Do you need a White Paper written?

4 out of 5 purchasing managers use white papers to decide before a purchase, which makes these invaluable tools in the B2B marketplace, especially in the technology sector or in industrial applications.

White papers identify a technical or business challenge, and then explore a complex solution over five to ten pages in either a booklet or report format. They often include an executive summary. Sometimes they are called a special report, product review, or competitive brief.

How will a purchaser learn about your product or service?

All your competitors are marketing to your prospects and existing customers in one way or another. Without a white paper that objectively, yet persuasively, explains why you are the solution they’ve been looking for, what are your odds of getting that next sale?

Purchasing agents do their research before buying. Your best means of being considered by purchasers is to publish research favorable to your product or service, or risk losing out to your competition. This is where a white paper can really give you an advantage over the other guys.

Need more leads?

Provide a free special report as a giveaway item in your marketing campaign. This provides the prospect with value, while endearing them towards your company. It can also be used to gather names and contact information for those buyers interested in your product or service.

Want to claim your dominance over the market?

Become a trusted authority in your industry. A white paper can position your company as the leader in the market, establish credibility, and build your brand. You can send your white paper to trade publications or the media, include it in your press kit, or use it to educate your own sales force and affiliates.

It can be quite difficult for you to achieve market share dominance if your competitor has a white paper and you don’t. Be a leader, get one going today!

A white paper can be your solution.

I can help with your writing problem. You can expect me to interview industry experts, propose drafts to them for review & analysis, and collate all the results. Then I write the final draft for your review.

Time is an element. Once written, edited, and you approve my final copy, there will still be the matters of graphic design, publishing, and promotion of the white paper. It may take up to two months to get all the writing & design pieces in place and approved.

With time, there is also cost. Good writing for this type of content will cost between $3,000 to $6,500, depending on a variety of factors. Those factors include topic complexity, expert availability, and established competitive positioning. I’ll provide you with a quote in advance, so you’ll have the exact cost for my services.

Can you find it cheaper online? Probably, but you only get what you pay for. And, you already know this.

Executive Buy-In

One critical element to a successful white paper project, is having executive buy-in. It is crucial that the person responsible for final approval of the white paper, clearly understands the strategy of the writer.

Why Is Buy-In Required?

A white paper has a single, clear, goal. It has structure, and flow. There is a singular voice to the paper. There is a golden thread that weaves its way through the paper to tie the solution presented to the problem at hand.

The writer cannot be hamstrung by executive meddling. A wise copywriter I follow points out that such meddling often results in a dog’s breakfast that is ultimately an unsuccessful project.

This is not to say that you don’t have input. Quite the contrary, your input is essential. But that input is required ahead of time, before the paper is written. The only other editorial input you should have is if there is a factual error in the document.

Understanding the Process

So, what is the process? A good paper will start with a clear idea. The writer will consult with you and other experts, early and often. An outline will be formed from this data collection. A problem or challenge will be presented, and every line of text will be crafted to support the inevitable conclusion that your product/service is the best solution to that problem.

You need to understand that the writer will use phrases that are easy to understand. There is psychology in that, in an effort to reduce cognitive load. You see, the simpler the words are to understand, the easier the read, and the less resistance there will be on the part of the reader.

A successful paper will not be jammed full of industry jargon and buzzwords. Where such language is required, it will be employed judiciously, and with purpose.

A well written white paper will not jump all over your product catalog. It will not bore the reader with technical specifications. It will not contain long, difficult to follow paragraphs of work for the reader to wade through.

The writer will ensure that you understand the process. Buy-in is essential, throughout the project, to avoid executive edits that result in a mishmash of words. A white paper project is a partnership between the sponsor (you) and the writer (me).

Final Approval

Once written, a final draft will be presented to you. This should be a simple “go,” or “no go,” decision. Then you’ll send it off to the designer to lay it out. The designer’s job at that point is to make the report it look pretty. The designer should not be changing paragraph length or introducing images that are unrelated to the theme of the written text. And once the designer is done, the writer should be consulted to ensure the layout has not compromised the content. Then the paper is ready to be published.

Hire a Professional

Because this is an expensive and time-consuming marketing project, you will want to ensure it is done by a professional copywriter. There is no point investing thousands of dollars to get a dog’s breakfast.

A good copywriter understands the goal, the process, and the pitfalls. If you want it done right, hire someone who understands how to do it right.

Contact me today, to have your white paper professionally written.

 

Want to read more about white papers? Try my article, How Can a White Paper Boost Sales?

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