Are pitch decks useful?
Pitch decks are helpful and in this article, I will tell you why and give some tips on getting one created. This article is really geared toward small businesses. Having a professionally designed pitch deck offers versatility, it is something that can get updated without always having to involve a designer, and it provides small businesses with a professional edge that can be easily shared and diversified.
Over a year ago, I was hired by PENN Creative Strategy to create an agency PowerPoint pitch deck for their marketing to potential customers. You might wonder, is it worth spending money to hire a professional designer to create one for your company? A couple of months after I create a deck for PENN Creative Strategy, the CEO reported to me that the versatility of the deck was useful because she could customize different decks for different customers and that overall, the deck elevated their level of professionalism.
So, what is important to know and how to get started?
A solution-focused professionally designed sales pitch deck offers businesses an opportunity to communicate information about their services and products to current and prospective customers. Pitch decks can provide customers and potential customers with useful information about your company´s experience and expertise in solving problems, creating solutions, and the overall value your company provides.
A few tidbits of advice
A PowerPoint presentation and sales pitch deck should be well-branded with your company’s identity, brand messaging, colors, and visuals that communicate and reinforces your company’s brand story. It goes without saying a good marketing deck is branded from cover to cover with your company logo on the front cover and built into the design of the subsequent pages. If you’re a new company, and you do not have any branding or a logo, use your name and choose colors, which match your project’s purpose or company’s mission. Make sure to use a clean serif typeface that is easy to read. Without overdoing it, bold more important information, do not use all caps, nor over italicize. Consider changing the font color from black to a slightly lighter version somewhere between 85-90% black. Changing the type from black to gray decreases the harshness and distraction the black type can present, and it makes your presentation more professional and elegant.
The goal is to create a clean, readable presentation with clarity of information that is easy to follow and understand. Avoid slides that are too text-heavy and cluttered and having sufficient white space is a must. Design elements and layout, presenting information in a simple, short, and concise manner adds to the effectiveness of each slide. Instead of bullets, visualize the content and be aware of content jumping as you move from slide to slide.
What should a pitch deck include?
There are many different approaches you can take to create a PowerPoint pitch deck. Start with conducting online research to see how other companies have designed their decks. This will give you lots of ideas to pick and choose from. Create your own personal mood board of ideas. This will allow you to define what sections you want and how you want the deck to look.
When you have some ideas, open PowerPoint, and start dumping all your ideas into a presentation. At this stage don´t worry about designing it. Leave that to the designer, should you choose to hire one. You are still on the ground floor organizing what the deck needs to have. Use a slide or a series of slides for each new section and add any relevant information you want under that section. If you have photos or icons, drop them in also.
Some possible sections might include:
- Describe your company´s WHY
A value statement about what your company does and for whom, your target audience, and what kind of problems you solve - Present growth-focused key company performance indicators (KPI)
Use infographics to show your metrics - Show social proof
How has your company been effective and successful in addressing the mentioned pain points? - Research data
Make competitors comparisons; consider using a SWOT or a features table - Case studies
Clearly highlight the problems you have solved, your company’s solution, and the outcome of implementing the solution, such as ROI data - Financial data points
Company growth, pricing, comparative, correlations - Your Team
Introduce core team members and any partnerships - Testimonials
These can be scattered throughout the presentation to support your story and messaging - Include an Ask
Tell your prospective clients and potential audience: What types of projects you are seeking? - Earn confidence by offering freebies
Provide free and honest value-based information and/or products, which are immediately useful and highlight your knowledge and expertise (i.e., free tips, consultation time, discount on first service, money-back guarantee, free trial, free shipment, etc.) - Include a clear call to action
Call to action remind your potential client to reach out without compromise or commitment (i.e., schedule an appointment, add your name to a newsletter, etc.)
The deck is an extension of your business and it should tell your story.
BRAIT Studio has experience creating and designing pitch decks and other PowerPoint presentations that include visual storytelling, information design, and infographic design. I´d love to design your next deck. Consider scheduling a meeting to review your deck project.