions on Twitter. Ride on the wave of trending topics and launch a marketing campaign or site content that users are currently into. The more positive feedback your brand receives, the better its image becomes in the market.

3. Facebook

Engine Facebook Web Content

This social media giant offers one of the best chances for generating leads with casual interactions. Like Twitter, Facebook is a place where users and influencers can interact and trade recommendations of their preferred brands. Boost your image even further by tapping into this established social media platform.

If you plan to show how popular or active you are with your online market, Facebook is your best bet. Being the most widely used social network, it contributes greatly to showing consumer opinions about your brand. Highlight your marketing efforts through Facebook’s built-in analytics tracker, which shows the number of likes, mentions, and even followers of your page. Outside your presentation, you can use the tracker to keep track of how many leads have interacted with your page.

As an embedded live page on your deck, showcase how actively you engage your consumer base. It will encourage past customers to repeat interaction with your page and inspire leads to start a transaction with you. Making use of Facebook analytics can establish your market dominance when you pitch to other clients because it’s an impressive aid for those who might want to see the statistics behind your claims.

4. LinkedIn

exhaust LinkedIn Web Content

In a study conducted by public relations firm Weber Shandwick, the future of large corporations seems to be geared towards going digital. As we’ve already reiterated in the previous points, social media is a fast growing arena for customer and business interaction. It’s no wonder CEOs are turning to it for increased exposure.

Among all social media sites, LinkedIn remains the most popular for networking with other companies. In fact, it’s used by nearly 28% of CEOs from Fortune 500 companies in 2014 alone. If Twitter and Facebook can show proof of how effective you are with customers, LinkedIn operates within your circle and instead displays how well-connected your network is. Your business partnerships, as well as the people you’ve worked with, are essential in communicating how well you can swim with the big fish.

At the very least, an effective LinkedIn profile should contain relevant samples of your portfolio. It should also feature important connections with people and companies related to your line of work. All these can prove decisive in showing your effectiveness as a business partner. In addition to expanding your customer relations, make sure you take note of your company’s relationship with other businesses, too, because being associated with other trusted brands also improves your image.

As the old adage says: “Birds of the same feather flock together.”

5. Company Web Site

Company wheel Website

Some presenters will settle with screen caps of their company site, if they include it at all in their business presentation. Since most don’t, details about their Web site often simply remain as a tiny contact detail in their slides. However, that can easily be missed. Less meticulous audience members might not pay attention to the fine print and only retain the highlights of your pitch.

Let your prospects form their initial impression of your company site during your presentation itself by including it as one of the Web pages on your slides. Embedding your site as a live Web page shows your audience how to navigate around it, so walk your viewers through your page in real time by including it in your presentation. In case the previous platforms in the points above don’t work out well for you, you can always show the same statistics, testimonials, and even videos available on your site.

Aside from social media profiles, being active on your own site is important information for prospects. Other client interactions will come from your company’s page, so letting people know how consistent your online presence shows how dedicated you are as a business partner. As mPower Consulting founder Brian Hamlett states in his article, building up your site once isn’t enough to keep people interested. Show them that there’s something to look forward to every time they visit your page to ensure closing and repeating a transaction.

One Last Thing: Facts Establish Reputation

red car with social media icons

Credibility is crucial to presentations. Investors need to put their money into someone they can trust in order to grow their business. To establish this, improve your deck with various kinds of Web content. As with socialization, networking is now going digital, so catch up with the times to avoid being left behind.

With a large number of the population leaning towards visual, make your slides more interesting with images, but don’t stop there. Embed YouTube videos to inform them about how your company does business or how your products can help your clients.

Enumerating your advantages over the competition and showing these at work are great ways to sell yourself. You can also prove how popular you can be with customers and businesses through positive testimonials from social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. According to creativity mentor Luke Sullivan’s book, Hey Whipple, Squeeze This, these types of feedback serve as solid proof of your achievements. They can go a long way to convince both customers and partners that you’re the company they want to invest in.

Work your online presence into your deck for more convincing business presentations!

Check out and share this infographic!

https://www.slideshare.net/SlideGenius/5-types-of-web-content-to-boost-your-presentations

References:

Sullivan, Luke. Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This a Guide to Creating Great Ads. 3rd ed. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, 2008.
Baer, Jay. “Social Media Influencers versus Brand Advocates Infographic.” Convince&Convert. www.convinceandconvert.com
Gross, Liz. “How to Add a Live Twitter Feed to Your PowerPoint Presentation.” Social Media Today. June 6, 2013. www.socialmediatoday.com
Hamlett, Brian. “The Importance of Consistently Updating Your Website.” MPower Consulting. www.mpoweringu.com
Knarr, Cat. “8 Secrets to Building a Stunning LinkedIn Profile.” The Huffington Post. February 3, 2014. www.huffingtonpost.com
Kushner, Daniel. “Best Practices for Successful Lead Generation Through Social Media.” Business 2 Community. June 29, 2015. www.business2community.com
Parsons, James. “How Do I Get Tracking on My Facebook Page?” Boostlikes. May 8, 2015. www.boostlikes.com
Queally, Claire “Top 5 Things to Know About eCommerce Video Viewers.” Invodo. November 17, 2015. Accessed August 27, 2015. www.invodo.com
“80% of CEOs from the World’s Top Companies Take to Social Media.” Weber and Shandwick. May 18, 2015. www.webershandwick.com
Office Mix. Accessed August 28, 2015. mix.office.com

