Geekly Articles each Day
📜 ⬆️ ⬇️

How to write and promote White Paper?

My client asked me to write White Paper to his product - and I had never written them before (although I have been doing copywriting for a long time) . I looked in runet - there are a lot of articles, but they are SEO-friendly, watery - you can’t draw up a good document on such.


I climbed into the English-language Internet - I went through about 50 different descriptions, found one that more or less covered my questions (although there was also decent “water” and advertising - when translating, we, as we could, had “dried”) .


I hope you find our adapted translation useful for you.



White Paper (WP) is a powerful content marketing tool, especially popular abroad.


In this publication, we will explain what WP is , why it is needed, how to write it and how to promote a product (brand) with it.


TABLE OF CONTENTS


1. WHAT IS WHITE PAPER?



2. HOW TO WRITE WHITE PAPER?



3. TYPICAL ERRORS



4. DESIGN



5. ACCESS TO WHITE PAPER



6. DISTRIBUTION



7. LEAD TREATMENT



Infographics




1. WHAT IS WHITE PAPER?


White Paper is a non-advertising marketing document.


Distinctive features: detailed, deep study of the topic. All theses are usually supported by the results of their own research or statistics collected from reliable sources.


The WP format is “easy to use” due to its visual design — it contains various graphs, charts, tables, etc.


White Paper Examples




Interesting fact:


The term " White Paper " (from the English. - "White Book") originated in England. They were called government documents submitted for approval by Parliament.


The most famous example is the White Paper of Churchill (1922) .




WP types


There are three main types of WP :


  1. "Background" - tells in detail about the advantages of the product and (or) services or methodologies.
  2. “Problem-solution” - focuses the attention of the audience on a pressing problem and proposes a solution.
  3. "Research results" - provides a summary of statistics on the state of affairs in the industry or its individual segment. Here is an example of such a WP : 2018 Content Marketing Benchmarks Budgets and Trends



The main task of WP, regardless of type, is to provide the reader with comprehensive information on a specific topic, to help him make a choice or make a decision.



WP Goals


Firstly , WP helps build trust with the target audience (CA) - to demonstrate the reliability, experience and professionalism of the company.


Secondly , positioning as an authoritative source of information works great for increasing sales.


For example, more than 50% of respondents in the framework of a study from Eccolo Media B2B Technology Content Survey admitted that they had read WP before making a purchase decision. In other words, they buy from those whom they trust.

Finally , WP is a very useful lead generation tool. According to DemandGen's “The 2017 Content Preferences Survey” , more than 75% of all respondents were willing to exchange their personal data for access to White Paper . This format was the most popular, ahead of e-books, analytical reports, podcasts and infographics.


2. HOW TO WRITE WHITE PAPER?


Writing a good WP is really not easy.


First , you need to "shovel" and systematize a whole bunch of information. But this is only half the battle.


Secondly , you need to present the results so that the reader does not want to close your document ahead of time.


Here are some simple tips to help you achieve this.


Choose a suitable topic


It should be:



About the first two points, we think everything is clear - they must intersect. In other words, WP should demonstrate the company's competence in the issue under consideration and at the same time solve this or that "pain" of Central Asia.


If you have problems with the "mate", do not hesitate to ask for help from colleagues who understand the topic better than you. For example, if you are writing about information security, why not communicate with your IT team so that they help put everything on the shelves.


With regard to the information gap, the choice of relevant, but little-studied topics - a great way to draw attention to the White Paper .


First of all, it’s more likely to fall into the top search results. In addition, chances are high that someone from industry experts, journalists, etc., will notice (and, most importantly, comment ! )



Council experienced:
Can't decide on a topic? Ask your readers what they would like to see in your WP .


This will help:




Determine CA


You need to understand who will read your document. Colleagues in the industry who are well versed in the subject? Or people far from your industry?


The answer to this question will help you choose the appropriate style of presentation : to understand, for example, whether the use of highly specialized terms and industry slang is appropriate.


In addition, depending on the target audience, the scale of the study will also vary. Colleagues in the industry do not need any general information, and newcomers to the topic - the smallest details of your business.


In the age of the Internet and search engines, to determine the target audience, you need to understand not only who these people are, but also how they get information: on which platforms, which words they use to search. To do this, you can conduct an analysis based on the persona method - fictional characters, reflecting the main characteristics of Central Asia.



