When it comes to making a pitch, email is handy, but it's a high-volume, low-value proposition; presentations, meanwhile, give much more bang for the buck. However, the default presentation software, Microsoft's PowerPoint, is now close to 25 years old, its slides are static, and keeping track of multiple versions of a slide can be a serious headache.
Enter SlideRocket, a SaaS (software as a service) presentation and lead-gen application -- the only app of its kind in the Google Apps Marketplace -- that allows for multimedia slides, integration of real-time data like Twitter feeds and stock quotes, easy feedback and comments, and perhaps most important, trouble-free universal updating.
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Because SlideRocket is hosted, it allows for easy collaboration. Instead of emailing slides around to each other, users can all log in and view the same slide and comment on it. Once alterations are made to a slide, all copies of that slide -- or other slides that use the same data or graphic being changed -- are automatically updated, eliminating out-of-date versions and ensuring that all users are on the same page with the same presentation.
SlideRocket also allows for easy commenting and feedback. If viewers have a question or comment about the content, they can note it right there on the slide, and it will get sent to the original sender, facilitating much easier dialogue. The application also includes the ability to add polls or opt-in questions to slides, meaning you can serve up different slides based on how viewers answer questions and use the presentations for lead-gen gathering.
Additionally, SlideRocket offers tracking data: Users can see when a recipient looked at a presentation and how long the recipient looked at each slide. This data is valuable for crafting the most effective presentation. If, for example, you consistently see users quit the presentation at a particular slide, you know to tweak or simply remove that slide. And the analytics dashboard can show data for individual viewers as well as overall trends for a presentation.
As for the creation of slides, the process is largely drag-and-drop, and the interface options change based on what you're doing -- working in a text box will give different options than importing a video, for example. You can also directly import PowerPoint slides and pull assets from websites like Flickr and YouTube.
SlideRocket is available at via the Google Apps Marketplace or at the SlideRocket website.
This story, "SlideRocket brings presentation-creation software into the cloud," was originally published at InfoWorld.com. Read more of Killer Apps and follow the latest developments in applications at InfoWorld.com.