Use Social Share to Post Your PPT to Facebook & Twitter

Facebook

Microsoft Garage

Powerpoint

powerpoint plug-in

ppt to facebook

Rick Enrico

SlideGenius

social media

social networks

Twitter

Dec 03, 2015

Use Social Share to bring your PowerPoint to your Facebook feed or send a download link via tweets. This free plug-in was developed by Microsoft Garage, a small and diverse community within Microsoft that creates innovative projects.

Now, there’s no need to open a new browser to check on your deck’s status. Use this new feature to share your deck on Facebook and Twitter without having to leave PowerPoint, saving you the time and effort of switching from program to browser.

Fast and Easy Application

Upon downloading the plug-in, you’ll see a new tab in PowerPoint’s ribbon called Social Share. This is where you can choose which social media network you want to share your deck to. It also automatically uploads your documents to OneDrive, where you can share a link of your file to your friends.

Post your presentation per slide as an image, an album, or even a video on Facebook. PowerPoint will already display a live feed of your presentation’s status on Facebook and Twitter. You can watch the activity feed from this window and get immediate feedback from your presentation.

Watch this video to see Social Share in action.

A Few Hitches

Since it’s a recent release, Social Share comes with a few limitations.

Because Twitter doesn’t fully support it yet, you currently cannot share a photo album or video on that social media platform. Not all is lost though: there will be a download link to your presentation at the end of your tweet. Social Share also can’t tag friends and add location information to your deck when you post it on Facebook.

In addition, authorization is also limited to the Friends-Only status for this popular social network. Despite these setbacks, you have nothing to lose by downloading this free plug-in.

Use Social Share to work on your slides anytime, anywhere, and share your deck while opening up more opportunities to gain instant feedback online.

References

“Microsoft Social Share Makes It Easier To Share Your PowerPoint Presentations To Social Networks.” Microsoft News. November 5, 2015. Accessed December 2, 2015. www.mspoweruser.com/microsoft-social-share-makes-it-easier-to-share-your-powerpoint-presentations-to-social-networks
“Share from PowerPoint to Facebook and Twitter.” Social Share. Accessed December 2, 2015. www.officesocialshare.azurewebsites.net/help.html
Social Share, A Microsoft Garage Project. Office Wildfire. www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPD4a2eXEgc

Featured Image: “freeuse.io”

Save Painful PowerPoint Presentations with Twitter

audience

powerpoint presentations

presentation

Rick Enrico

SlideGenius

social media

Twitter

Nov 18, 2015

Millions of Twitter users collectively ruffled their feathers when rumors spread that Twitter lifted its 140 character limit. Those who weren’t quick to jump the bandwagon checked Twitter’s official announcement on the change. They were assured that the change only affected Direct Messages in Twitter.

And so, Twitter users were put at ease and continued to publicly broadcast their tweets. But what if something similar happened to PowerPoint? Let’s say that Microsoft announced that PowerPoint slides were now limited to a hundred per deck. And each slide will be limited to a hundred characters each.

Presentations will be forced to be more concise now that each pixel on a slide is prime real estate. But at least the files are going to be much smaller.

Rock the Nest

The above scenario is not as bad as it seems since this limitation shouldn’t obstruct a good pitch. Twitter and PowerPoint are at ends with each other on the surface. One could say that you chat in Twitter and then discuss on PowerPoint. But we learn more through our differences than our similarities.

A pitch is allotted a specific time and place to get all its ideas across, but a tweet will need to fight for attention and space on the web to get noticed. In the same way, not everyone gets the chance to have a time and place to be heard. Even with the prepared audience in presentations, you still need to fight to keep their attention focused on you and your topic.

Try to have a bigger stage in mind when delivering your pitch and aim to be understood on a greater level.

Speed Up

While Twitter rapidly sends out millions of tweets a day, PowerPoint presentations gradually spread out information per slide. This isn’t to say that presentations won’t be as effective when slides move fast. On the contrary, if you spend more than ten minutes to explain a slide, the audience will begin to expect the next slides to last just as long.

Avoid preemptively boring the audience by changing up your presentation’s pacing. Breeze through several slides, each containing only one main point. Make each slide memorable, or #tweetable.

Engage

A trending tweet is a force to be reckoned with. Getting a tweet to trend is the addicting and engaging aspect of Twitter. It’s like being placed in the spotlight over the Internet. And you can do this regardless of who you are, so the playing field is evened out. This is a large contrast to being a speaker.