Place WPs on relevant platforms and optimize the text for relevant keywords (but do not forget that you write for people, not for search engines) . Then it will be easier for target readers to find your document.


Consider the introduction and conclusion


When writing any content, it is important to capture the attention of the audience from the first lines and make you want to read further . White Paper is no exception. Better to start with the key points of WP or the "pains" of Central Asia, which it will help to close.


A good conclusion is also important. If in the main part of the document it is better to avoid self-advertisement in every possible way, then at the end information about your products (related to the topic) will be very relevant. You can also add some “call to action” (consultation order, downloading a trial version of the product, etc.) .


Fill WP with quality content


Although White Paper is a marketing document, it should not contain aggressive advertising.
The secret of a successful WP is a lot of useful information that will be valuable for readers, even if they do not turn into your customers in the end.


Good WP helps to learn something new, solve a problem or make a choice. This WP people will read, and most importantly such WP they want to share with others.


Be prepared for several iterations.


Write the perfect text from the first time will not work. At first, there will always be some shortcomings, logical inconsistencies. The optimal procedure:



If possible, ask for help from your colleagues, because the second pair of eyes will never be superfluous . Another person may see shortcomings that you missed: grammatical and stylistic errors, typos, incomprehensible wording, etc.


Write interesting


White Paper is a detailed and solid document that sometimes looks quite official. However, it should not be dry and boring.


A typical mistake is to build WP around naked statistics, without narrative elements. Facts and figures are important and necessary, but for your WP to be read, and not just run over your eyes, it should be interestingly written. Here you can borrow some chips from the authors of works of art.


For example, the fact that the plot usually consists of five elements: exposure , setting , climax , denouement and epilogue .


Such a structure, of course, is not always suitable for formal documents like WP , but at least it will make you think about how to interest the reader and keep his attention to the end .


3. TYPICAL ERRORS


There are some common mistakes that are best avoided when writing WP . Otherwise, one such “flaw” can cancel all your efforts.


"Praise notes"


WP is part of a marketing strategy, but it is not a commercial offer or advertising booklet.


Readers open WP in the search for objective information, help in solving the problem. Any imposition will immediately repel them.


Too superficial research


By definition, WP is a carefully crafted document. Of course, not every marketing team can afford to spend time on long and painstaking research. Nevertheless, it is impossible to simply insert a few tsiferok from the Internet and hope that such a document will add points to the professional image of the company.


Data collection, search for sources, their study and systematization is time consuming, but it is worth it. For your readers, WP should be the authoritative source of information that can be guided and referenced.


Bad design


The content, of course, comes first, but you can’t completely neglect the design either. Good design allows you to highlight the key points of WP and simplifies the perception of content. Be sure to use visual elements: images , videos , graphs and charts .


Dry facts, no narration


Whichever WP type you choose (background, problem-solution, research results), this should not be a set of facts and figures, but a story .


To engage the audience there is a proven recipe:



A lot of theory, not much practice


The problem with many WPs is that they remain in the plane of theory, without giving the reader any practical recommendations (this is especially true for the background land).


A good example: an abundance of content on the topic of employee involvement in the workflow. There are many studies that show why this is so important and what could be the negative consequences if you do not pay proper attention to this issue. At the same time, almost no one offers managers a specific algorithm of actions to increase the motivation of their employees.


4. DESIGN


No matter how interesting and carefully worked out the content, he still needs a beautiful wrapper.


The attention span of modern man has become less than that of a goldfish . Just think, every minute appears:



To compete for the attention of readers has become incredibly difficult, especially to such "longridam" like the White Paper .


Therefore, simply writing something in black and white is no longer enough. Things like colors , fonts , layout , visualization play a crucial role in the success or failure of your WP . Here are a few key principles to keep in mind.


Format


Today, more than 50% of the global web traffic is accounted for by mobile devices , and in order to make websites convenient to browse from smartphones, an adaptive design was invented.


Previously, the page simply scaled to fit the screen, while the layout remained unchanged. Naturally, it was impossible to browse through many pages and navigate through them on small screens.


In responsive design, page elements change their position and size as you increase or decrease the viewport. For example, for smaller screens, a larger font and larger buttons are used.


