Small Business Blog from Atlantic Canada

From a business point of view, white papers are used to generate publicity. It is one of the important attention generating tools in your marketing arsenal. It does not have the space limitation ads or web pages have. They can be anywhere from three pages to twenty pages long. If your small business solution caters to a niche or specialized audience, white papers can be an effective tool in demonstrating your organizational knowledge in that area.

White papers also help the sales team, especially when introducing a new product or a product line extension. Your sales team can refer your clients to the white paper to read at their leisure. However, in order to be an effective marketing tool, it must address a number of issues.

Author: The person writing the white paper must have a deep understanding of the markets and the target audience.Such individuals must have writing experience. A developer is not the best person to write a white paper.

Target Audience: Before you even write a white paper define its target audience. For example; if the white paper is going to target the management audience, do not put in too much technical documentation. You need to show return on investment, market analysis and high level benefits of using your product. If the target audience is the CTO, your language can be technical.

Let us now look at the white paper itself. Points to watch out for are:

• Title: This is the bait. Mess up with the title and chances are your white paper may never get read by its intended audience. Use benefits to come up with an appropriate title.

• Summary: It’s a good idea to include a one page executive summary, especially if the document is long. This overview summarizes to the reader what the white paper is about and its findings. However, just provide enough details to just whet the appetite. It should persuade the reader to read the rest of the document.

• Problem: Identify the pain points here. What issues does the reader face? Build up the problem with some market analysis and background information. It is important you build this section up carefully since you are setting the stage to present your solution.

• Solution: Introduce your company solution here. This must be done in such a way so as not to give the impression you are selling or promoting your product.

• Benefits: Be as tangible as you can be here. “[Product Name] will help increase your efficiency by over 20%.” It has a greater impact than just general statements. You need to back up such statements with data.

• Conclusion: The summary should restate the benefits of using your product and risks of not using it. Develop a compelling call to action. I have read a number of white papers that did not tell me what steps to take after I read the paper.

Tone: The tone of the white paper is also important. It depends on what message you want to send to your audience. It can vary from very formal to light hearted conversational tone. The tone you adopt must match your organization’s communication strategy.

Tracking & follow up: Track white paper downloads. Very important. You need to know who is downloading and reading them. The most effective method is registrations before downloading. However, you may choose a different tracking mechanism. People who read white papers are further along in the sales cycle. You may be losing a sale if you do not religiously follow up with your readers. I find a phone approach works more to your advantage than an email follow up.

White papers are a great way to convert a prospect to a customer. Like any other tool, you need to use it correctly to maximize return on investment.

What are your pointers on how to use them effectively?