Meryl's Notes Blog

When done right, white papers are an effective marketing tool. Michael Stelzner, author of Writing White Papers, reports on his findings in the White Paper Report ($49) based on input from almost 600 white paper writers.

First, should businesses bother with white papers? I admit that I’ve downloaded many free reports, white papers such and I don’t read many of them. However, I’m not a business that’s in need of a product or service, which makes a big difference.

Stelzner points to a study (free download after registration) and quotes two key points:

• 71% of those taking the survey read white papers.

• white papers work well for viral marketing. 3 in 5 technology professionals forward white papers to others.

Another finding as reported in a KnowledgeStorm press release, “79% of the IT and business professionals stated they received 25% or more of their information on technology solutions from vendor-sponsored content, such as white papers, email newsletter articles, blogs and Webcasts.” Numbers like that motivate me to keep doing online content and try to land more white paper writing jobs.

The study reports that respondents and technology buyers value educational materials and do most of their research online. White papers satisfy both needs as well as email newsletters and other online content. The trick is “educate” not “sell.” Start selling and you can say good-bye to readers and potential customers.

I was surprised at the findings about using blogs as a resource. Recently, several B2Bs told me they were taking down their blogs because they’re not working. Need to explore this further.

Between these two studies, the white paper does have an important role in the business sales process. The white paper report identifies trends and best practices. Readers also receive details on the process for writing, distributing, organizing and billing white papers.