Professionals, businessmen, and important personalities are expected to be knowledgeable in their fields. The experience they have makes them stand out from the average person. They already have the spotlight placed on them. It’s a matter of making themselves relatable to everyone.

Work with Your Strengths

The focus of the presentation is on you. Your deck is there to compliment you while you deliver your speech. There is enough time to get all your ideas across with this. If 140 characters are enough to spark discussions, a few slides surely can. Hasten the pace of your speech by making your slides keep up with everyone’s attention.

If possible, encourage the audience to take pictures of your slides, and let them tweet. Make others connect to your passion, help them understand what you can offer through your words and your experience. And most of all, value the spotlight placed on you.

 

References

Agarwal, Sachin. “Removing the 140-Character Limit from Direct Messages.” Twitter Blogs. August 12, 2015. Accessed October 8, 2015. www.blog.twitter.com/2015/removing-the-140-character-limit-from-direct-messages

 

Featured Image: “Hainan Blue Flycatcher (Cyornis hainanus)” by Sheau Torng Lim from flickr.com

Tweeting Your Way to Engaging Presentations: Unleashing the Power of Twitter in Interactive Talks

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Aug 12, 2014

In recent years, the word ‘tweet’ has come to mean more than just the chirping of a small bird.

Since its successful launch in 2006, Twitter has become one of the most popular social media platforms on the Internet today. It recorded 500 million registered users in 2012, and the numbers have only been growing since then. It’s time to consider that a majority of your audience make part of this huge number.

Incorporating elements of social media in your presentation makes it more interactive and relatable, especially to a younger crowd, who may be more active in the social media scene. But for users of all ages, an interactive presentation is an effective presentation.

Twitter gives you the ability to reach out to people who aren’t even in the auditorium with you. Twitter can be a valuable presentation tool if you’re presenting at an industry event (or any other occasion where you expect to have a large audience).

Use a hashtag (or two)

Hashtags are a bit tricky for social media beginners, but it’s the most useful Twitter tool for your presentation. It’ll help create a back channel of discussions. Presentation coach Lisa Marshall suggests the use of two hashtags: one that’s unique and specific to your presentation or the event you’re speaking at, and another that covers the general topic you’re covering.

The first one is moderates all discussions about your presentation into one place, while the second allows non-attendees to see the tweets about your presentations. Just remember that the hashtags you choose shouldn’t be too long or complicated. Flash them in bold letters in your PowerPoint presentation.

It’s also become the norm to have hashtags for events. If that’s the case, ask the audience to use the official hashtag instead of trying to come up with your own. Their tweets can be seen by those watching out for the event at home.

Display a Twitter feed in your PowerPoint presentation

Here’s how you can have a real conversation with your audience: Refer to their tweets at the end of your presentation.

Include a twitter feed in your PowerPoint presentation by following this tutorial by Liz Gross. (It might seem a bit complicated, but the hashtags you specified will make things easier.) You don’t have to go into each and every tweet, but try to address some of the conversations that came out of the points you raised.

And if you’re really interested in expanding the conversation, you can encourage your audience to follow your (or your company’s) Twitter account. Address any other questions or comments there. This will turn your interactive presentation into a full discussion outside the auditorium.

References

Curtiss, Kristen. “How to Create a Hashtag to Build Engagement at Your Event.” Constant Contact Blogs. 2013. Accessed August 12, 2014.
Hiscott, Rebecca. “The Beginner’s Guide to the Hashtag.” Mashable. Accessed August 12, 2014.

Featured Image: Shawn Campbell via Flickr

Lessons from Social Media: Instagram

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Dec 18, 2013

Whether it be taking picture of plane wings, an appetizing dinner or an artsy photo of your latte, Instagram has become one of the most prominent forms of social media to date. The application became so popular that it  was acquired by Facebook this past year in a hefty billion dollar deal. It may be the pure simplicity of photo sharing that draws so many users to the app, but there are certain steps one must partake in to get the perfect “Insta”. We’ve created a comparison between the steps of taking the perfect picture and creating the perfect powerpoint presentation. 

Step 1 : Picking the Perfect Angle 

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The first step of taking any Instagram is getting a unique angle, just like picking a perfect (and direct) angle for your audience when creating a presentation idea. Your ideas and thoughts presented (simply) within your powerpoint should be original and one of a kind, the better the ideas the more these will resonate with your audience.

 

Step 2: Picking the Perfect Filter

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No Instagram is complete without a perfect filter to give it a spruce of color and the same is said for sparking up your presentation. You can add character to any powerpoint slides with eye-opening graphics, videos and images, the more colorful and put together- the better!

Step 3: Picking the Appropriate Hashtag

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After you’ve snapped your picture and added the perfect filer, tagging hashtags is necessary to make the Instagram complete.  The same step should be used in your final completion of your PowerPoints you should always review your finished slides to make sure all your ideas connect with each other and most importantly- make sense!