{"id":1412,"date":"2020-02-24T15:51:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-18T15:51:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?p=1412"},"modified":"2023-10-18T17:35:35","modified_gmt":"2023-10-18T17:35:35","slug":"the-power-of-white-papers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ca\/blog\/the-power-of-white-papers\/","title":{"rendered":"The Power Of White Papers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If blog posts, social media posts and infographics are the appetizers of content marketing, consider white papers to be the main course. <\/p>\n

White papers are often far more attractively produced than they used to be, but their information-packed purpose remains the same. This was the resource that helped break down complex concepts long before the term \u201cexplainers\u201d existed, and in a sense they remain the unsung heroes of B2B marketing<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Until recently, the audience for white papers might have been limited to those in highly technical roles. Even if they were purportedly aimed at chief information officers (CIOs), for example, they were more likely to be read by IT managers, developers or other tech department staff who needed to assess whether a particular solution met their needs. <\/p>\n

White papers would often walk their readers through the kinds of details that made little sense to those without a background in computer science, but that\u2019s changed. Today, the term describes a broader category of content marketing assets that help drive decision-making within companies \u2014 namely, purchases. <\/p>\n

Compared with other kinds of assets, including case studies, white papers might not be produced as often. They also might be tied more directly to major milestones in a company, like the launch of new products or services. <\/p>\n

In some cases, though, white papers zoom in on changes within a particular role or industry, helping illustrate the foundations of a strategy companies should adopt to be successful. <\/p>\n

Perhaps because of their name, white papers can also have a bad rap. There\u2019s an assumption they will be dense, boring and less likely to drive engagement in an age where shorter content is favoured. <\/p>\n

Before you jump the gun and avoid investing in them, however, it\u2019s worth taking the time to learn more about what makes white papers an important asset, and how to turn them into a competitive advantage:<\/p>\n

What makes a white paper<\/h2>\n

Blog posts are great, but in some cases their life span can be surprisingly short. <\/p>\n

That\u2019s because one of the benefits of blogging is immediacy \u2014 you can capitalize on recent news, talk about the latest industry trends or talk directly about announcements involving your company and its ecosystem. <\/p>\n

White papers have a longer shelf life. They tend to be anchored around topics that require not only an audience\u2019s attention, but a commitment of time. They break down subjects that become difficult to grasp, or which represent opportunities or threats that a company needs to consider and act upon.<\/p>\n

Many years ago, for instance, there were many white papers about the rise of e-commerce, with guidance on how firms across industries could (or should) adopt it in order to remain competitive. <\/p>\n

More recently, you\u2019ll likely have seen white papers helping provide a 101 on the various flavours of cloud computing, the promise of business-oriented mobile apps or what artificial intelligence means for the way people work in many kinds of jobs. <\/p>\n

Today, there could be just as many white papers delving into the way technology contributes to the process of selling, providing customer service or even (you guessed it) marketing through digital channels. <\/p>\n

The \u2018why\u2019 of white papers<\/h2>\n

A blog post might drive traffic. A social post could garner \u201clikes\u201d and shares. A good white paper, on the other hand, can become a lead generation machine. <\/p>\n

Due to the level of research involved and the value they provide, many organizations put white papers behind on online gate or form and require some kind of information \u2014 name, job title and organization are the most common \u2014 in order to download them for free. <\/p>\n

If you need to get a better handle on particular issues facing your firm or sector, you\u2019ll gladly provide this, because by downloading the white paper you\u2019re signalling you may be in the market for a product that solves a problem it addresses. <\/p>\n

These can be the best kinds of leads for sales reps, because downloading a white paper can be a good signal of purchase intent, or at least research. Calling or emailing someone who downloaded such this resource isn\u2019t seen as intrusive so much as natural. <\/p>\n

How the best white papers read<\/h2>\n

Since this is a blog post and not a white paper, we\u2019ll keep it succinct: a white paper should be authoritative, accessible and actionable. <\/p>\n

No one will download a white paper from an organization that doesn\u2019t have an obvious connection to the topic it talks about. A white paper should reflect your firm\u2019s subject matter expertise and its track record in leading an industry through similar opportunities or challenges. <\/p>\n

As we mentioned earlier, though, the audience for white papers is no longer limited to IT professionals. They need to be written with the thought that they might be shared and discussed by cross-functional members of a buying team, or even passed on to the CEO of a small or medium-sized business. <\/p>\n

White papers aren\u2019t just theoretical, either. They should outline a plan of attack that an audience can apply, even if it\u2019s just the starting point for a broader discussion within their company. <\/p>\n

This doesn\u2019t mean white papers should always advocate investing in a product or service. The takeaways could be more about new ways of thinking, making sense of survey data or suggesting metrics to benchmark a firm against its peer group. <\/p>\n

While they might take more time and effort up front, white papers can also be broken up into pieces and repurposed. A standalone chapter might become a blog post, for example, or fashion the data into an infographic, turned into a video or even a sales deck<\/a>. <\/p>\n

One good way to approach white papers is to think of them as the most \u201ccitable\u201d content you create. In other words, when those at the far reaches of your community look for effective reference materials, your white papers should be at the top of their list. And if you can do that, you\u2019ll be at the top of their list of potential vendors, too. <\/p>\n

<\/span> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If blog posts, social media posts and infographics are the appetizers of content marketing, consider white papers to be the main course.
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