The 5 surprising ways I use Google Slides in my business

Let me take you back to New Year’s Day 2019. I have a piece of paper in front of me with two columns drawn out.
• Column one is titled: what do I want more of in my business.
• Column two is titled: what do I want less of in my business.
After a few cups of tea, I have condensed all of my scribbles and notes into one key theme. More simplicity. I want more simplicity. That feels good. Six months later, I would never have guessed that Google Slides would be the key to more ease, to more flow, within my business. So today I wanted to share with you my experience.

Onboarding documents

I started with creating a list of documents which I share with my client throughout a project. From inquiry packs, welcome packs, onboarding documents, and goodbye packs. I wanted to create a simpler way to do that. Could some of the documents merge that were supplies to requirements? With Google Slides, I easily created a ‘master folder’ to hold all of these files. Then, I created copies and placed them in a client folder.

Previously, I was using a mixture of Canva and MS Word. Now I can style all the files to match my branding and easily import a Google font. I receive so many compliments from my clients on how professional my documents look and how easy it is for them to use. That’s a win-win in my mind.

I prefer working with Google Slides as it makes collaboration on a project so easy. You can both access and type into a Google Slide at the same time. Even if you work on a slide at different times, that means there is only one live document, rather than several versions lurking around. That way, things don’t get missed. The other sweet bonus feature is the Auto Save function. Because closing down a file without saving it, and thus losing it, is just a pain.

Checklist, Worksheets and Lead Magnets

Once I mastered how to make Google Slides look and feel different in a range of onboarding documents, I revisited my sales funnel. I found sharing freebies, checklists, worksheets and lead magnets was much easier with Google Slides. Again, the key advantage was there was one live document. I can share one link rather than going through my list and looking for all the different places it needs to be updated.

TOP TIP

If you want people to create a copy of your Google Slides, make sure the link to that file is shareable AND at the end of the file address, swap out the edit for copy. This automatically creates a copy of the file, so your original is all-nice, preserved, and people don’t accidentally change it.

If I need to save as a PDF file, I can easily do that. If I want to create a worksheet to which people can easily add in their own information, words, thoughts, then I can easily do that. You can also easily embed Google Slides on your website. You can use this function on a blog post, course material … the options are endless.

Business Review

Maybe it’s the designer in me, but when something looks visually appealing, it makes me want to do it. Which reduces my procrastination time. Now, I can put the time in my calendar to reflect on where I am at in my business versus where I want to get to. I think we can all agree procrastination is a great time waster.

Maybe you’re a 90-day planner, mid-year reviewer or a full-year reflector. Either way, having something you are excited to complete makes doing those unappealing tasks, well, more appealing.

So I took the same approach as I would when creating something for a client to fill out, but for myself. Over-deliver for yourself, as you do for your clients. It is a real eye-opener.

Creating Presentations

Yes, I know that is how Google Slides is meant to be used … but it wasn’t until a few months into simplifying my business, that I actually used them that way. Because I was using Google Slides in a different way (creating presentation slides for local networking talk, workshops, and webinars), I created with a different approach. I now think of them more like a web page. Which I think made me look at the information I was sharing in a different light. Which I hope made the presentations better. I’m even able to create what appears to be pop-ups within my presentations.

And most surprisingly of all ….

To create products to help others …. and make money. Honestly, I never thought about this at the beginning of the year. By creating an easier way of doing things, others have loved it. The feedback from clients was great, so I started to share them to help and support others. Then I started to sell pre-designed Google Slides for Lead Magnets, Inquiry Packs and Welcome Packs. In the coming months, I plan on creating more designs and packs.

If you want a head start on creating your own Sales Funnel Packs, you can check out my pre-designed ones here.

If you have never used Google Slides (or Docs) before, then I would suggest trying them out to see how they could simplify your business processes. You could save time and be more productive. Doesn’t that sound like a business simplifying win?

If you are looking to create a new website and would like a FREE Strategic Website Consult Call here, schedule it here. Our calls are totally no-pressure. We are trying to help you solve problems in your business, not sell you stuff you don’t need.