The benefits of a web based presentation solution//
It’s time to update your Prezi or PowerPoint presentation.
If you’re thinking it’s time to make amends to, or replace, your Prezi or PowerPoint presentation, it might be worth considering a bespoke web based presentation solution…
Prezi allows you to present and animate information beautifully, but in this information sharing time, Prezi is limited. Either you pay a licence fee to host it online (and are then reliant on an internet connection), or you purchase and install the software on each computer that you want to present from. Neither of which are ideal as many of you have probably experienced times when you’ve been out at client offices, and their facilities have let you down.
Similarly, PowerPoint has its limitations. PowerPoint is a much more powerful piece of software than it used to be, but the animations aren’t quite as slick, and still requires a file to be sent between users to share the information.
So, what is the alternative? A web based presentation solution may not be your first thought for an alternative, but it can provide the same animated and interactive experience that you’d expect from a Prezi through the powers of JavaScript, CSS3 and HTML5!
Impress.js has an impressive demo which shows some of the possibilities of using such a solution (please watch it as it will help make sense of the rest of this blog).
This demo may be a little ‘OTT’, but it shows how much can be achieved visually with a web based presentation solution.
Here are some of the reasons why we think it’s worth considering…
It’s interactive
Many people have access to touch screen devices these days. Mobile phones, iPads at home, Microsoft Surfaces in the office, touch screens on trade stands etc. These solutions can be operated with a finger to click or swipe through the presentation and keep the user’s interest.
We can design multiple workflows for different scenarios
Although it’s possible to achieve multiple workflows within a linear presentation, this is the web, it can spider in any direction you wish. This is particularly handy for E-Learning presentations as you could setup multiple chapters, or at trade shows where you could allow visitors to interact directly with it to learn more about your company and/or products.
You may have a process that you take clients through, where you ask questions along the way. Each junction can take you down a different workflow, all beautifully animated, interactive and RELEVANT.
You can easily share it online
The presentation can be hosted on your web server, or possibly in its own location, with a special URL. That link can then be shared with anyone on social media, in an email campaign, on your main website or through any other means.
You don’t necessarily need an internet connection
The files required to make this solution work do not require a web server, so you could host them locally on your computer and run them without the need of an internet connection.
It can work on multiple devices
These days we expect our web software to be responsive, and this is no exception. Care needs to be taken when planning your presentation to ensure the volume of information per screen is appropriate for the device sizes you expect your target audience to view it on. However, it’s possible for your presentation to be viewed on any type of device, in any type of browser.
Impress your audience with engaging rich media
Again, this is the web, so all of the usual types of media can be included in the presentation. If you’d like users to watch a video, you can embed one. If you want to include infographics, downloads, links to other websites, you can do that. This type of solution doesn’t need to be limited to just text and graphics.
You can track, measure, report and refine the content
Once you have your solution set-up, you’ll want to know just how much it’s being used. Using Google Analytics, you can track which slides in the presentation are viewed, which elements are clicked on (for example, is anyone watching the video that you’ve embedded?), what is being downloaded, and what appears to be more / less popular. Collating this information will allow you to measure the performance and track the goals you’ve set. If you need more information than just analytics data, you can also install Hotjar, and watch videos of how users are interacting with the presentation to get an even deeper insight of how well your presentation is doing the job.
Use it to capture leads
If the presentation is to be provided in a location where a company representative isn’t available, you can add a lead generation form and/or contact details. Again, these can be tracked through analytics as goals, and you can discover how many leads your investment is creating for you.
Generate real return on investment
Marketers are frequently under pressure to provide details to the board of how the investment is benefiting the business. With the analysis reporting and leads generated, this approach makes it much easier to demonstrate return on investment.
So, the next time you’re ready to update your Prezi, PowerPoint or Keynote presentation, Interactive portal or even a simple e-learning module, open your mind to the possibilities of a web solution. It can take you wherever your imagination (or ours) will allow you to.