There will be times where, no matter how you try, you simply can’t share your ideas with text alone.
At the same time, you may not be willing to whip out your video recording software and go through the steps of editing a video, adding or editing sound, uploading it to a server and possibly converting it to a format that would be most easily shared.
An easy in-between would be to share your ideas as a slideshow presentation, the same way you would if you were going to do a lecture. All it requires is the software to make the show, and a way to distribute it once it’s created.
And of course, content that makes sense without a presenter to walk you through the steps.
The Equipment You Need
Now, if you’re a PC User, chances are, you have Microsoft Office, and have access to Powerpoint, or can get access to it at a local internet cafe. If you’re a Mac User, even money says you’re going for the slick effects a Keynote presentation is capable of (this is the program that most recently converted me to Mac – and of course I still have Powerpoint, so best of both worlds!)
What if you’re not Ms. or Mr. Moneybags, and you need a decent tool, that won’t empty your wallet? Or if you want to use something platform independent that will save in a format compatible with either system for editing?
You can always download the Open Office suite for free. It’s got word processing, spreadsheet software and can create presentations, and has a version for both Windows or Mac.
Then there’s always Google Docs. Not only can you create presentations from your browser, you can open presentations in other formats, or simply use Google Docs to share your documents with the world.
It’s also a good idea to have a way to get graphics for your presentation that are royalty-free, so you won’t have to pay a fee each time they appear. There are tons of places where you can find royalty-free clip art, though not as many where you can find them for free.
Don’t forget to include your URL! Make it clickable if you can, if you can’t, make it visible from every slide.
Okay, you found a place for photos or clip art, and you’ve picked your software. Now what?
Finding An Idea to Share
You need to make your slideshow not just worth viewing, but worthwhile for someone to tell a friend about. Start thinking about a question people keep asking you, the kind where they sigh with relief when they get the answer. Something that’s a question people wouldn’t expect to get a free answer to, that’s related to your business or site.
What do you keep getting emails about?
What is in your FAQ?
What questions do folks leave in your blog comments?
What are people asking about in forums?
Take your time and find something juicy.
Spreading the Word
Now, you’ve got your slideshow. It’s beautiful. It’s concise. People get epiphanies while viewing it. Angels sing.
Okay, maybe it’s just useful. Yeah, actually I was throwing a curve ball at you to see if you were paying attention. What you want is to do a basic, clear slideshow that’s not so fancy that the effects get in the way of the presentation. If you’re using effects, a good rule of thumb comes from fashion – complete the presentation and then take one effect out. Don’t try to be too perfect or fancy or you’ll never be done. Just make it good, get it out.
Now, it’s perfect for your purposes. How will anyone hear about it?
This is where our good old friend social media comes in, combined with a few more traditional ways of sharing.
Sharing step one, publish it in a shareable format. As mentioned, Google Docs will help you share it with the world as a public link you can send anyone to, but did you know that you can also embed them into your site?
Another popular option for embedding presentations is SlideShare, which can also help you go viral because, like Google Docs, it provides code which allows other to share.
You might also try BubbleShare, KoffeePhoto, and SlideBoom. i have two other favorite tools for sharing slides, but I want to save them for our next SlideShow traffic tip.
In the meantime, Sharing step two is; Tell Everyone.
- Let your list know and ask for help sharing it.
- Call your networking contacts and get even more help.
- Ask your favorite expert or an admired peer what they think, and if they can think of people who will find it useful.
- Put it on your site.
- Link to it.
- Tell your friends to put it on their sites and link to it.
- Tweet it with a link
- Update your status on Facebook.
Tell.
Everyone.
That’s it. If you’re lucky it’ll go viral, but even if you just do okay, you’ll have spread the word about your ideas much farther than your solitary grasp.
Reward yourself accordingly with a nap, beer, or good cheer. Rinse and repeat.
