David Mink

We always enjoy the opportunity to share our marketing experience, knowledge and tips with others at search marketing conferences and networking events across the country. Recently, we have been pretty busy doing just that.  Here are just a few updates:

David Mink, one of DSM’s founding partners was asked to serve on the founding board of directors for www.slcsem.org.  David is handling all of the legal “to do’s” that come with setting up a non profit organization.  David will also be heading back to Las Vegas for PubCon 2011 to once again speak on the “Legal Issues of Domain Names and Trademarks” panel with fellow attorney Clarke Walton.

Mat Siltala will be joining David at PubCon to speak on several panels including Foursquare & Gowalla – Geo Location Marketing, Interactive Site Reviews: Focus Brand & Reputation Management and Competitive Intelligence – Tools and Tactics.

Dream Systems Media also became a “dinner sponsor” for Epic Dinner  Pubcon Vegas 2011, and is really looking forward to that huge event… within the bigger event (PubCon) and the opportunity to connect with even more amazing individuals in our industry!

Andrew Melchior, our other founding partner made a trip down to Tucson, Arizona to help Local First Arizona present to a number of businesses on “local search” marketing strategies.

Matt Siltala

The whole crew will be heading to  PubCon Paradise 2012 In Honolulu Hawaii where Mat has been asked to speak & moderate a variety of panels.

All in all, lots of skymiles, meeting with old and new friends and learning from some of the brightest minds in the game.

Had a blast speaking yesterday at the EVB event on SEO, Link Building & Viral Marketing. I have been asked to upload my presentation so here goes! Thanks again to all of the local sponsors for putting on such a great event! This taught me that I need to get out more and do more local stuff!

Sponsors

One thing I’ve often failed to do is get honest feedback from clients about what they liked, what they didn’t like, and how I could improve the presentation.

As I’ve been doing research on what makes the most effective power point presentations, I’ve realized that fortunately, I did SOME things right; unfortunately, I did MORE things wrong.

As you go through the following list of Do’s and Don’ts, think about a recent presentation you’ve given or one you’ve attended.

Did they follow these “10 Commandments of Power Point Presentations“?

5 Things TO DO In a Power Point Presentation

1. THOU SHALT USE IMAGES, IMAGES, IMAGES: Drawings can really catch people’s attention. Charts and graphs seem to work better than tables. One of the best presentations I’ve been to was by Seth Godin where most of his slides were random pictures that helped tell a story. I don’t think I saw one single complete sentence on ANY of his slides.
2. THOU SHALT EXPLAIN SLIDES: Well designed slides will captivate your audience but will require you to “fill in the blanks” with quality content. Help participants bridge the gap between what they see on the slide and what you intend to teach them.
3. THOU SHALT USE SLOGANS, NOT PARAGRAPHS: I read one article that suggested slides have a maximum of 5 words. “Just Do It!”, “Be all you can be…”, slogans like these won’t require your audience to really read anything (and that’s the point). If you get a sense your audience is being forced to read your slides, eliminate words!
4. THOU SHALT PROVIDE HARD-COPY HANDOUTS: If participants need information to take home, provide them with a print-out in hard copy afterwards instead of cluttering your slides with lots of detail. I strongly recommend the afterwards because if they have the entire presentation in front of them, you might as well just sit down and take turns reading out loud in a circle.
5. THOU SHALT USE HAND-HELD NOTE CARDS: Unless you have practiced the presentation multiple times or have an amazing memory, hand-held note cards are a must. Not only are they small and non distracting, but they will help you avoid one of the “no-no’s” – reading your slides (aka turning your back to the audience to see where you’re at in the presentation).