Surprisingly, many still create digital content in PDF format. Such documents are completely inconvenient to read on the small screen of the phone . The layout of PDF files does not adapt to the size of the viewing area. You have to constantly change the scale and move the page back and forth.


Simply put, without responsive design, you risk losing more than 50% of readers.


WP examples with responsive design




Structure and readability


WP usually contains a lot of text, illustrations, as well as additional information (footnotes, numbers, logos, copyright information) . Therefore, the design quickly becomes cluttered. Often you have to throw out some fragments in order to achieve the perfect combination of completeness and readability.


Good design is a bold decision and emphasis on important information. This applies to everything: page layout, layout of elements, colors, font size, etc.


Here are some ways to highlight key points with design . The main thing here is not to overdo it, otherwise the reader will run up his eyes, and he will not understand what is the most important of all the "important" things.


Actual trends


In 2018 , bold colors and fonts were in fashion. But fashion, as we know, is changing rapidly. Nevertheless, a great way to get inspiration and fresh ideas is to look at what other companies and other designers are doing.


Liked ideas can be saved in bookmarks (for example, using Evernote ), so you do not lose.


Not sure where to look? Try to go to Dribbble or Behance - network platforms where designers share their work.


Adaptation of design for target audience


Being aware of the latest trends and drawing inspiration from them is a great start. However, in the first place, the design should match your theme and target audience.


Who do you contact: financial directors or engineers? What are you writing about: stricter rules for working with personal data or the impact of farms on biodiversity?


Colors and fonts should match the theme , style and aim . Are you writing White Paper for a funeral home? Then it is hardly worth using hot pink headlines. In general, to determine the palette, you can use the recommendations of color psychology .



Basic repetition


Never before dealt with a design? It's not a problem.


If there is no design specialist in your company, you can always learn the basics of this craft yourself. As the student saying goes, "the main thing is not to know, but to know where to get it." Fortunately, today the Internet is full of reference information on graphic design.


Read a little about the basic principles and start to create. Do not be afraid to make mistakes. If you do not like what you got, try to determine which specific elements need improvement. Thanks to the knowledge gained, you will be able to analyze not only your work, but also others. This is the surest way to create beautiful, well-structured documents.


Instruments


There are specialized online services, thanks to which you can easily create an electronic White Paper with an adaptive design , even if you have never done this before.


5. ACCESS TO WHITE PAPER: LIMITED OR FREE


Lead generation for sales and marketing is a key business challenge. A proven way to “pull” the audience into a conversion funnel is to attract users to the site and offer them something valuable in exchange for contact information.


However, for this type of inbound marketing to work, two things are needed:


  1. excellent content that users want to get;
  2. contact information collection method (e.g. form).

Many companies skip the first part and go directly to the second. They quickly create some average quality documents and hide it behind the form. This, of course, may work in the short term, and you will still collect some contacts. Nevertheless, users expect to get something more from the content for which they "pay."


The quality of your proprietary content - it is also an indicator of the quality of your entire brand - depends on whether you can convert readers into customers.


So what is the place in lead generation for WP ?
There are two options:


  1. provide access to WP in exchange for user data;
  2. use WP to redirect traffic to other pages of the site where there is a “capture” of contacts.

What is restricted access?


Restricted access to content is one of the most common ways to generate leads. The user cannot access such content until he has entered some information about himself, for example, his name and email address.


As a rule, a so-called landing page (landing page) is created for this, which includes a description of the document and, possibly, its preview. This page also contains a form where the user can enter their data in order to gain access to the text. As soon as the user has entered his data, the “download” button becomes available to him or the document arrives directly in the mailbox.


Which model to choose?


Despite the fact that restricting access to your best content is an excellent lead generation tool, it also has a number of drawbacks .


First , access restriction means that fewer people will read your document, because not everyone is ready to share their personal data. Conversely, a freely available document will be read by a wider audience.


Secondly , if your WP contains really high-quality and deep analysis, then it could improve the position of your site in the results of organic search results. However, if you hide it behind the form, this will not happen, because the closed part of the site is not indexed by search engines.


Thus, it is important to understand what the main task of your White Paper is : disseminating information and promoting company expertise or leading generation. If the last point is more important for you, then access restriction is an excellent option.


