How to Boast About Your Solution in a White Paper
According to an article entitled, “3 Reasons Why Your White Papers Might Fail to Bring in New Business“, author Winston Churchill feels that it is a bad thing for a company to boast about products in their white papers. In his words:
Too many white papers boast. They push product features. In a typical complex offering (like software, capital equipment or high-end services) there may be dozens to hundreds of features and capabilities. What most white paper creators don't realize is that there are usually two to five key capabilities that make the difference for most prospects. Continuing to blather on about all the other features is like listening to a life insurance salesperson give you a 75-slide pitch. No wonder prospects go back to reading their other email!
First of all, any white paper that goes into such depth as to list the number of product features on 75 PowerPoint slides is NOT a white paper. Such a document might instead be considered a technical primer, a product guide, or a user manual. Any marketer using such an approach does not fundamentally understand the basic formula of an effective B-to-B white paper.
On the other hand, discussing how specific solution features provide benefits that solve identified business challenges should be a component of every commercial white paper. But there is a limit. For most 6-8 page white papers, an author only has enough room to list about 4 or five attributes. More than that enters the realm of the "product guide".
All too often, I see a certain level of “hyper-sensitivity” among B-to-B marketers regarding any aspect of “selling” or “boasting about” a solution in their white papers, for fear of being labeled “marketing fluff“. Their concept of a white paper is one where the author must keep the content at a high-level educational perspective by using generic terms without mentioning the product or solution by name.
While there are extremes in any circumstance, in general marketers make a major mistake with this approach. Customers with specific business problems are looking to solutions to solve them. If the presentation of a solution solves the identified business problems using validated information, then the next course of action will be for the reader to take the evaluate process to the next level, by making contact. This obviously fulfills the goal of any white paper, namely lead generation.
So don’t be afraid to “boast” about your solution in your white paper. Be sure to turn your boast into a detailed description of how your strategy/solution attribute(s) solves identified business challenges. The greater the detail, the more valid your presentation will be, and the greater the chance that your white paper will generate leads.
You may find that your customer will actually appreciate such a boast!
Choosing the Best Orientation for Your White Paper
Filed under: Design & Format, White Paper Strategy, WP Marketing
Does it really matter which orientation you use to publish your white paper? Will you score more points with your audience if you publish it in a radically different orientation than your competitor?
Many white paper marketers seem to be taking greater liberties in distributing their white papers in landscape orientation as opposed to the traditional portrait orientation, especially when posting on Social Media sites such as Facebook. I think this is a catastrophic mistake, since I believe that all white papers should be in portrait orientation instead of the landscape orientation found with most eBooks and presentations.
Portrait orientation (8.5 x 11) is considered a standard format for most business documents that should include white papers. On occasion marketers have created white papers in landscape orientation (11 x 8.5) as a way not only to be creative, but also to have their white paper stand out in what has become a somewhat crowded field. One of the reasons for the rise in landscape orientation has to do with the business audience familiarity with PowerPoint presentations, another commonly used landscape-oriented document.
But as landscape oriented white papers increasingly dot the business landscape, our relationship with the information presented in that orientation also changes. Allow me to explain.
The document on the left is a recent example of a landscape oriented white paper. At face value, the first impression one makes of such a document is that of a presentation or an eBook but not a white paper. Such first impressions can impact reader interest and content credibility which can impact lead generation.
When marketers use a landscape orientation rather than the traditional portrait orientation for their white papers, credibility suffers. Think about it. Do you read a presentation in the same way as a presentation or casual eBook? Do you view the content in a presentation with the same degree of authority and credibility as you would if the same information was formatted in a traditional portrait-oriented white paper? Would you ever see a well-established white paper marketer such as Oracle, IBM, or Gartner publishing a landscape-oriented white paper?
From my standpoint, absolutely NOT!
As a result of this radically different format, business executives expecting a traditional white paper will tend to look at this information less credibly than if the same information had been presented in the more traditional portrait orientation.
