January 30, 2013

Most small and medium business owners today understand the need of internet marketing for their business, and strive to work on building a positive online presence for their enterprise. While building a website is the first obvious step to getting started on such a strategy, the real challenge lies in finding ways to draw a relevant audience to these websites. Most internet marketing experts would agree that it all boils down to two strategies- SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and SMM (Social Media Marketing).

With the main focus in 2012 lying on cracking the Google updates, the technique of document sharing which was a big hit in 2010 and 2011 took a backseat. But now, with a new year kicking in, and the need for internet marketing strategies that actually work, it’s time to revisit this once popular strategy, which is arguably the most efficient content marketing technique out there. For the uninitiated, document sharing, as the name suggests, is a way to share documents with online users, using document sharing sites like docstoc, scribd, yuddu, slideshare, etc.

The best part about these websites is that along with being viewed as conventional websites, they are also compatible with mobile devices, which explains their immense popularity as a means of viewing documents on the go. There is no limit to the type of content that you can share on these websites. Right from ebooks to restaurant menus, you can put up just about anything you wish to, and it’s sure to reach the right audience to read it. The “embed” option on these websites helps to make these documents viral through syndication by news sites and other bloggers.

Speaking of slideshare, this website has quickly gone on to become one of the top 150 websites on the internet, with a whopping 3 billion slides being viewed on it every month! If you are planning to turn to this website to market your content, it is important to keep a few pointers in mind-

  • Ideal number of slides per presentation= 19
  • Ideal number of words per slide= 24
  • Ideal number of pictures per presentation= 19

Using document sharing as a marketing strategy for your business’s content is undoubtedly one of the most effective ways to give a voice to your business. Just remember to keep the content brief, relevant, and informative!