On the subject of low-cost, high-impact marketing tools: Slidecasting. Slidecasts are a combination slideshow/podcast and are an incredibly inexpensive, resourceful, effective way to create new-media presentations online. To see an example of how a consulting firm used a slidecast to share thought leadership insights in their area of specialty, check this out (example from Arvetica, consultants serving the private banking industry).
There are two kinds of slidecasts:
1) Merely synching a live presentation with the accompanying powerpoint… here’s an example. This example happens to work well because the presentation is creative and compelling. I’ve seen/heard others in which the presenter is stammering, audience is coughing… terrible stuff. If your presentation stinks live, it’s EVEN WORSE in slidecast form. In other words, if you are a lover of bullet-points, think not about slidecasting for even another moment.
2) Slidecast version #2: synching a visually-rich presentation with professional narration… more in the area of performance rather than speech. The Arvetica example mentioned earlier falls in this category. Obviously this version is more expensive–but still much cheaper than other new-media presentations.
Possible uses for slidecasting? Communicating complex or subtle information to shareholders via an investor relations portal. Reinforcing new initiatives to employees, including corporate identity roll-outs. New medium for delivering thought-leadership research (as a complement to narrative-style reports that sit in online “libraries”).
You can find instructions online about how to create your own slidecast.
