White Papers in B2B

Hey Gang,

Businesses are using White Papers now more than ever.

White Papers are electronic books (e-books), technical reports, or large Subject Matter Expert (SME) articles that describe a product and service.

The use of technical white papers as a marketing tool has grown tremendously in the last few years—not only for selling information technology (IT) and other High Tech industry offerings, but also to promote a wide range of products and services beyond computer hardware, software, and high tech devices.

A company with a product in any high tech sector or business can take advantage of a white paper.

White papers are one of the leading sources of sales lead generation.

White papers require all information related to the product's description, performance, and purpose. For example:

• What are the product's features and benefits?
  
• How well did it perform under load?
  
• What were the performance and benchmark numbers achieved?
  
• What does the product do? What problems does it solve? What is its purpose in the industry market?, etc.

Basically what is the product all about, how well it functions, what it solves, and why? makes up a white paper.

Three categories of content that should be included in a white paper are:

1. Content that directly enhances the effectiveness of the white paper in achieving the marketing objective.

2. Useful tips or how-to information.

3. Content that compares the various options for solving the problem and steers the reader towards the product.

Do not add too much content to a white paper. If it is too large, the reader will put it aside. Leave out interesting but irrelevant information.

Effective white papers contain between 3,000 to 4,000 words. If the paper is less than 2,000 words, it may be best suited as an article, not a white paper.

White papers are generally written on non-glossy paper in a report type format and contain very few graphic images if any. They include the name of the product, the name of the company, its logo and contact information.

Businesses use copywriters to work with their technical and engineering departments to gather information for these white papers. They also work with the marketing and sales departments for input and distribution.

For more information including steps to writing effective White Papers, keep checking out my Blog or go to my websites.

Let me know what you think. Your Comments are welcomed.