I realized that possibly the most untapped outlet for social and online marketing is one I haven’t even really covered, except for a quick blurb in my post about little-used social media marketing outlets. With tens of millions of monthly views and a unique platform that’s built for viral sharing, SlideShare deserves a bit more attention.

A Quick Description

If you’re not familiar with the website, SlideShare is basically like YouTube meets Pinterest meets PowerPoint. It’s a place to upload slideshow presentations that people can look at for laughs, learning, and a lot more.

How to Think about SlideShare for SMM

Before the specific tips, let’s get you into the right mindset so these “click” for you.

First, think of SlideShare like you would YouTube. It’s a great outlet for getting people’s attention, but that’s just step one. You’ve got to WORK IT like a Cover Girl!! Tossing up some quick content and then forgetting about it for a month won’t do much of anything.

SlideShare Marketing Quick Tips

Alright onto those tips. Before you begin, make sure you’re ready to link these slides to your business Facebook profiles and your Linkedin. This will keep the ideas relevant and professional in your mind. Now… on your marks… get set… go!

Good Idea! 

Foremost, you need a good idea for a presentation. Just putting your last blog post on your vacation to Lincoln, Nebraska into slide form might not get you the attention you’re looking for. Make it relevant to your industry, ideally with a unique angle to build on.

Put a Brand on It

You know I’m all about branding, and that goes for SlideShare, too.

If you have logos, color schemes, fonts, styles, a unique voice, etc., translate that to your presentation so there is continuity between it and your brand.

Using custom themed images for your branding is a great start – especially because SlideShare is so VISUAL!

Oh Yeah… Be VISUAL

Speaking of which, remember to keep it visually engaging. People can read a bunch of text on a blog – they come to SlideShare for some visual spice. Use lots of images to back up your words.

ALWAYS Have a CTA

So someone watched your slideshow – great! But now what?!

Always include links to your website or a landing page wherever possible, particularly at the end of the show and/or in the description, along with some incentive so people have a reason to follow through with the click. Entice them with more free stuff, a fuller version of what they just saw, a contact page, etc.

Keyword Up

Vague verbiage doesn’t help these days. Use specific keywords in your presentation titles, descriptions, and tags for a little search engine boost.

Share It on Social

Now that I’ve laid some ground rules… on to the social stuff.

Share your new presentations on all your social outlets to generate some interest. This is how viral content starts – if people love it, they’ll share it, and those people will share it, and those people… you know.

CTA: Share It

While you’re at it, add a CTA at the end calling for people to share it. It doesn’t always work, but sometimes you just have to “plant the seed.”

As I thought about my tips for this post, I realized I have waaay too many for just one set of SlideShare “quick tips,” so rest assured that we’re not done here!! Head over to my second set of SlideShare SMM tips here!

Have more of your own SlideShare marketing tips? Please (Slide)Share in the comments!!