We write a lot for our clients. A lot. On a monthly basis, we’re generating blog posts, articles, press releases, case studies, how-to guides and more. We’re pretty much writing machines over here.
But that’s only half the battle.
The other half is getting that content noticed. There are lots of ways to get traction for quality content: social media, guest blogging and getting ranked on Google. And that’s where Slideshare comes in! The platform gets over 70 million unique users each month and the fact that it’s part of the LinkedIn family, makes Slideshare’s reach arguably even more valuable.
The key is knowing how to get the most out of the content you publish, what types of content tend to get the best traction and putting together a consistent schedule. Here are tips for doing just that:
Repurpose Your Content & Blogs
If you’re anything like us, you’re probably putting out a respectable volume of content for your business. Take a look at your stats and find articles and blogs that seemed to strike a chord with your audience. Which blogs are getting shared on social media or has the most comments? Take the information from one of your popular blogs (or two) and create a slideshow with it — boil down bullet points, add some graphics, pull in additional stats, etc.
This is a great way to get extra mileage from material you’ve already produced, and potentially get a second wind out of content that was published a while ago. Just be sure that you re-check your information and stats. You won’t impress anyone by publishing content that’s outdated!
PRO TIP: Create a template for your brand so that future blogs can be repurposed quickly. Not only does this save time, but it also helps establish the look, feel and personality of your brand visually.
Keywords Still Matter
Slideshare’s ability to rank on Google for a vast range of search terms is why it’s often considered a ‘secret weapon’ for SEO. Publishing content on the platform can generate valuable exposure for your most important keywords — especially since you’re able to edit your own title, summary and other components to what you’re posting.
Create presentations focused around your top search terms. Bear in mind, that doesn’t mean stuffing your keywords several times on each page. That won’t help you rank. Instead, focus on your presentation’s title and description.
PRO TIP: Choose your title and summary carefully as they carry more SEO weight. Make sure to include a keyword in each (preferably a different one in each to spread the wealth)!
Publish A Collection Of Tips From Industry Experts
If you’re on good terms with other authorities in your niche, ask them to contribute their best tips or strategies for your audience. Then, put together everyone’s advice into a single presentation and load it up to Slideshare.
For example, suppose you’re a social media expert. Reach out to other experts and let them know you’re putting together a free ebook that you’ll be uploading to Slideshare. Ask each person to provide a few tips that social media novices will find useful and applicable.
Be willing to include a link to each expert’s site within your presentation. Give them credit and exposure. Organize the project so that everyone wins!
PRO TIP: After you publish the presentation, be sure to share on social media and tag the experts you’ve quoted. Don’t be pushy or ask them to share on your behalf. Chances are you won’t need to, everybody (even ‘gurus’) love free publicity.
Create An Information Resource
If you have the time and budget, consider putting together a top-notch resource that your customers and peers will find useful. For example, if you run an accounting firm that caters to small business owners, you can create a guide that explains all of the current year’s major tax law changes and how they’ll affect how small business owners file their taxes.
The goal is to create an unrivaled resource. You’re not trying to match what someone else has already done. You’re trying to do better. Assuming your presentation meets a market need, you’ll get plenty of views, lots of traffic, and loads of visibility as people share it through social media.
Here’s an example:
Notice that the presentation has received over 2 million views so far. And it probably has a lot of gas left in the tank.
PRO TIP: Don’t be afraid of giving all of your best ideas away for free. That’s not the case here. You’re showcasing your knowledge and providing a resource that other people will be grateful to have. When they need a product or service like yours, you’ll be top-of-mind for them!
Upload Step-By-Step How-To Guides
How-to guides never get old. In fact, the only thing better than a good how-to guide is a good how-to guide that’s free!
Want some proof? Do this little experiment…
Visit Google and type the following in the search bar: “site:slideshare.net how to.”
Look at the results. At the time of writing, I’m seeing the following presentations listed:
“How To Tell Your #WorkStory”
“How To Pitch A VC Redesigned”
“How To Name Things”
“How To Solve Word Problems In Algebra”
“How To Make People Like You In 90 Seconds Or Less”
“How To Build A Dynamic Social Media Plan”
Plus 37 million other results. People are starved for how-to information on just about everything under the sun — even things they should probably be able to figure out for themselves!
Take advantage of that fact by publishing step-by-step how-to guides for your industry. They don’t need to be complicated. Nor do they need to be hundreds of pages.
For instance, think about a plumbing company. Why not create how-to guides on replacing a kitchen faucet? Or publish short how-to guides that cover choosing the right water heater, installing a new toilet or garbage disposal. Load them up on Slideshare and enjoy the traffic!
PRO TIP: Choose topics that people are likely to be searching for within your industry. They don’t have to be complicated — you’re not trying to replace your expertise. Teach people how to do things themselves and they’ll come to you for help when they need it.
In terms of SEO and search traffic, Slideshare is a force to be reckoned with. Use its ranking authority on Google to your advantage.
Do you have any other creative ideas for using Slideshare to drive traffic to your site? What types of presentations have you uploaded recently? Tell us about your plans and results in the comments section below!
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