Distributing white papers in landscape orientation also creates content challenges in the formatting and positioning of critical business content such as background information, problem identification, and solution assessments. Since the document is turned sideways, the narrow 8.5" length houses the primary content. As a result, there is less space devoted to critical business information on any single page. The amount of content that would normally fit into one single portrait-oriented page, must now accomodate several landscape pages. The greater the number of pages the reader must read, the greater the amount of time it will take, and the greater the likelihood of workplace distractions will interrupt that reading process. When this occurs, the ability for that reader to assimilate essential business messages becomes more challenging.
To ensure the integrity of the white paper medium, Portrait orientation should be considered a standard part for all white papers. It is a format that has been and will always be a part of the medium and one that business readers simply expect when they download a white paper. While I'm certainly in favor of modernizing the traditional all-text white paper content with design and graphics (a key point in my book, "Crafting White Paper 2.0"), there are certain things such as page orientation that should be left alone.
After all, would you submit your resume for your next executive position in a landscape format? Unless it's a position for a Creative Director in a major advertising agency, I don't think your prospective employer would look at such a move in a positive light. The same should hold true for the white paper medium. Save the landscape orientation for your next seminar presentation or your next eBook but publish your B-to-B white paper in standard portrait orientation for the maximum impact with lead generation.
The Link for the White Paper Webinar Replay
If you missed my recent webinar with Target Marketing and ActOn Software called, "Content Marketing to Woo the Executive", it is now available on demand. Simply register for the webinar and you will be provided with a link to watch it online.
In this webinar you will learn:
• How new media is changing the white paper reader • How to create content that can be repurposed in many channels and packages • 6 Techniques to engage the short attention-span executive • and much more…
I am available to answer your white paper questions after the webinar on my LinkedIn Group Discussion page. I look forward to interacting with you online!
Starting Today: The NEW Marketing Made Simple TV
My friend Jeff Ogden is at it again.
The founder of the "Find New Customers", "Fearless Competitor", and "Mad Marketing TV" websites has just started a new site called, "Marketing Made Simple TV". As everything Jeff has done previously, this one should be another great site to add to your bookmark list.
His first guest is Mitch Joel, speaker, blogger, and President of TwistImage. It will be airing today at noon Eastern time, and it is expected to be even bigger and better than Mad Marketing TV! Replay will made available.
So tune in when you get a chance. It should be very interesting!
White Papers, eBooks and the “Gravitas” Factor
Filed under: Design & Format, Lead Generation, Understanding WPs, WP Marketing
There’s a lot of truth to the expression, “perception is reality”, especially with the terms “white paper and “eBook”. For most business decision makers, the perception of a white paper is radically different from an eBook, and choosing the right term to apply to a business-focused marketing document can play a significant role in how your target reader perceives its contents.
The question of white papers vs. eBooks was asked by several attendees following my recent online webinar, " “Designing White Papers that Grab Prospects, Nurture Leads, Get Shared, and Produce Sales”. As a result, I felt I should answer it in greater detail than the amount of time I had during the session. If you missed it, you can still sign up to view the on demand video when it is posted.
Unfortunately, for a small segment of B2B marketers, there is a lingering perception that the terms “eBook” and “white paper” are interchangeable when it comes to business solution marketing. Maybe it’s due to the chic trendiness associated with the name “eBook” as opposed to the more stogy moniker of “white paper” that been around for almost 100 years.
To the general public, the term "eBook" is understood to be an electronic book, which is often associated with traditional educational or entertainment oriented information. For C-Level executives seeking information in support of a strategic business decision, the term “white paper” carries more weight or “gravitas” than the term “eBook”. As someone who has spent over 30 years in enterprise arena, and has worked with countless numbers of business executives, the term that gets their attention is a white paper, and not an eBook.
The answer to the question of terminology is as simple as looking at what leading business marketers use to describe their strategic deliverables, such as IBM, Oracle, or Gartner. They use the banner “white paper” and not “eBook”?
Why?
Leading business marketing organizations know that when a C-Level executive is handed a white paper, they will perceive it as containing factual, well researched, and validated information they can use to form important decisions. Hand them the same information under the term “eBook” and most will perceive its information to be less serious. In fact, I can’t think of a single Fortune 1000 corporation that uses the term “eBook” instead of “white paper” as part of its B2B business communications strategy.
