Nobody knows better than you the sweat, blood and tears that are necessary to make your business thrive. Only you truly appreciate the degree of pride that you take in ensuring your product and service is of great quality. Unfortunately, your competitors are also out there in the marketplace, telling the story of how wonderful their business is – and of the superior service it offers. Undoubtedly, the best way to attract and retain customers is via the value you offer them, and the subsequent word of mouth that generates. Yet in competitive times, it is also vital to demonstrate your market-leading expertise to your target audience. One proven way to do this is by publishing authoritative white papers, aligned with a broader content marketing and social media strategy.
How to use white papers as a marketing tool:
1. What is a white paper?
The definition of a white paper is an authoritative report or guide helping its readers to understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a decision (clearly an important technique when reaching out to decision makers and buyers within a business). The white paper can take various guises: the persuasive essay; the technical guide; the how-to guide; the manifesto; the industry trend report. The common thread is that the document always offers valuable information that helps its target audience in some way.
Before embarking on white paper creation, it’s useful to research what’s already out there in your sector. What examples do you feel you could improve on, or update? Is there a glaring ‘information gap’ that your company could fill?
2. How can a white paper help your business?
There are several ways in which white papers can serve as powerful marketing tools. Firstly, they establish an organisation as credible and respectable. A well-crafted, authoritative white paper asserts a company’s position as an expert, even a ‘thought leader’ in its space. In sectors where its product or service may in fact be fairly similar to its competitors, having a credible white paper can be an important distinguishing factor.
Publishing white papers is also a tried and tested means of driving new leads and gauging the interest of prospects. What’s more, these are ready-warmed leads who have already expressed an interest in – if not your product or service – than certainly in the relevant subject matter. White paper readers are engaged, interested and ready to fill out a website form to download your content. In a sense, these are more useful and targeted prospects than website visitors who may have stumbled across your site on a random online journey.
White papers can also be a fantastic introduction for targets who are as yet unaware of your brand. Say a business decision maker is searching online for a new supplier; faced with several choices, an informative white paper may be the enticing offer that nurtures them to become a lead. Current client relationships can similarly be enhanced, especially where new products and services are concerned.
3. From idea to reality
If you decide that a white paper is the right choice for your business, the next step is allocating resource. Creating them can be a time-consuming and labour intensive task. Research needs to be conducted, copy must be tight, sources must be cited, stats must be supplied. You get the gist. Then, crucially, once the white paper has been authored, proofed and designed, clearly it needs to be promoted. There’s huge potential to maximise the value of white paper content through your website, in press releases, related blog articles, social media posts and e-mails.
For an informal discussion about how BlogStar can help guide you through the process of creating white papers to generate more leads, establish thought leadership and cement sales, call us on 0845 055 9264 or swing by our Covent Garden offices.
Photo: Jeffrey Zeldman
