Believe it or not, white papers are the most popular device used in the industry today to promote IT products and services. Not only are white papers effective tools to attract leads and close sales, but we can also use them to position ourselves as thought leaders in our specific areas of expertise.
A white paper is an extremely versatile tool when it comes to marketing. From a marketing vehicle perspective it can deliver everything we could ever want in return for a couple of hours of time to put it together. Now, although we can sell white papers, that’s not the intent here. We are going to give away our white papers to prospects who visit our website in exchange for their contact information. That’s all we want – a way to identify who downloaded our white paper, and how to get in touch with them. Sounds easy, doesn’t it?
Well, it isn’t difficult once we understand a few basics. As a Managed Services Provider, the first thing we want to clarify is who our target prospect is. Since we’re going to market free white papers on our website, we need to gear them to identify and address problems or concerns faced by our target audience.
Then our white paper needs to illustrate the solutions to these problems offered by our organization. Since our target prospects are not technically oriented (in most cases), our white paper needs to focus on business benefits:
- Cost reduction
- Improved efficiency
- Removing business pain
- Mitigating risk
Because of the somewhat sterile nature of white papers in general, we need to be able to capture our prospects’ attention in the opening paragraph, and build to keep it in successive paragraphs. This is why the opening paragraph is key, and if we lose the prospect’s interest here, our efforts at attracting this prospect and the time we’ve taken to develop and deliver our white paper will have been completely wasted. Once we lose a prospect’s interest in our services, it may be very difficult to regain.
I’ve read all kinds of white papers, and they generally fall into two categories – the “me” white paper and the “you” white paper. The “me” white paper is all about the vendor, product or service – you know what I’m talking about, because you’ve seen them, right? Some of these can almost be mistaken for an overblown, technical repair manual. These are the white papers that are probably the most difficult to get through, and I highly recommend them for curing insomnia – just try to get past the third paragraph without falling asleep. The “me” white papers are normally written for a very technical audience, and if we were attempting to convey technical information to our prospects (not likely), we would probably do it through a supplementary one-page data sheet, or product brief, but certainly not a white paper. The “you” white paper is what it’s all about. This white paper is written with the needs of the prospect firmly in mind. The “you” white paper is money.
Once your white paper is complete, you will want to offer it as a free download; after registration, on your website. When people register to receive it, you can add them to your mailing list. (You do have a mailing list, don't you?!)
Tips for writing a white paper:
- Identify Your Audience
- Determine the topic
- Create the title – 1 sentence that evokes interest and emotion
- Write the introduction – 1 paragraph that grabs the prospect’s attention and describes our conclusion
- Write a high-level overview of the solution – 1 or 2 paragraphs that provide a non – technical overview of the solution. Include charts, graphs and visual aids to support this section
- Details of the solution – 1 or more paragraphs detailing a slightly more technical overview of the solution, breaking down specific components or processes.
- Include charts, graphs and visual aids to support this section
- Benefits to the prospect – 1 paragraph extolling the virtues of the solution. Include several client testimonials in this section for emotional impact and credibility
- Summary section – 1 short paragraph summarizing the points we’d like to impress upon our prospects.
- Contact information – how prospects can contact us for more information
Erick Simpson
MSP University
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