What’s the ‘science’ behind creating visual presentations for business?

How do you use them to get you more bang for your buck?

This is a topic we’ve spent quite some time researching, developing, deploying, assessing and finessing… 

In this first article, we’ll look at the definition and principles of the approach

So, what does this mean for you?

Many corporate communications - presentations, videos, reports etc - are developed using a corporate brand style to help project aspects of the content and/or topic. However, our findings show that on many occasions the purpose or objective of the communication isn’t factored into the aesthetic design - it may look nice but it doesn’t achieve the desired outcome.

At the same time, the content is being developed purely for one activity rather than being re-purposed for additional applications, such as turning a PDF case study into an animated social media video.

Whatever the message, it’s imperative that you consider the audience, story, medium (presentation/video etc) and call to action/next steps... otherwise there’s a high risk that you will not achieve the objective.

In the book Evolved Selling by Tom Pisello, according to Forrester, there is a distinct value gap between what buyers expect and what sellers deliver:

• 21% of buyers said that their interactions with sellers are “low-value”
• 80% of sellers still predominantly pitch products and services
• Only 20% are focused on what buyers really care about: their challenges, potential improvements, and the business value outcome of proposed solutions

Clearly, expectations are being missed. Mary Shea of Forrester shared research on exactly what buyers want and need:

• 74% value sellers who pivot messages to discuss what the buyer wants to talk about, not just a blind pitch
• 77% treasure getting customised data and insights from sellers who can teach them something new
• 75% want sellers to show how their products and services drive business value

How can you implement this approach in your sales enablement?

Consider how you can apply presentification to the tools you use to support your sales enablement process - demand generation, lead generation, sales presentations, explainer videos, social media content etc. Take an holistic view so that content can easily be re-purposed across campaigns.

Show your target audience that you’re investing in this and this will encourage them to invest in you.

In coming articles we’ll delve deeper into specific examples. If you can’t wait for more, visit www.presentify.co.uk and browse the Presentify service stack.