If you ask business marketers that favor eBooks, you get a more casual definition of B2B content. One such person is Jonathan Kranz who published a definitive eBook on the topic called, "The "eBook on eBooks". In the eBook, Kranz states:
“A successful eBook is more collegial, reader-friendly and visually interesting than the traditional white paper. Rather than communicating what you need to sell, it connects with customers by sharing what they want to hear: information, insights and answers they genuinely value.”
Also take note the size of this tome, 44 pages, which is outside the realm of what most business decision makers can easily assimilate in one session, unless they are emotionally invested in the topic. Most white papers fall into the 6-10 page range, a more digestible size for today’s time and attention challenged business executive.
For CIOs contemplating a strategic business decision, such as implementing a multi-million dollar enterprise-wide supply chain management strategy, the words “reader-friendly” and “collegial” don’t enter their minds.
In comparison to the more casual and friendly nature of an eBook, the term “white paper” has a long and established legacy as a document of institutional importance.
Starting as a government document in the early 1920’s, white papers were a way to state an official position. Later within academic circles, white papers were used to represent scientific research and fact-based studies. After academia, white papers entered the commercial sector in the 1980s starting in the tech sector. This rich history is one of the reasons why white papers still carry the perception of “gravitas” or a document of valid, fact-based importance.
Today white papers are considered an essential marketing tool in almost every business sector and industry, and this perception is one of the primary reasons why they remain a highly effective lead generation tool used to attract new customers via an online marketing campaign.
So when you want to deliver a casual business subject, feel free to use the term “eBook”. When you want to deliver a mission-critical business strategy, the term “white paper” will be much more effective in engaging your target business decision maker. Rather than having your strategic business document perceived less seriously with the banner “eBook”, why not take advantage of the automatic gravitas associated with the term “white paper” to promote your brand?
It seems like a ‘no-brainer’ to me.
If you would like to learn more about how to craft better performing white papers for a B2B audience, I invite you to download a copy of my free white paper, “How to Craft White Papers that Appeal to Busy Executive Readers”.
Short Attention Marketing for White Papers on Mad Marketing TV
Filed under: short attention marketing, Social Media, WP Marketing
Why Traditional White Papers Won’t Work in a Social Media World
Filed under: short attention marketing, Social Media, WP Events
The online world is changing at an ever-increasing pace. Simple websites now include animation. HTML has gone the way of WordPress to optimize content for SEO. Video is no longer a unique content addition, it is now a requirement. Social Media links are found everywhere.
But what about the white paper?
Unfortunately for many B2B marketers, white papers have seen little change since its inception in the early 1920s as a all-text government document. For a growing number of Social Media-savvy business readers, the traditional, all-text white paper just doesn't cut it anymore. Here's a few reasons why:
The first issue is the size of the traditional white paper. Weighing in between 10-20 pages, these traditional papers are more than any online reader can digest in one reading session. A white paper must take into consideration today's Social Media oriented user with an increasing short attention span. Publishing any white paper over 15 pages is simply overkill. If you have a white paper that's over 15 pages, then it's better to break it up paper into a series of smaller white papers that are related to one another. For example, a 20 page white paper on supply chain management could easily be transformed into three 7-page white papers on different aspects of the same topic.
Second, is the the lack of formatting. The traditional paper is typically made up of a series of similar-looking, left-flush paragraphs. There is very little text formatting such as the use of bold, larger fonts, bullets, callouts/pull quotes, or shaded text boxes that would allow skim readers to quickly grab key bottom-line points. With the traditional mono-font format (often Courier, Times, or Arial) it is difficult for most reader to remain engaged, let alone comprehend the key messages in the white paper. Most may get through about 2 or three pages, but more than that, significant drop off occurs, resulting in readers that will somewhere else.
The third reason is the lack of graphics. The addition of a professional front and back cover design, business, concept and/or workflow graphics, and stock business images builds reader affinity, enabling them to quickly and clearly understand complex business messages. As Social Media becomes a bigger part of our lives, graphic images will become more important to delivering strategic messages. Without them, B2B marketers risk alienating online readers and any hope of generating an ROI from their white paper development costs.
The best analogy for the use of graphics is the annual report. For anyone who has invested in a publicly traded company, receiving a professionally designed annual report in the mail supports a positive impression of the investment you made in that company. Can you imagine receiving an all-text annual report devoid of graphics? How would you feel about your investment and of that company in general? I imagine it would not be very positive.
