White Papers A white paper is an in-‐depth article that provides detailed, useful information about a specific industry problem, a “best practice”, a trend, a solution, etc. They’ve become very popular tools for email and internet marketing campaigns – you can offer a white paper to generate and qualify leads.
CONTENT DEVELOPMENT
Content is king in a white paper – it has to be interesting, relevant, and newsworthy. A white paper shouldn’t read like a sales brochure – instead, it’s an educational piece. To develop your content, think about what your audience needs at the appropriate stage of the sales process. Then list some potential topics that are highly relevant and compelling. Audience Stage in sales process Goal: what must you deliver to move them forward in the sales process: Potential white paper topics If you have trouble with ideas, research your competitors and other companies in your industry – they may offer white papers on their websites.
FORMAT
White papers are often delivered digitally, but you may also use printed versions for your literature package, handouts at trade shows, or other sales activities. Here are some options: FORMAT PDF
Hard copy
OPTIONS
Convert the document to a PDF that can be easily downloaded with graphics intact. There are free PDF conversion programs available online, or you can purchase software to do so. Professionally print in a format that’s appropriate for the document’s length. It could be a standard 4-‐page newsletter format made from an 11x17 sheet with a center fold, or you could print and spiral bind a longer version.
Sales Literature & Tools White Papers
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FORMAT
OPTIONS Print in-‐house on single-‐ or double-‐sided paper and staple or bind.
DESIGN & COPY If you’re using a designer to create your template, provide a creative brief. [Copywriting & Graphic Design can help] Otherwise, follow these tips: TIPS
NOTES
Make sure the design is consistent with your branding requirements Keep it clean – if you have many details, don’t squash them in tiny print; add pages instead Keep the writing as simple as possible while still conveying the expertise needed. Jargon is more acceptable here, but it’s still important to use as few words as possible, use the active tense and eliminate redundancy. A white paper should have concrete data and reliable research sources. Include graphs whenever possible.
Create different versions for different target markets – the more directly you speak to the needs of your audience, the more successful you’ll be Write the material as you would for the web: Use subsection titles, bullets, and lots of white space so that readers can scan the material and process it in chunks
Sales Literature & Tools White Papers
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