An authoritative, research-based document that offers data, professional analysis, and an organization’s or author’s perspective on a subject or problem-solving technique is called a white paper. As part of a content marketing strategy, businesses or vendors use these papers in business-to-business (B2B) marketing models. White papers are created in these situations to convince customers, stakeholders, clients, and potential customers to buy a product or service that the company offers. Establishing an organization’s authority and strategic thinking in a field is another purpose for them.
Compared to other content formats like blogs and case studies, white papers are more in-depth and technical. They market a product, service, or process using data, statistics, expert opinions, and original analysis. Technology suppliers frequently refer to these goods and services as solutions since they promise to address a specific problem for a customer.
At several points in the sales funnel, white papers can be useful resources. They are effective at nurturing leads that are already inside the funnel and at producing sales leads at the top. To encourage a potential consumer to buy something or to keep providing a positive customer experience (CX), a business may, for example, put a call to action in their blog post that links to a white paper.
Essential elements of a white paper
White papers are distinguished by their length and comprehensive technical content in the fields of technology and business. Whitee papers often share the following essential traits:
- They stand out from sales pitches and promotional material thanks to their authoritative and impartial writing style.
- They are written with CX in mind and for a clearly defined target audience.
- They are utilized to generate leads prior to a transaction.
- Usually, they are at least 2,500 words lengthy.
- Before providing an expert analysis and suggested solution, they first provide facts and educational material.
- They consist of footnotes, citations, and references.
- To support their analysis, they use data visualization design components like infographics and graphs, as well as case studies and statistics.
- These consist of bullet points and numbered lists with headers like “10 Things You Need to Know.”
- They tell an industrial problem and its solution using a narrative format that seems real.
- They conclude with a request for action.
White paper’s primary goal
Whitee papers are regularly produced and used by sales and content marketing professionals. White papers are frequently used by information technology and other businesses with complex goods to thoroughly describe the features and advantages of their products.
Whitee papers are excellent sales and marketing tools because they offer the following additional advantages:
- Establish trust. White papers use an instructional approach, professional analysis, and research supported by data to communicate authoritatively to readers.
- Create leads. They provide prospective buyers with useful information and insights, and they then seek out the brand for additional input.
- The leader is nurture. White papers, when provided as free content, assist in educating prospective clients about a company and its products.
- Make suggestions for fixes. They give businesses a stage on which to argue how their goods and services address particular problems. They allow nonprofits and government bodies to suggest new policies.
- Make your brand known. White papers help both new and established businesses increase their brand recognition.
- Boost sales. White papers educate consumers and prospective consumers, bringing them closer to making purchases.
White paper types
White papers come in several forms, such as the following:
- Solution to a problem. This is a typical kind of white paper that pinpoints a specific issue facing the intended audience and suggests a data-driven fix.
- Leadership in thought. The purpose of these white papers is to present an organization as progressive and authoritative. White papers on thought leadership concentrate on a current topic or controversy and provide an informed explanation for the reader.
- Backgrounder. These documents offer technical assessments, important lessons learned, and marketing materials for a company’s goods and services.
- Lists with numbers. These are organized using bullet points and titles that emphasize the salient characteristics of the good or service. An instance of a load balancing white paper would be “3 Things You Need to Know About Load Balancers.”
How a white paper is made?
The following steps are involved in writing white papers:
Identify the intended audience. The sectors the article is addressing should be known to the author or organization before writing. Businesses frequently use customer segmentation to identify their target population.
Decide on a subject. The author chooses a subject that appeals to the intended readership. Topics for the majority of businesses usually revolve around the industry or problem that their products solve. For example, cybersecurity, its hazards, and protection might be a pertinent issue if a company is providing network detection and response technologies and its target audience consists of CEOs and IT professionals.
Do some research on the subject.
To find out what the target audience wants to know about the subject and how to address those questions, the author does a great deal of research. This study addresses the topic’s technical components as well as search engine optimization research, assuming it will be published online.
Compose an engaging opening. A strong beginning and a succinct, early problem statement are essential components of white papers. A strong opening grabs the reader’s interest, and a succinct issue statement informs them of the paper’s goal.
Display the data and analysis. Original analyses, data, and the most crucial information should all be included in the white paper.
Original research as well as other market, scientific, and technological studies that are either publicly accessible or concealed behind paywalls or membership requirements are the foundation of white papers. A variety of sources can support an author’s analysis and give a white paper credibility. Engaging visuals like graphs should also be used to present this research results.
Offer a remedy. An author must provide a novel solution to the issue and suggestions for next action after doing an analysis of a subject. The reader will be ready to learn how they might address their own version of the problem statement if the white paper is sufficiently authoritative and instructive.
Make a call to action at the end. A clear call to action or next step should be included at the conclusion of white papers. This should be an action that the reader can perform right away, like asking for a free product or service demo, speaking with a product specialist directly, or subscribing to a newsletter. The primary goal of a white paper is to persuade the reader to take this action.