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What's wrong with most white papers?
Too many white papers fail because they simply do not deliver key messages. The time, effort and money put into producing them goes down the drain.
Why does this happen, again and again? The truth is, crafting an effective white paper – one that gets read and creates positive ROI – is not as easy as it looks.
White Papers That Get Results
By taking care to avoid the most common mistakes, you can use white papers to create several distinct advantages for your organization:
- Generate highly qualified leads for your sales force.
- Overwhelm your competition with an extremely effective marketing weapon.
- Give your prospects and customers a great source of solid, useful information.
- Maintain valuable resource of high quality, reusable content.
- Create white papers that return your initial investment many times.
See how to avoid the mistakes that waste time and money-and ensure that your white papers deliver positive marketing results.
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
Wrong Author
Subject matter experts aren't always great communicators. A developer or user of a technology or service may know their subject inside and out – but that knowledge rarely translates to the ability to create readable, compelling prose. If your white paper is targeted to high level business decision makers, and you want that white paper to generate results, follow this simple rule: Use technical experts for input, and employ a competent writer to turn your highly technical information into interesting, readable content that will be clearly understood by your business audience.
Lack of Visual Appeal
Text-heavy papers tend to lose reader attention after about three pages. When this happens, you lose your audience and the reader turns to other websites or solution providers for their white papers. Graphics and text treatments help get and retain reader attention. Diagrams, charts and tables support the copy and create visual interest. Multiple columns, call-outs and bulleted lists lead the eye and enhance readability. Use visual elements to break up dense blocks of text, visually reinforce the key attributes of your solution and retain your readers' attention.
Acronym Abuse
TLA's (Three Letter Acronyms), and acronyms in general, are the bane of technical communication. SIP, RGB, CRM, EIM, ASP and so on. Too often, technical writers assume readers know what the acronyms mean, and don't provide a clear definition or analogy to confirm how a term applies to the white paper topic. If you must use TLAs, provide clear definitions and examples. Whenever possible, use plain English instead of a TLA.
Disjointed Content Flow
Too many white papers jump right into the details without providing relevant background information that explains why a business need for that solution exists in the first place. In addition, many white papers skip from one topic to another without making any connection between them. Ask yourself, "If a Martian who had just landed on earth asked what 'Data Warehousing' meant, how would I describe it in detail so he could understand it?" A good white paper starts from the assumption that the reader knows nothing about the issue, presents the common business pains and problems the reader is experiencing and highlights possible solutions to those problems. The reader is lead by a logical progression of ideas, from their problem, through possible solutions, to your solution to their problem.
Too Long!
Too often, organizations publish white papers that cover every single point about their product or service in excruciating detail. Don't confuse your goal with that of the State Department covering the issue of famines in sub-Saharan Africa! Government white papers may need to be very long, but yours don't – a business white paper should be no more than twelve pages. Business decision makers are pressed for time and want to be able to quickly absorb the high points of your white paper. If they need more information, they will contact you. So keep it short and concise if you want it to get read.
Too Short!
In an effort to save time and money, many organizations will produce a short "white paper" of two to four pages. The problem with white papers of this length is that they don't provide enough background information to bring the reader up to speed on the topic before reading about the advantages of your product or solution. A good rule of thumb is to produce your white paper with a minimum of eight pages, to allow enough room for discussion of the specific industry issues and business challenges your solution is designed to solve. If you don't have that much material, then don't refer to the document as a white paper. Choose descriptions such as "Executive Brief", or "Corporate Perspective" to set appropriate audience expectations.
Audience Assumption
Many companies fall into the trap of assuming that the target audience for their white papers already knows what the company knows about their products or solutions. This "group think" occurs when internal writers and product marketing executives deal with the same subject matter day-in and day-out. They grow accustomed to bandying about complex terms and attributes in their communications with fellow employees, vendors and support personnel who share the same level of familiarity with their solutions. When writing for an external audience, these individuals use esoteric terms and jargon that go over the heads of their readers. Remember to provide appropriate definitions, analogies and or explanations to support these complex terms for your audience.
Theory Without Reality
Many white papers are written as if readers will believe the effectiveness of a solution based solely on the theory of how it works. While theoretical concepts and models are essential in the educational process, they do not convey the business benefit received. Use case studies and "real world" business examples that reinforce theoretical concepts to demonstrate how a particular solution can solve the specific business needs presented in your white paper.
Lack of Summary
Have you ever read a white paper and turned the last page, only to feel as if you have just been left out in the cold? You may have presented all the facts in your white paper, but that doesn't necessarily mean that your reader has fully grasped the key points you want them to retain. The summary is your opportunity to hit the high points one last time. Think of the summary section as your chance to wrap up the white paper and ensure that the key points you wanted get across are clearly presented and understood.
Conclusion
White papers are often treated as a disposable commodity with a short shelf life. But, by avoiding common mistakes, you can produce white papers that return exponential multiples of their initial cost.
White papers have been proven to be reliable leads generators. And, if they are written and produced with care and forethought, their content can be repurposed for other marketing uses, such as tradeshow materials, direct marketing, brochures and more.
The Appum Group can help you create white papers that get read and motivate your customers and prospects to take action. Contact us to find out more about how you can leverage your white papers and produce white papers that get results!
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