Do You Need White Papers in Your Marketing Mix?

An example of a successful white paper published by Wellesley Hills Group

Why do white papers remain a popular approach in B2B marketing?

It’s simple: they work.

Michael Stelzer, the white paper guru and RainToday author, recently shared the following data with us:

Here’s some proof white paper marketing works (from a very recent study by Eccolo Media):

• White papers yield powerful influence: 84% of businesses find white papers either moderately or extremely influential in their purchasing decisions.
• White papers are the most viral form of marketing collateral: white papers are the most commonly shared form of marketing collateral, with 89% of readers passing them along to others.
• Decision-makers consume more white papers: 77% of business decision-makers read white papers in 2009, up from 68% in 2008.
• White papers yield the most strength early in the sales cycle: regarding the sales cycle, 80% of marketers claim white papers are most effective in the pre-sales process. However, white papers are also the leading form of collateral at all other stages of the sales process.

Right about now you may be thinking: hey, gimme some of those!

Quickly followed by: hmm, how do I create a really effective white paper marketing program?

First, you need to understand what a white paper is—and what it is not—before you begin to write and market one. As we describe in RainToday’s How to Write and Market a White Paper:

• A white paper is: an educational tool in the form of a persuasive essay. At its best, a white paper provides the kind of useful information about your service, thought process, or methodology that will win you new clients. It is best to think of your white paper as a credible source of information for your clients that will reach them before they need to make decisions. Reading a paper that contains logical arguments backed by facts fuels interest and desire. Interest and desire often lead to sales.
• A white paper isn’t: a thinly veiled sales pitch. Keep in mind prospects look to white papers for information that is thoughtful, factual, and helpful. They know a sales pitch when they see one, and if your white paper is a puff piece or self-promotional, your targeted clients are likely to dismiss it.

If this seems paradoxical, in a way it is. Walk the line well, and white papers can be an excellent plank in your marketing platform.

What is your purpose in writing a white paper? Do you want to set an agenda? Stake out a market? Attract new clients? Whatever you hope to accomplish, you should begin your writing with a clearly defined set of goals.

Many service professionals use white papers to generate new leads, to nurture existing leads and support their sales efforts, and to publicize their ideas and position themselves as thought leaders.

Notice the set of action words: generate, nurture, support, publicize, and position. An effective white paper is designed to get the ball rolling—for your prospects, and for your firm.

Generating New Leads

Having a white paper gives you a value-based offer to add to your marketing toolkit. Direct-mail marketing typically promotes your services, and then too often asks prospects to “call for further information.” These squishy, lifeless offers and advertisements yield notoriously poor results. Few of those calls are ever made.

Responses to marketing increase when you offer something valuable. Imagine this same direct-mail letter, but instead of asking your prospect to, “Call for more information,” it asks them to, “Go to our website to download our white paper, The 5 Trends in X, Y, Z that will Affect your Bottom Line.” Now you have something valuable to offer your customers—something they can actually use.

When you use a value-based white paper as your offer, you can expect to yield results such as:

Downloads: Many white papers are distributed online, making them easy for your prospects to access and easy for you to collect prospects’ information prior to downloading. This drives traffic to your website and introduces prospects to you and your ideas.

Direct requests (via phone or email): This is what you hope for—that the person who reads your white paper (or just sees that the white paper is available) will call for further information about your services.

Direct leads: Those who download your white paper are interested in the topic, which should directly relate to the services you provide. By following up with these people, you already know that this topic is on their mind and you can hone your pitch accordingly. (And they might just call you, as well.)

Nurturing Leads

The first white paper you write may end up being one of several white papers and other content pieces that enlighten your prospects and nurture them through the long sales cycle.

At first, your prospects may know little about your viewpoint in your area of expertise, and they may still be a long way away from buying your service. Additional white papers will help keep your prospects interested as time passes. Each new one adds more value and demonstrates your expertise.

White papers provide additional points of contact and encourage continued engagement with your prospects.

Thought Leadership Positioning

White papers continue to work for you long after they are written, framing your point of view, methodology, and philosophy for potential buyers. Building a reservoir of thought leadership pieces in the form of white papers and other initiatives also helps you bolster your identity as a forward-thinking market leader.

Having a thought leadership position brings credibility to your brand and gives a significant boost to your business development efforts.

If you want to attract high-quality leads and establish your firm as a thought leader, white papers can do the job for you.

For a look at some real-life samples of white papers, check out Jonathan Kantor’s blog, The White Paper Pundit. Jonathan, who is a presenter at the White Paper Summit, has gathered a nice collection of links to free white papers you can download for inspiration.