5 Things NOT TO DO in a Power Point Presentation

6. THOU SHALT NOT HAVE TOO MUCH INFO ON SLIDES: Don’t give away the farm! Keep your audience guessing, at least a little bit. They didn’t come to read your script on the big screen. If you need context, put it on your note cards and summarize down to 5 words or less on your slides.
7. THOU SHALT AVOID AGENDA SLIDES: Agenda slides take away all the suspense. Your audience will pay a lot more attention if they can’t predict what you’ll say next. In addition, you’ll appear to be a lot more on top of your presentation and subject matter if you move through the content seamlessly.
8. THOU SHALT NOT USE ANIMATED SOUNDS AND SLIDERS: Just the thought of some text flying in to the sound of a nuclear bomb reminds me of my 7th grade science teacher. He thought he was SO COOL, and we were all embarrassed for him, even as 12 year olds. Just think what your group of professionals will think if you follow the 7th grade teachers BAD EXAMPLE…
9. THOU SHALT NOT READ SLIDES: Hopefully you’ve picked up on this point already (ie. note cards) but let me reiterate – reading your slides = ill-prepared. If you have to turn your back to the audience, look up, and verify you’re on the right section, you probably should have practiced a bit more before taking center stage. Referring back to Seth Godin’s presentation (which he’s probably given thousands of times): I don’t believe he ever really stopped to see what was on the big screen; the slides just seemed to flow as he was talking and most of them were images (funny, creative, informative) that tied right in with what he was sharing. His presentation kept me captivated but did not distract me from what he was really trying to say.
10. THOU SHALT NOT SPEED: Slow Down! Pause between points that you want the people to think about. Force the audience to ask themselves questions. Force the audience to interact and give you answers to thought-provoking questions. Wait for answers before shouting them out yourself. BREATHE! Although you may feel you have so much to cover and so little time, you’ll need to slow down so your audience can actually comprehend what you’re trying to teach.

Now the question: How are you living up to the Power Point commandments?

Arnie Kuenn Speaking at Pubcon

Google Panda Confirms We’re All PublishersWith the recent Google Panda Update, content marketing has come to the forefront as one of the most important activities a company can be engaging in to grow their business online. Basically, if you own a website, you’re a publisher and need to start thinking like a publisher. Here are some tips to get you on your way to having a content publishing mindset.

1. Know your audience by not just reviewing studies and demographics, but engaging with them where they are: online. Participate in the conversation.
2. Develop and document a process to create, manage, and deliver content for multiple purposes and delivery channels. This should include an editorial and publishing calendar.
3. Seek out ideas from people other than your marketing team. Ideas should no longer be based only on company events and milestones, but information that your audience wants and needs.
4. Think of your content as assets that can be stored and re-used in various forms. Try to get the most return on your investment by repurposing it. For example, turn a Whitepaper into a short top 10, highlighting the main points of that longer document.
5. Have a plan for each piece of content. It’s not about throwing it against the wall and hoping it sticks. It’s about nurturing it, delivering it and promoting via the channels and audiences that will be most receptive to it.
6. Measure! Content marketing should be a continuous cycle and therefore you want to continue doing things that work and discontinue things that don’t. Establish baselines and evaluate results as you go. These are just a few ways to start thinking and acting like a publisher, more widely known in the content marketing world as a Content Strategist.

On April 7, 2011 business owners, marketers and students alike have the opportunity to learn how they can take both their business and their expertise to the next level through the Search, Social and Content Marketing Workshop. Arnie Kuenn, president of Vertical Measures and soon-to-be published author of Accelerate! Move Your Business Forward through the Convergence of Search, Social and Content Marketing, will guide students through developing, implementing, and sustaining a successful content marketing program for their organization.

Each student will receive:

1. A workbook including the presentation and exercises,
2. A free copy of Arnie’s upcoming book Accelerate!
3. A free Business Blogging How-To Guide
4. A free Facebook Marketing How-To Guide
5. A  free Twitter for Business Marketing How-To Guide
6. A free Keyword Research How-To Guide
7. A free Local Search Marketing How-To Guide
8. Plus several concrete ideas, resources and tools for your business!

Seats are limited! Register today with code vm4friends to save 40%!

Update 4/17/10 Here is my presentation from SES NYC 2010 Local Summit: