Slide decks for social media

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As we noted in our last post, social media slide decks are predicted to be one of the top trends of 2021. How different is the process behind a successful social media deck? Let’s find out!

Firstly, the fact that it’s on social media does not indicate that the slide deck should be casual or frivolous. The principles of good presentations apply as much, if not more, to social media slide decks, since there’s so much competing for eyeballs, and attention spans are shorter than ever.

Getting your research right, identifying the key objective, and being focused and solution-driven is a must. Since this is a comparatively new media, it’s always a good idea to study competition, and understand what works, what doesn’t.

The interactivity of social media is a huge plus, when it comes to identifying gaps in current content and possibilities for future growth. What experts call “social proof” is a great marker, and adds a solid grounding to your data and other marketing insights.

Deep understanding is as crucial to social media decks as it is to regular decks. Listing pain-points, background information and key takeaways will help you hone in on the messaging in a way that can cut through social media clutter.

Secondly, designing social media slide decks is at the core no different from designing presentations for conferences or webinars. While all our earlier posts on design elements such as color, fonts, typography, image-word balance, infographics and so on stay relevant, one thing to keep top of mind is length!

Social media decks would need to be short, sharp, succinct. One idea per slide, strong storytelling, and call to action in conclusion are 3 things you should keep in mind.

Remember – if the social media slide deck is to work – it should be persuasive, memorable, and best of all – lead the viewer to positive action – be it a phone call, a query email, or a re-route to a website.

While the single post favored by social media channels such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter are limited in the information they can convey, and the impact they have, social media slide decks allow a larger arc, a deeper engagement.

Longer messages are ideal for this format, with the right blend of smart design and spot-on messaging, which enable communication strategies that are tailored to the new media, rather than adapted or force-fitted from conventional media. Running them on platforms like LinkedIn also increases their reach in a focused and productive way.

Leveraging the possibilities of this exciting and versatile  ‘mini’ form reminds us of the importance of seeing the big picture while getting all the little details right!