Yes, it is sad that as a society we don't read as much as we should. But from a business perspective, we have to accept the reality of our target audience and what will be the most effective way to reach them. It is my belief that given the changing Social Media savvy audience, adopting these new white paper principles will facilitate the delivery of essential business messages, generating a greater number of leads, new business opportunities and ultimately customers.
If you would like to learn more about how to adopt white papers for a changing Social Media-oriented business audience, I invite you to attend my FREE webinar called, "Designing White Papers that Grab Prospects, Nurture Leads, Get Shared, and Produce Sales". The webinar is sponsored by Target Marketing and ActOn Software and is schedule for Wednesday, May 2nd at 11am Pacific/2pm Eastern. If you can't make the live session, you'll be notified when the recorded, on-demand video will be available when you register.
See you online!
Attend a FREE Webinar on Short Attention Marketing
Content has always been king on the Internet, but never more than it is today. Offering free, educational white papers in return for contact details and opt-in is one of today’s top lead generation tactics. In addition, Google’s latest updates push content even further up search engine rankings, and non-content Web pages down. And every social network is built around finding, sharing and commenting on content. Without content, you can’t go viral.
Creating good content that attracts readers and moves them along your sales funnel is very tricky. Content has to be pointed and digestible to hold the attention of short attention-span readers. Waste a visitor’s time, get too pushy in your sales talk or offer subpar content, and you will lose you leads.
Join me as I present the principles of Short Attention Marketing with this free webinar along with Target Marketing and ActOn Software. In this webinar you will learn:
• How new media is changing the white paper reader
• How to create content that can be repurposed in many channels and packages
• 6 Techniques to engage the short attention-span executive
• and much more...
The live webinar is scheduled for Wednesday, May 2nd at 11am Pacific, and 2pm Eastern. The webinar will be recorded and all registrants will be notified when it is available for on-demand replay. To sign up, please visit the Target Marketing registration page. I look forward to interacting with you online!
Happy White Paper Marketing,
Jonathan
The Impact of Social Media on White Paper Marketing
Filed under: short attention marketing, Social Media, WP Marketing
I recently contributed an article to the Act-On Software marketing blog called "Impact of Social Media on White Paper Marketing". If you've been following me for some time, you may find some of the points in this article somewhat repetitive from the principles in my book, Crafting White Paper 2.0.
You can read this post by clicking on the logo below or by clicking on this link.
Happy White Paper Marketing,
Exploring White Papers: The Visionary White Paper Example
Last week, I discussed the "Testimonial White Paper Example", as part of my five-part presentation on exploring the different white paper approaches. Just to review, these five approaches are described as:
- The High-Level Educational White Paper Example
- The Ground-Level Educational White Paper Example
- The Competitive White Paper Example
- The Testimonial White Paper Example
- The Visionary White Paper Example
In this fifth and final white paper approach is called "The Visionary White Paper", (aka the Statement of Direction or SOD).
The previous four white paper approaches, (High and Ground Educational, Competitive, and Testimonial) dealt with topics that were available at the time the white paper was developed. Its content was focused on either explaining the details associated with the advocated strategy/solution or comparing it to another strategy/solution that was also available at that time.
Visionary white papers take a different approach by focusing on a casting a future vision, essentially a solution that is not presently available, but will provide a solution at some point in the future. In certain industries, especially the technology sector, presenting a company's vision of the future is an important ingredient within a corporate marketing strategy by retaining existing customers rather than have them flee to a competitor on the belief that their existing solution provider does not offer a solution they need at the present time.
Visionary white papers are deployed when an enabling technology takes hold and becomes popular within an industry. For example, when Facebook became a popular Social Media platform, many corporate marketers released white papers presenting how they plan on using Facebook and other Social Media platforms to communicate with their customer base and marketing their solutions.
More formal Statements of Direction (SODs) which are visionary white papers under a different name. SODs describe the specific steps that an organization will be taking over the next one or two years to support an industry trend or frequently requested customer need.
If you would like to learn you can use white paper marketing for lead generation, I invite you to review a FREE 10-minute sampler from my on demand course, "Craft Lead Generating B2B White Papers Like a Pro!
