Sonja Galton, Agnico Eagle Mines
Despite the fact that I use a wide variety of digital tools on a daily basis, I too occasionally find myself shaking my head and wondering who said technology would make our lives easier.
But then think of some of the unique and interesting advancements that have come about over the past few years and the amazing ways you can now share your information, making it accessible to you and others no matter where you might be.
From an investor relations perspective, one application of this enhanced functionality immediately jumps to mind: marketing and roadshows.
Why it’s worth going mobile
Many companies have begun supporting the use of tablet computers (such as the iPad) for conducting investor meetings and giving presentations. And even companies that aren’t officially doing so acknowledge their employees are using these devices independently.
Part of the appeal is the array of web and/or tablet based applications (apps) that make creating, storing, sharing and accessing your files while on the road a virtual snap.
As an example, let’s say you create a presentation on your computer at work. It is now possible to edit that file using your phone while waiting to board your flight at the airport. A colleague with whom you are collaborating back at the office can access the same file while you are in the air and make some further updates. When you land at your destination and are ready to present, you can pull up the final version of the presentation on your tablet – from literally anywhere in the world!
The value proposition in this new approach lies in the ability to create and share files.
You are able to collaborate and make timely edits while avoiding the need to either log into your corporate network or send large files back and forth via email. It also eliminates the confusing rounds of revisions that can occur because everyone is working on the same file, in the same location.
How to get started
The first step is to decide what exactly you will be doing. For example, will you be:
- Delivering a presentation?
- Accessing spreadsheets of financial data?
- Reviewing or editing documents?
- Showing a video?
- Displaying photos?
The next step is to determine what kind of technology you will be using – both in terms of the device and the applications. Your options here are many and varied and you can choose to suit your style. Will you use a laptop or, perhaps, a tablet? Maybe what you plan to share is small enough so that viewing it on your phone will suffice?
And lastly, consider whether you will have access to the Internet during your meeting.
Laptops and tablets function equally well with and without Internet access, for the actual meeting. The differentiating factor is generally that you will need, one last time, to log into the application where your files are stored (perhaps from your hotel or your company’s regional office) to synchronize and/or download the final versions of your files before going mobile and heading to your meeting.
The key is as easy as choosing the right tool, signing up for an account and installing the corresponding applications as appropriate.
Two good options – as a starting point – are outlined below.
SlideShare
What it is good for: storing and sharing presentations, privately and publicly.
SlideShare was founded in 2006 and currently gets more than 51 million visits per month. It allows you to share presentations publicly and have both free and paid features.
On the mobile front, SlideShare is compatible with iPhone/iPad, Android, Windows Phone 7 and 8 and BlackBerry. It also works on both Windows and Mac computers.
For those a bit further down the social media continuum, SlideShare enables you to share your presentations via Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, and you can embed YouTube videos directly into your presentations. It also features a built-in tool called Zipcast that enables you to easily host web meetings.
And finally, if you want to take things to the next level, SlideShare PRO allows you to brand your own presentation channel, gives you access to viewership analytics data, and eliminates all advertisements from showing on your pages.
Dropbox
What it is good for: storing, transferring and sharing files of all types.
Dropbox has been around since 2007 and currently boasts more than 200 million users across all continents. Dropbox prides itself on providing a platform that makes sharing as easy as possible and ensures that all your files are synchronized and function the same no matter where you are when you access them.
Dropbox’s free features include two gigabytes of storage, best-in-class synchronization and file-sharing, data encryption and two-step security verification when logging on.
Additional paid features include the ability to recover accidentally deleted files, enhanced version histories for your files, the ability to track team member activities and personalized phone support.
In terms of mobile compatibility, Dropbox works on Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone (7.5 and 8), iPhone/iPad and the Kindle Fire e-reader. On computers and laptops Dropbox is Windows, Mac and Linux compatible.
It’s time to take it on the road
Speaking from personal experience, tools and applications such as the ones highlighted above have fundamentally changed the way I do my job. Never before has it been so easy and effective to collaborate more, from further away, and yet lose less time; to decrease turnaround times and yet increase the quality of the final product.
So, whether you’re visiting three countries to deliver three presentations in three days, and whether you’re in Australia or the Arctic, I encourage you to consider some of the many technological options available to help you get the job done!
Related Links:
Dropbox: www.dropbox.com
Dropbox Tour: www.dropbox.com/tour
SlidesShare: www.slideshare.net
SlideShare 101: www.slideshare.net/about
Sonja Galton is Web and Communications Specialist at Agnico Eagle Mines in Toronto.