Current statistics tell us there are somewhere around 3.5 billion social media users worldwide. According to PEW research, 72% of the US population is on active on social media. And those statistics just keep increasing. If you aren’t leveraging the power of social media in your presentation, you could be falling behind the curve. It’s time for all presenters to get serious about connecting with audience members via the powerful and prevalent platforms of social media.
Analyze Your Audience
It’s important to note that different social media platforms appeal to different age groups. So audience analysis, a foundational theory in the world of public speaking, continues to be critical when choosing what platform to use. Evaluate the age groups that will be represented in your audience and tailor your social media connections and references to them.
For example, 90% of Instagram followers are younger than 35 and most of the users are female. And YouTube reaches more 18-34 year olds than any TV network. For 30-49 year olds, Facebook or Twitter might be a better platform. Research shows that 27% of adults in that demographic use Twitter.
Create Visuals
You’ve probably seen people take pictures of the slides during a presentation. Maybe they want to share a quote they love. Or perhaps there’s a graphic with lots of information that they want to unpack later. This can lead to unprofessional looking posts and shares for your brand. So manage your social media image by creating shareable graphics of the most important parts of your presentation which you can tell your audience how to access. And make it visual. Research shows that “visual content is more than 40 times more likely to get shared on social media than other types of content.”
Not sure how to begin creating your own graphics? Canva is a simple free tool you’ll want to check out. With templates specific to different social media platforms, it’s a great place to start. For those big presentations, however, we suggest hiring professional graphic designers who can help you create stunning visuals. (We just happen to have a team of talented designers ready to help you. Check out some of their work here.)
Replace Handouts
Instead of presentation handouts, publish continued information or interactive tools on social media platforms before your presentation. Then take time during your presentation to show audience members how and where to access this information. This extends your reach beyond the time you have for your presentation. Think about uploading self-assessments. Or consider offering further information in exchange for presentation feedback. Some presenters even like to use social media during their presentations, inviting audience members to be part of a “live” discussion.
How exciting that we’ve moved beyond the old standard presentation with PowerPoint templates for slides. Today’s presentations can take many formats and make use of multiple channels. With social media, your ability to engage with your audience doesn’t have to end when your presentation does. That’s great news for presenters, and for audience members, and for the ideas and brands we are passionate about sharing.
For over 10 years, our team at Ethos3 has helped the biggest brands in the world seize opportunities to sell, educate, and inspire the masses. We’d love to help you create a winning presentation today.
