I’ve been testing the waters with various tools to create online slideshows for my listings, but also as a way to enhance the visual appeal of my blog.

After a fair amount of searching, I settled on Slideshare.net. It’s very easy to use because you can just upload a power point presentation (PDF export from Apple Keynote for Mac users). If you’d like to add audio, simply point to the file on the net and use their online tool to match it up.

The very nice thing about online slide shows is that they can be emailed, embedded in a webpage or linked to. Slideshare, Blip.tv and others typically allow tagging, which can help with SEO.

Here are a few ideas on how you can use online slideshows in your real estate business:

  1. As a pre-listing tool – I uploaded my listing presentation so sellers can view it online. I haven’t included all of my “secret” tools, but it gives sellers a great overview of how I work. I plan to add audio soon. See the example.
  2. Introduce a new listing – Instead of just having pictures pan in and out, I created some slideshows at Blip.Tv and Slideshare. View it here.
  3. Provide market updates – Using Slideshare, I was able to create a simple slide show that discussed development in Downtown Austin. I’m also gearing up to add audio, which I think will help better explain the upcoming changes. See it here.

These are just a few ideas and I can post a “how to” if readers are interested.