You’ve probably seen our most recent sharing option, VIP Pass, floating around. It’s a pretty big deal here at the Showcase office. But what about our other sharing options, our Old Faithfuls: email and link sharing? Where does VIP Pass fit in and how are they different? We’re about to find out.
No, we’re not going to put them in an actual fight or declare a winner. That would be like choosing a favorite child or pet.
But there are some differences that make each option special, and which one you choose will ultimately come down to your business and your relationship with customers and prospects.
Until this year, email was the only way to share your beautiful presentations and marketing material with the world.
You’d hit the ‘Share’ button on your favorite presentation, put in a few details, and we’d send a slick email to your prospect with links to an online version of your presentation and any other files you chose to share.
Now, before you panic: You can still do all of these things!
Email sharing isn’t going anywhere. In fact, it’s a great option for 1-1 communication — especially if you don’t want to worry about formatting an email to your prospect.
All you need is an internet connection and their email address. All they need is a compatible web browser and an internet connection.
Head to our Knowledge Base to get the full scoop about email sharing.
Email sharing is best when you want to:
- Share content directly with leads before, during, or after a sales presentation.
- Share content quickly without worrying about formatting.
Where did Email Pitch go?
If you’ve visited the Showcase Workshop web app recently, you may have noticed that the ‘Email Pitch’ link in the top toolbar has been replaced with ‘Sharing’.
Those who have been with us for a while will remember that Email Pitch was a simple way of sharing content from the web — rather than opening the Showcase Workshop app from your device.
When email sharing was our only option, it made sense to call this ‘Email Pitch’. But now that we’ve got a couple of new players, we figured it was time to rename this page.
The ‘Sharing’ page now encompasses everything about Sharing: You can share content via email, link, and VIP Pass directly from this page — and we’ve even moved Sharing History there too, so you can skip straight to seeing how your leads are using your content.
Links
Earlier this year, we introduced you to link-sharing — our middle child of sorts, if we go back to the parenting metaphor.
Link-sharing gives you more freedom to send your content on your terms.
Want to send an email from your work address so your company can track it internally? Started a conversation with a prospect on Slack or via text?
With link-based sharing, you can choose the files you want to share and we’ll generate a link that you can send to prospects via any medium that takes your fancy.
This option is ideal if you want to send additional resources not stored in Showcase — like quotes or customized plans for individual customers. Sending a more personalized message with your link can also lend credibility, as prospects may be more likely to open an email or message from someone they know (you) than someone they don’t (us).
Links are quick to set up and you can share them with little or no preamble if that’s your style.
Curious how to share with a link? Check out our Knowledge Base article about link-sharing.
Link-sharing is best when you want to:
- Share additional files not stored in Showcase Workshop.
- Share content via text or messaging app when you've already struck up a conversation with your prospect.
- Send content from your own email address or format the email so it's on-brand.
VIP Pass
And that brings us to the newest addition to the Showcase family: VIP Pass.
VIP Pass takes all the best bits of email and link-sharing and makes it #fancy. A VIP Pass is link-based, but it allows for greater customization than a randomly-generated link.
First, you can customize the name of the link which makes you look super professional. It also makes it easier to track how your links are performing. Want to track how an email campaign performs versus sharing the link on social media? Create two separate VIP Passes and track the data using Showcase Workshop.
Unlike a regular link, you can also include a message with VIP Pass. Introduce your material, tell prospects where they can learn more, or simply tell them a joke. Whatever you choose to say, recipients will see the message as soon as they click your custom link. They’ll love clicking once and being taken straight to your content. VIP Pass is truly the skip-the-line of sales presentations.
This is an excellent way to get your presentations in front of the general public. Start pitching early by sharing your masterpieces with the world — before they know they need you. A VIP Pass is perfect for sharing on social media or adding to your email signature, allowing you to get your content in front of even more people.
For the low-down on VIP Pass, head on over to our Knowledge Base.
VIP Pass is best for when you want to:
- Share your presentation on social media.
- Share your presentation with a larger group of people for a limited time.
- Make it super easy for your prospect to access your content.
VIP Pass may be our latest sharing option, but there are still plenty of reasons to share via email and link. How you share your glorious content depends on you and your organization, so give them all a go and see what works for you!
Wondering what all the fuss is about? Want to try Showcase Workshop's sharing features for yourself? We've got a free trial waiting especially for you.