Partially Restricted Access


There is an alternative to limited access, which is rapidly gaining popularity - partially limited access .


This method allows you to combine the advantages of both models: to reach a wider audience and still get user contacts.


The point is this: you give readers the “sampler” of your WP , without demanding anything in return. For example, the first few pages are in the public domain, and to get the full version of the document, you need to fill out a form.


This method works great. Today, when the Internet is replete with all sorts of content, providing free and useful resources increases trust and loyalty to the brand.


In addition, partially restricted access improves lead quality . If the user decided to leave his data anyway, it means that your information really interested him.


Registration through social networks


In marketing, there is the concept of "conversion friction . " This includes everything that annoys potential buyers and leads to a decrease in conversion. This may be a bad design, incomprehensible site navigation, poor content, too many fields in the registration form and much more.


The effectiveness of lead generation using closed WP will depend greatly on the number of such constraints.


There is even a whole field of marketing called conversion optimization (CRO) . CRO specialists strive to make life as easy as possible for the user: to make forms simpler, navigation is more intuitive, and calls to action are more effective. Landing page optimization is an essential part of the lead generation campaign.


However, the need to share personal information for many will always remain a barrier. Therefore, it is necessary to make this process as simple and unobtrusive as possible.


An excellent solution to this problem is to use registration through accounts in social networks instead of the usual forms. Then users can access your WP in one click .


This will not only increase the likelihood of conversion, but also provide you with more information about potential customers . Thanks to integration with LinkedIn , Facebook , VKontakte, you can get much more information (and not just your name and email address) , in particular, places of work, education, skills, interests, etc.


6. DISTRIBUTION


Suppose that you honestly followed all our advice: you prepared an excellent document and placed it on the landing page with registration through social networks. The next important step is distribution.


The amount of information and channels to receive it today just rolls over. Therefore, you will have to put a lot of effort into finding someone to read and read your text (unless of course you are not Ernest Hemingway himself, who has returned from the next world).


Some experts in the field of content marketing even argue that it is necessary to spend only 20% of the time on creating content and 80% on its promotion.


The main thing in promotion is to determine the channels through which your target audience consumes content, and distribute your WP through them.


Promotion in social networks


Social networks play a significant role in brand promotion. Facebook , Twitter , LinkedIn have a huge audience - from mere mortals to movie stars and politicians. Activity at these sites will provide a solid base for promoting your WP .


However, writing posts in the void does not make sense. Try to find popular groups on your topic on Facebook and LinkedIn . Look for relevant hashtags on Twitter and Instagram , as well as the relevant Reddit branches.


Once you find your audience, it will be much easier to get in touch with them. Become an active member of these communities - share content, support discussions. This will help draw the attention of the target audience to you and, subsequently, to your WP .


Leaders and traditional media


Today, opinion leader marketing is becoming increasingly popular. Now it is much more effective to distribute content not through journalists, but through well-known bloggers.


Leaders of opinion, they also influencery, have a large, involved audience, which have authority. Influeners influence the opinions of their subscribers and even their consumer preferences.


Find a suitable infuenser possible in social networks. When you study groups on your topic, pay attention to the posts that are most discussed and shared. It is the authors of such content that will be able to help promote your brand.


Just do not need to immediately contact them with a request for advertising. Starting a better acquaintance from afar, for example, with regular comments under their posts, videos, etc. By the way, if you want to write to the mail, there are many excellent tools, such as Voila Norbert , with which you can find the email address of the right person.


When you are more or less acquainted, try to offer cooperation. Of course, this whole process can take quite a long time, but the main thing here is to establish a relationship of trust.



Council experienced:


Try to find such an infuenser who is an expert in your topic and interview him. , , WP .



Email-


Email- - -. Email- (ROI), , .


WP — , email-, , . , — , , , .


, email-, , , . , - , .


, , , . WP .


7.


WP , .



. , :


  1. ;
  2. ;
  3. .

, . , , , .


, : , , WP , - email-. , .


, , , .


. Google Analytics — , . , .


, — , (, ) , .


, — , , . .



, White Paper : , , ( ) .


, WP . , , , email-, . .



:



. . .





PDF



The publication was translated and prepared by the materials of the company Foleon translators of the Alliance PRO translation bureau




')

Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/450244/

More articles:


All Articles