Customize Your PowerPoint Presentations for Different Audiences and Events

The problem with tried and tested slides
It’s a mistake even the best business consultants make: they become complacent about PowerPoint presentations that may have won them a few projects. So they think: why change a winning formula?
They leave the PPT slides alone, unpacking them only during presentations. But this attitude can be dangerous – a presentation that might have worked for one audience –
A. will not necessarily work for all situations
B. if used repeatedly, can seem out-dated or tired-looking to a different audience.
Data that hasn’t been updated can clearly show you’re out of touch with the present. Plus, audiences will be quick to spot missing or incorrect details: the wrong date, the wrong logo and so on.
What’s the solution then? You can’t possibly create a PowerPoint presentation from scratch each time. That would mean hours and hours of work, something consultants can’t afford when pitching ideas to potential clients.
Quick customization is the key. And 24point0 gives you five tips on how to achieve this quickly:
1. Tweak PowerPoint Presentations for Instant, Easy Customization
It’s the small details that make the difference. For example, make sure that you’ve got the date of the presentation right. Consultants who give the same presentation week in and week out overlook this, and the sloppiness could cost them a valuable business opportunity. For clients, the fact that you can’t be bothered to change a date on the slide shows you don’t have an eye for detail.

Also remember, clients like to know that you’ve thought of them when making the PowerPoint presentation. So that means not just including them in examples while speaking, but also including them in the content on the PPT slide. For instance, if you’re talking about helping a client implement a social media strategy, then use the client’s name and logo in the slide when illustrating the strategy:

You can get more social networking graphics from 24point0’s Social Network Illustrations deck.
2. Change the Color Scheme
Does your client have a strong brand identity that uses specific colors? Then use the color palette in the Slide Master menu to give your PowerPoint presentation an instant do-over. For example, if blue is a core part of the client’s brand, use it for graphic details on the slide template.
If this is your canned PPT slide:

Use the color palette option in the Slide Master menu:

And change the slide to one consistent with your client’s corporate color scheme:

3. Customize the PowerPoint Template
If you’re a consultant presenting the same information to different industries, then use industry-specific PowerPoint templates to instantly customize your presentations. 24point0 has a wide range of these. For example, if you’re giving a presentation to the real estate, construction or engineering industries, then this Architecture PowerPoint template from 24point0 is sure to have your audience hooked to your PPT slides:


4. Change the Tone of the Presentation
What sort of audience or event are you addressing? A serious, technical business presentation? One that appreciates light humour?
You can change the tone of your PowerPoint presentation – from one that implies staid seriousness to one that is slightly more fun.
Of course, presentation tone is pretty much a judgement call and one the presenter has to make after weighing the pros and cons carefully. But if you think that your dry business PPT slides could do with a humor upgrade, then use 24point0’s Business Analogies Deck to change the tone:
From a slide that is serious and matter of fact:

To one that is more fun:

5. Make Geography Relevant
If you’re a consultant flying across the world and giving presentations to clients in various countries, then remember: make geography relevant.
Don’t give the same PowerPoint presentation in Osaka that you gave in Dubai. Use 24point0’s range of editable PPT maps to include your client’s location in the PowerPoint presentation.

Using these maps will not only win the client’s respect, but show you have robust geographical information to support your PPT content. Click here for an amazing variety of continent and country maps in PPT.
Did you like these tips? Let us know in the comments box below if it helped you, or if you think we missed out a vital piece of information.
For more tips and PowerPoint resources, click here.
Need help in creating effective, visually impressive PowerPoint presentations? Use 24point0’s special PowerPoint services for consultants today!