Why Presentation Skills Are Important in Marketing

What does it take to be a successful marketer?

It appears that someone has already performed the investigation so there is no need to speculate. Fractl employed IBM Watson’s Personality Insights API in 2019 to scrutinize the prime idiosyncrasies and attributes of 20 of the most distinguished marketing experts (I was even on the list!).

The results of the research indicated that the most common attribute exhibited by marketing leaders was a level of boldness, with a high level of enthusiasm, confidence, and intellect also playing a role.

This is noteworthy because many of the traits that make for a great presenter are shared by those with remarkable presentation abilities.

It takes an adventurous spirit to be willing to stand up and speak in front of a crowd. If you don’t have a lot of enthusiasm, you will find it difficult to maintain people’s attention. If you lack confidence in expressing yourself, it will be hard for you to get your thoughts across clearly. The list goes on.

That’s not a coincidence. In order to succeed in marketing, having strong presentation abilities is an absolute necessity.

3 Reasons Presentation Skills Are Important in Marketing

In a way, marketing is one big presentation. When we compose a blog entry or feature on a podcast, we are giving a presentation. We try to comprehend better the desires of our audience when we explore them in order to determine what they wish to gain from our demonstrations.

To put it another way, presentation abilities are fundamental to nearly every part of marketing. If you can deliver an incredible presentation, you can:

1. Having Good Presentation Skills Drive Trust in Your Brand

What makes people trust brands? According to a global survey from PR and marketing consultancy Edelman, it boils down to three key factors:

Product experience: The most important factor, 87 percent of respondents cited their experience with a product as a reason to trust a brand.
Customer experience: 56 percent of consumers said their own experiences with a brand play an important part in building trust.
Societal impact: 38 percent of consumers believe a brand’s impact on society is an important factor in assessing its trustworthiness.

Nevertheless, an even more important point serves as the foundation of all this. Without the ability to effectively communicate, customers won’t be aware of any of the features or benefits offered.

If you don’t advertise the high caliber of your goods, show off your excellent reviews and recommendations, or display your dedication to improving the environment, how will anyone have certainty that they can depend on you?

2. Presentation Skills Help Create Brand Awareness

Have you ever questioned why people’s own social media accounts receive more responses than business accounts? It is simpler to persuade an individual rather than to sell a corporate identity.

One of the most helpful tactics for promoting your brand is attending conferences, networking meetups, and other similar occasions. It allows your brand to be presented with a personal touch, making it easier for people to recognize, relate to, and remember you. This is the reason why, for a lot of people, when the names Apple, Microsoft, or Tesla are mentioned, the idea of Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, or Elon Musk pops into our heads.

3. Use Your Presentation Skills to Drive Sales

Presenting your product effectively can be one of the strongest tools in your toolbox when it comes to marketing it.

The Chief Marketer’s research indicates that live events are the second most prolific producer of leads for B2B companies and also provide the second highest rate of return in comparison to other marketing techniques.

Admittedly, not all of the people surveyed were invited to be speakers at the event. However, to gain leads, they surely were communicating to the prospective attendees at the exhibition stands, through networking, and even when standing in line to grab a cup of coffee or a hot dog. Their individualized public speaking abilities were indispensable to initiating contact with those potential buyers.

How to Develop Your Marketing Presentation Skills

At this juncture, I am hoping that you concur with me that possessing presentation abilities are fundamental for contemporary marketers. Let’s explore how to sharpen those abilities to reach your promotional goals.

1. Set Goals for Developing Your Presentation Skills

If I demanded that you compose a blog entry at the moment, you would probably find it very challenging. After all, I’ve not given you any information. You have not determined the subject matter, a name, or even the group of people that the material is purported to be directed towards. Basically, I don’t have any idea what I want, so there is no way to judge whether or not I’m achieving it.

If I asked you to create a blog post that discusses this year’s predominant themes in SEO marketing, tailored to those who lead SaaS startups, you would have a better comprehension of how to start.

The same can be said for honing your presentation abilities. Start by defining exactly what you want to achieve, such as:

becoming a better (or first-time) conference speaker
delivering more impactful training sessions
speaking more persuasively to leads
engaging potential prospects at the top of the sales funnel
honing your pitch presentations

Also, give yourself a deadline. Focus your efforts on enhancing your public speaking abilities specifically so that you are prepared for a particular conference or networking event. Register quickly as a speaker; that way, you take full responsibility for executing your strategies.

2. Research Your Audience

In addition to merely engaging in more public speaking, another efficient technique for helping increase your confidence when addressing an audience is to prepare beforehand by researching the material.

When you examine it, imposter syndrome could be a significant explanation for why people abstain from speaking in public. We fear that people will uncover us as deceptive people who have no clue what we are discussing.

Investigating your audience entirely will protect you from experiencing that sensation. When you are aware of your audience, it is easier to construct a successful speech.

With that in mind, before you start working on your next presentation, ask yourself the following questions about your audience:

How old are they?
Where are they from?
What jobs do they do?
Who do they work for?
How experienced are they?
What are their pain points?

The concept is to find out which “thing” you have that is the most advantageous to the people you are targeting. The more you can niche down, the better. If you have difficulty responding to some of those inquiries, consult the event planners; they should be capable of providing guidance.

