We've all given a presentation in our lives at one point or another. For many this wasn't the most enjoyable experience, but nonetheless most can agree that a lot of information gets delivered during a presentation. You have to write something that is going to last for a good chunk of time, and it has to be easy to understand and easy to follow (you don't want people to ask you a bunch of questions and make you stand up there longer, do you?). There is one aspect of presentations that is just important, however, but isn't talked about as often: Making that presentation available to the public days later. One way to make this happen is through Slideshare, and SEO experts are no stranger to this practice.
How Slideshare Works
For those who are unfamiliar, Slideshare is a hosting service that allows anyone to upload files (PowerPoint, PDF, Keynote, or OpenOffice) to share with anyone on the Internet. The idea here is that people can view a presentation in the form of a slideshow even if they were not at the presentation. Those that use Slideshare are primarily those working in both online and offline marketing. While emailing or creating a link on a website to the presentation notes does work in terms of offering the information to the public, Slideshare offers many extra benefits:
- Easy to Browse. It serves as a directory of great slideshow presentations from professionals in all industries and from all companies.
- Helps Users Find Similar Presentations. Because you can search for specific topics, users can find slideshow presentations that they may never have found on their own (there is even a "related" tab on the right hand side just like you see on YouTube).
- Easy Upload and Higher Visibility. It is typically easier for the owners of the presentations to distribute their files this way than through email (not to mention visibility increases significantly).
- Upload Any Content in Presentation Formats. At Slideshow, you don't have to be uploading a presentation-any type of slideshow or content created in one of the formats listed above works!
- Social Network. It works very similarly to a social network because it allows you to follow specific people. Every time he/she uploads a video, you can be the first to know. Everyone has a profile page where uploaded videos, Twitter links, profile information, and followers appear. You can check out Rand Fishkin's profile as an example.
Many people actually compare Slideshare to YouTube except it features slideshows instead of videos. It's a great place for anyone to see something you created, which benefits both the creator and the user. On that note, you can upload a file privately to Slideshow if you are only interested in using the site as a way to collaborate with employees or others in your industry.
The PRO version of Slideshare is also available and offers features such as analytics, a way to capture leads, host meetings, private sharing and uploading larger files. You can learn more about the advanced features that PRO offers here.
Top Slideshare Presentations
SEO is one of the industries that takes advantage of Slideshare the most. Whether you're a company looking to find a specific video from an industry expert or a small business looking to learn more, Slideshare is going to be full of great resources. Below are a few favorites in the SEO community:
- Everything Is Not Important. This is a slideshow that comes from this year's SXSW in Texas by Robert Stribley, Information Architect at Razorfish, NYC. It's a simple 37 slides detailing what is not important in your campaign, why it matters, and how to fix it.
- Introduction to SEO. This is a slideshow that is 150 slides, so it's lengthy (do keep in mind, however, that in any slideshow there are going to be slides with nothing but a heading or a few words). This one comes to you from SEOMoz, so you know it's going to be good if you're looking for some beginner advice.
- 26 Time Management Hacks I Wish I'd Known at 20. We all know that time management has only been getting more and more difficult as technology becomes more and more advanced. Etienne Garbugli creats 28 slides on this very topic in this very popular slideshow.
- What Would Steve Do? Referring to Steve Jobs, it's no surprise that this show gets a lot of hits from small business owners looking to do it right. It was uploaded just last month of this year, so it brings in current evidence and examples. The slideshow, however, isn't all about Jobs, but goes through ten different lessons from many different successful entrepreneurs.
You will find that Slideshare offers a lot more information than you might find in a blog post. Slideshows are typically more detailed because most of them were originally presentations, yet they are still easy to understand because of the easy format (slides are usually split up based on idea) that allows you to always jump back if needed.
Have you ever used Slideshare for your business or for your personal use? What did you find the most helpful? Tell us your story and your thoughts in the comments below.
Photo Credit: slideshare.com