How Can a White Paper Support Sales and Marketing?

A white paper supports PR, marketing and sales because it works for all levels of decision makers. Engineers and executives may not be too impressed by brochures, but they are impressed by well-written white papers. (The same thing goes for trade journal articles more about that in a subsequent piece.)

Good white papers sell products because they pack a lot of useful information into a clear and readable structure. Warning -- dont take any old brochure or product brief, print it on 8-1/2x11" paper and call it a white paper. Decision-makers hate that, dont let this be you! Good marketing white papers contain both technical and marketing sections in a balanced format, and then throw in some other great stuff. A good white paper may start with an executive summary my general rule is a 5+ page paper needs one but it will follow the same structure as below, abbreviated to one page.

White papers should include:

1) Throw down the challenge glove. Describe the pain the prospect is experiencing. (That you can help with, anyway!) Describe the problem from their standpoint, and be sure you know what that problem is.

2) Talk about how your technology will solve their problem. Bore in on the technology behind the product and how it will make their lives easier. Be sure to include some technical detail for the engineers and technology journalists who are sure to read it. (And who are sure to be annoyed if it lacks detail.) Many marketing white papers fail because they dont include technical sections, usually due to one of two reasons:

  • Extreme paranoia regarding proprietary knowledge. Shoot, no one is asking you to include the blueprints. But if you wont tell your customers what youre selling because youre afraid your competitors will find out, I suggest that you are not ready for the marketplace.

  • Uncertain writer. If the writer doesnt know the background technology, they cant write about it. Find an experienced technology writer and give them the information they need. (If necessary, professionals will understand the need for signing an NDA. Just dont try to get them to dump their other clients.)

    3) Get specific on product benefits. This section combines with the technology section and includes ways that the product meets the challenge. You can also use this section to contrast your approach with other technologies, especially if your product is innovative. We all know the sad fate of disruptive technologies, but readers do want to know what your product does differently, how it does it, and why it does it better.

    4) Push a positive return on investment. ROI has always been a big deal, and with reason. If you have great hard cost numbers, terrific dont hesitate to use them. Longer white papers have room for graphs and charts, but even shorter ones can refer to positive ROI. Newer ROI analysis methods factor in soft costs employee time, improved infrastructure, etc. so dont hesitate to talk about those too.

    5) Add some case studies. Actual case studies with actual customers are ideal, but if you cant mention customer names (common in the financial world), its fine to speak more generally. A Fortune 100 finance company recently deployed

    6) Conclude with how great your product is and contact information. Heres where you can use the marketing mottoes, just keep it to 1-2 paragraphs. And include your contact information!

    Well-written white papers have lots of good uses. Heres a run-down:

    • Sell a product its ultimate purpose, of course

    • Differentiate product from competitors

    • Place company in leadership role

    • Promote bylined author as a subject matter expert. (Which they should be, even if a professional writer actually wrote the thing.)

    • Help journalists research their stories (note: journalists are not helped by sales brochures)

    Theres a lot that goes into creating a useful white paper. For your next project, consider hiring an experienced writer to create a marketing white paper that just keeps on selling. Talk about good ROI!

    About The Author

    Call Christine Taylor today at 760-249-6071 or e-mail her at

    chris@keywordcopy.com, and start that white paper selling!

    Christine Taylor
    Keyword Writing
    P.O. Box 3499
    Wrightwood, CA 92397

    at chris@keywordcopy.com

    In The News:

    • pen paper and inkwell


    cat break through


    Smooth Sailing (Selling) In The Second Half of The Year

    You can make a difference in the second half! You... Read More

    Do You Have Enough Prospects To Make Your Numbers?

    Several years ago I worked with a CPA who wanted... Read More

    Lessons Learned At Gunpoint

    "If you do anything foolish or try to get out... Read More

    How to Revive a Dead Lead

    It's easy to spend days, weeks, or months speaking with... Read More

    How To Improve Your Voice

    VOICEThe Image the customer has of the Salesperson is vital.... Read More

    More Cleaning and Janitorial Customers Using Yahoo

    We use this method to find new cleaningcustomers, and it... Read More

    Book Yourself Solid

    THE 7 KEYS TO GETTING MORE CLIENTS THAN YOU CAN... Read More

    Health Insurance Lead and Health Insurance Leads

    Health insurance lead generation systems provide a stead stream of... Read More

    Want More Sales? Write A Barry Bonds Sales Letter

    I'm not a baseball fan. Never have been. In fact,... Read More

    EXHIBITORS - Check Your URL

    How many of you have a corporate web site? Everybody... Read More

    Qualifying Your Prospect

    How do you respond when an absolute stranger calls, at... Read More

    Five Deadly Sales Letter Mistakes

    To be effective your sales letter must be opened, read,... Read More

    Chicken Little And The Disintermediation Myth

    If Chicken Little were alive today he wouldn't be running... Read More

    A Look at Store Fixture Parts

    Products for sale need to be displayed in a manner... Read More

    Powerful Words

    Hi, I'd like to discuss the most powerful words you... Read More

    A Brief History of the Sales Profession

    The formula for defining a "profession" is similar throughout many... Read More

    How To Dramatically Improve Sales Closing Ratios

    A closing question asks for a final decision. A trial-closing... Read More

    5 Ideas for Writing Effective Sales Letters

    Sales letters, sent via e-mail or snail mail, are an... Read More

    Creating More Effective Proposals

    The need for good proposals - the business kind, not... Read More

    Selling Abilities - Part 1

    Selling "-abilities": Reliability (Part 1 of 4) Most salespeople... Read More

    Just Ask!

    Instilling urgency in a prospective customer can make the difference... Read More

    5+5 = Your Dream

    JOHN DI LEMME ON "5 + 5 = Your Dream"... Read More

    Three Ways to Get More Referrals

    When you are in the business of sales, among the... Read More

    What Should I Charge?

    People ask me, "What should I charge?"I say, "Ask your... Read More

    Five Keys to Make Your Cold Calls Sizzle

    Do you clam up on the telephone? An advertising rep... Read More

    How Can Fundraising Consulting Help Us Raise Money?

    If you need to hold a fundraiser and don't know... Read More

    Great Telephone Skills

    Having good telephone skills is crucial as the call may... Read More

    Never Stop Selling

    The question: "When should a growing company slow down its... Read More

    How A Simple Greeting Or Post Card Can Turn Into Cash ? Guaranteed

    I've been using a technique that has helped me to... Read More

    Open Your Introduction With A Firecracker Moment

    The number one requirement, whether you are a business owner... Read More

    Selling To Your Difficult Person

    We all have people whom we find difficult. We don't... Read More

    Why There Will Always Be High Paying Sales Jobs

    With the dot.com revolution crushing once solid business models on... Read More

    Stop Talking - Start Selling

    Selling is not talking. It's listening. You may have heard... Read More