4. Know what you want to say

Before you create any content for your presentation, make sure you know the exact aim of what you’re trying to accomplish so you don’t stray away from the main idea. Consider what kind of impact you wish to make on your viewer(s). Do you want them to come away feeling inspired? Delighted? Motivated? Would you like them to acquire your item, cast a ballot for you, or modify their existence by some means? Every slide and word spoken should be connected back to the primary goal.

5. Have a structure

Beginning, middle, and end. This approach can act as a guide to easing anxiousness. Spend roughly 10-15% of your speech time introducing the subject, continue with a main body of 75%, and finish off with a brief conclusion of 10%. Once you have your format determined, concentrate on the three fundamental ideas that you really want to share with your viewers, and remember this when you are giving your presentation. Typically, the list is much bigger than three items, however, if you maintain the number at three, your chances of effectively delivering your points and giving an intriguing presentation are greater.

6. Deliver your points

Our books, as well as our Effective Communication course and presentation skills training, give great emphasis on the concept of delivery, which is exceptionally essential. If we don’t focus on the crowd or person we are speaking to and look around the area instead, it gives the impression that we do not care about them. If we focus our attention, use articulate speech, and look directly at the person we are addressing, then the overall meaning is: ‘I value your opinion and I am making certain that you understand and accept my views.’

So how do you ‘deliver’? It’s really simple. Gaze purposefully at your audience or a specific person with your finishing words for every important idea, section, or phrase. You should not give the impression that you are not paying attention, so avoid looking away in the middle of someone’s sentence; this would be seen as disrespectful. Rather than ending with a period, if you show that you are invested in the words you are saying and that you consider your audience to be important, it will be clear. I’m really excited about this, and I’m sure you will be too!

Successfully conveying your ideas requires combining your intents, vocal delivery, and eye contact in order to get your thoughts into the minds of the people you are speaking to.

7. Practice does make perfect

It is clear to see that preparation is key in order to perform well in a large presentation – practice is the best way to make sure you are prepared. If you want to be ready for a presentation that takes place in person, you should practice speaking the material aloud, either in front of a reflection of yourself or with the help of a partner. Set up a Zoom meeting and film yourself presenting if you are getting ready to do a virtual presentation. This would be even better. Be brave enough to observe yourself – you’ll be astounded by what you’ll discover. Make a point of noting down important phrases and concepts that you plan to emphasize. To make a persuasive presentation, be sure to select the correct language – ‘directly’, ‘at no cost’, ‘immediate benefit’, and ‘you’ are all simple yet powerful phrases to utilize.

8. Ask questions

If possible. Asking questions not only enables you to take a moment and gather your ideas, it also gives you a chance to be an attentive listener and actively involve your audience in the conversation. An important metric to gauge their interest and participation. Questions play an important role in creating strong relationships, as they signify the beginning of a link.

9. Transform nervous energy into enthusiasm

Famous people such as Abraham Lincoln and Mahatma Gandhi, who are well-known for their great oratory abilities, were actually scared of giving speeches in public. Are you curious about how to develop confidence when speaking in public? You are certainly not alone. When you consider Abraham Lincoln and Mohandas Gandhi, you likely remember their enthusiasm and not their anxiety. Given the need to speak was more pressing than their fear of public speaking, they spoke anyway. To channel their skills in public speaking and confidence, look at your prepared remarks and ask yourself:

What are my goals for the audience?
What am I giving them?
Will they be moved?
Will this make them feel relief or pain?

Return frequently to the points in your speech that are essential for achieving your objectives, and make sure to explain why they are necessary.

10. Make eye contact, especially online

It is obvious that eye contact has a big impact, and just through glancing we are able to express certain things to other people. And this is no different in a presentation. Envision someone casting their eyes up in the midst of their writing, then glancing downward at the conclusion of their phrase to lay hold of the next line. This conveys an erroneous impression – that the speaker is verifying if people are still paying attention.

It is often thought that making eye contact is not necessary when giving a presentation virtually, however, this is the time when it is more critical than ever. When speaking to people over the internet, be sure to look directly into the camera as if you were looking them in the eye. This is the best way for your audience to feel your attention on them. It’s that simple!

11. Connect with the audience

You may consider yourself to be the central point of your presentation. You will be the one speaking after all. However, we are not expressing our opinions, as we already know what each of us thinks. We speak for other people. Your presentation should be centered around your audience. Establish this as the basis on which you can forge a bond with your listeners. The most effective route to understanding this mindset is to acknowledge the diversity and intricacy of your audience. Be at ease even if the gathering is composed of different types of people, as there are likely still commonalities that everyone can relate to. Aim to connect with that factor.

Conclusion

No one is born with extraordinary public speaking abilities; not even Steve Jobs.

Certainly, some of us are more secure than others when it comes to addressing a crowd and expressing our ideas effectively. Nevertheless, this requires effort; and focusing on perfecting your presentation skills is distracting you from other essential tasks such as content strategy or search engine optimization.

The better your presentation skills will become, the more you exert effort in honing them, and the higher your confidence level will be. It’s a virtuous circle!