PowerPoint is one of the most popular presentation tools online. Thanks to its clean design and simple features, anyone can create a professional-looking slide deck in no time.
However, beyond its simplistic look and feel, PowerPoint comes with some hidden features that can help you improve your online marketing and sales efforts. In this article, we’ll discuss seven ways that you can leverage PowerPoint to grow your business online.
Create Killer Presentations
PowerPoint is a fantastic tool for creating both digital and physical presentations. If you’re a marketer who manages multiple platforms and channels, you can use PowerPoint to craft engaging online content that will reach your audience wherever they may be in the world.
The tool allows you to add images, videos, and other elements to your slides, creating a more engaging experience for your viewers. You may also want to consider using PowerPoint for your sales presentations, as it can make presenting information easier for even the most tech-averse audience members. Plus, using PowerPoint can help you find relationships with potential customers, as the platform allows you to build relationships with your audience using various relationship-building techniques (e.g., value proposition, case studies, etc.).
Use Animations And Backgrounds
PowerPoint offers multiple presentation themes that you can choose from to give your slides a polished, professional look. If you’re looking for a way to stand out, consider choosing a different theme for your presentation. Alternatively, you can take advantage of the slides’ background features to set the mood for your presentation and draw more attention to the elements that matter most.
For example, if you’re using a corporate theme, you may want to add some animation to your slides to make them more interesting. Moreover, you can use the tool’s background functions to create a more dramatic effect and draw more attention to your content. You may even want to use transparency effects on your slides to show off their contents while maintaining a minimalistic look.
Create Slide Packs
PowerPoint’s premium tier includes a Slide Packs feature, which creates curated collections of relevant and complementary slides to help you create professional-looking decks at a moments notice.
If you’ve ever watched How to Create a Presentation in Microsoft PowerPoint, you’ll know exactly what Slide Packs are. Essentially, Slide Packs allow you to save sets of slides that you can later use in your presentations. With a few clicks of the button, you can have a collection of professionally-created slides at your fingertips. When you need them, you can simply open the Slide Packs and start presenting.
There are two types of Slide Packs: Complementary and Related.
A complementary slide pack contains a set of slides that work together to form a cohesive whole. For example, if you need to create a digital presentation to present the benefits of your product or service, you may want to pair your corporate presentation with a set of slides detailing the pricing information for your product.
A related slide pack contains a set of slides that are relevant to the theme or subject matter of your presentation. However, they don’t necessarily need to be presented together in order to be useful. For example, if you’re creating an informational presentation about the growth of e-commerce in South Africa, you may want to create a related slide pack containing relevant graphs, figures, and data points.
Choose one or two Slide Packs as a starting point and then add additional packs as needed. Keep in mind that choosing the right theme for your presentation can make a world of difference. Moreover, you can use the search bar in PowerPoint to find any relevant slide pack you may need at the moment (e.g., “PowerPoint 2016 corporate presentation slides”).
Use Templates
PowerPoint offers a range of template options that you can choose from when creating a presentation. If you’re looking for a ready-made template to base your presentation on, consider choosing one of the numerous PowerPoint themes or using one of the tool’s master templates.
As the name would suggest, a template is a simple yet effective way of creating a polished, professional presentation in no time. Moreover, you can use the templates to create more effective and persuasive presentations simply by changing a few things around. For example, if you need to create a corporate presentation but don’t have the time to create an entire one from scratch, using a template is a quick and easy way to get the job done.
Add Your Own Shapes, Text, And Backgrounds
As we’ve established, the tools found in PowerPoint can help you create stunning presentations. One of the simplest yet most effective ways of adding visual interest to your slides is by using the shape tools. These allow you to add interesting graphics, arrows, text boxes, tables, images, and more to your slides.
For example, if you’ve got an image of a person standing in front of a red background, you can use the shape tools to add this to your slide. Moreover, you can use the shape tools to create custom shapes, fonts, and backgrounds for your presentation. If you don’t have the time to create unique images for your presentation, the shape tools can help out. Simply choose an image and then use the shape tools to add shadows, drop-shadows, or other effects to your image. Once you’ve added your own images to your slides, you can add multiple pages by simply duplicating the slide and changing a few things around. Keep in mind that once you’ve created the slides, you’re ready to distribute them via various platforms (e.g., email, social media, etc.). Alternatively, you can use PowerPoint to seamlessly integrate your slides into your existing blogs or websites.
Adding shapes, text, and backgrounds to your slides is a fun and easy way to spice things up. Moreover, you can use visual elements to attract attention to certain parts of your presentation, such as tables, images, or graphs. Adding these elements can help you cut through the clutter and engage your audience more effectively.
Customize Your Presentations’ Colors
If you’re looking to fully personalize your presentation, you can choose a different color scheme for the tool to give your slides a unique and polished look. For example, if you’re creating a corporate presentation but would like to set it in a futuristic space, you can choose an orange color scheme to give your slides an extra boost.
Similarly, if you want to add a little more excitement to your presentation, you can choose a red color scheme or use the rainbow feature to create a custom color scheme with the colors of the spectrum.
These are just some basic tools that can make a difference in your marketing and sales efforts. There are many more features found in PowerPoint that can help you build a brighter future for your business. Moreover, the tool’s simple and intuitive design makes it a cinch to learn. With PowerPoint, you can become familiar with a tool that can help you promote your business online and save time in the process.