White papers got their start in the government sector as reports outlining policy or offering authoritative commentary on a major issue. The origins of the term date back to early 20^th century England, where it referenced brief research reports used by the British Parliament.

White papers were short government reports in comparison to longer, more detailed documents that were bound in blue covers and referred to as “blue books.” Since the shorter government publications were bound in the same white paper as the text inside, they took on the term “white papers.” When the use of white papers became standard practice during this time period, the term became associated with a document having a high level of importance.

White Papers Today.

White papers are now part of the corporate world. Klariti, an Ireland-based technical writing firm, offers this definition, “White papers discuss a specific business issue, product or competitive situation. In many cases, they summarize information about a topic; for example, the results of a survey or study and then suggest a proposal for action, with the research data providing the justification for the action.”

Why They Work.

Business people are increasingly searching for quality content. Studies show that company decision makers often use white papers as their initial external information source. White papers are an effective medium capable of educating, informing and influencing your targeted customers and prospects. Done properly, a white paper serves as reinforcement for preferring your company to the competition.

Consider these statistics noted by Senior Reporter Sean Donahue of SherpaBlog:

• In 2008, 44 percent of business prospects said they were reading white papers more often than in the past. That’s an increase from the 39 percent who said in 2007 they were reading white papers more often.
• More than 50 percent of business decision-makers and influencers said they read two to five white papers per quarter.

White papers can serve as excellent relationship starters followed by other thought leadership events such as invitations to webinars, podcasts and conference presentations. They also have terrific pass-along capabilities that tend to cross departmental borders as internal groups collaborate on business initiatives.

Elissa Miller, a senior marketing consultant for Hoffman Marketing Communications, a business and technology writing company, points out that “publishing white papers at third-party information sites such as Bitpipe.com [geared toward IT professionals] generates goodwill and ‘mindshare’ by making research and analysis widely available. In addition, it drives interested prospects to the company, prospects that might not otherwise have known that such an offering existed.”

Why They Don’t Work.

Corporate-sponsored white papers are strategic marketing documents. But that is also frequently the root cause of a white paper’s downfall. It’s fine to carefully weave in positive points for your company through techniques such as case studies, but white papers unravel when sponsors lose objectivity. Most readers will quickly see through marketing propaganda disguised as legitimate research.

Further, many white papers provide an inadequate balance of technical details and the larger business context they address. They sometimes lack a compelling persuasiveness that helps people understand complex issues and how they can apply a solution.

Finally, a lot of marketing types shy away from white papers thinking that their other collateral, from brochures to product sheets, serve the same purpose. If they do get involved, they frequently fail to realize that white papers are unique communication vehicles that not only fill an important gap, but also require writing skills different from marketing communications and even technical writing.

To White Or Not to White.

The evidence is clear that white papers are highly effective thought leadership tools that do not require a huge monetary investment but do require handling with care. You’ll have the most success if you choose the writer carefully, and then develop the white paper through a collaborative process between the writer/researcher and your internal subject matter experts. The entire experience provides an opportunity to delve more deeply into important topics and can be a stimulating professional experience for everyone involved.

By Larry Bauer

Want Expert Advice?

MondoVox Creative Group can help you develop white papers and other components of an effective thought leadership strategy. For more information, email Julia Moran Martz.

You can connect with Julia Moran Martz on LinkedIn. Or follow her on Twitter.

White papers aren’t particularly expensive to create, but that doesn’t mean anyone can just slap one together. They take some careful planning and decision-making to serve as true thought leadership builders. Here’s how to get your white papers off on the right foot.

Do

• Know your audience and focus on their interests.
• Identify problems and concerns and provide a solution.
• Understand that people with different responsibilities view the same problem differently—accounting vs. sales vs. technical people.
• Think of your audience as a group of investors.
• Attract interest immediately or risk losing the reader.
• Assume that your reader is new to the topic.
• Tell people what you’re going to tell them; tell them; and then tell them what you told them.
• Subtly and carefully craft your own message into the white paper—case studies and customer quotes are a good approach.
• Include an executive summary—many people will only read this portion or read it first.
• Use compelling graphics to reinforce your message—charts, diagrams, illustrations, etc.
• Adopt a conversational style that includes the word “you”—no one wants to read a term paper.
• Let your first draft sit for a few days before you begin editing—you’d be surprised how much a little distance can help.
• Identify key words for Web-hosted white papers before you begin and use them in your white paper.
• Edit, edit and edit again.

Don’t

• Make your white paper self-serving—no one wants to read dull details about your product or service.
• Forget to read a few white papers in your field—you’ll get a quick sense of the good, the bad and the downright ugly.
• Attempt to write the white paper yourself if you don’t have the depth of knowledge or the writing skills.
• Overwhelm your audience with techspeak and acronyms—offer clear definitions when you do use technical terms.
• Get lost in theory and forget to provide real world, supportive examples.
• Neglect to include a brief About Us section at the end—include telephone and email contact information.
• Task technical people with the writing assignment—make them information sources and members of the editing team instead.
• Make the white paper too long (6-10 pages are about right, but they could be as short as 1-2 pages—break longer topics into multiple publications).
• Write a user’s manual if your white paper is addressing a product or technology solution.
• Skimp on the promotional side—use news releases, email, postcards, social media, etc. to promote your latest white paper.
• Shortchange the introduction, conclusion and executive summary.
• Hesitate to use eye-popping color to attract attention and encourage readership.
• Neglect the title or the look and feel of the white paper—they are two of the key drivers of readership.
• Forget to ask yourself what action you want people to take upon reading your white paper.

White Papers Play Well With E-newsletters. Sending an e-newsletter highlighting your white paper and offering a free download from your website or a landing page is effective. MondoVox Creative Group can write and design both your white paper and newsletter, create a landing page and broadcast the message through our MailVox system. You’ll get all the reporting you need right from your desktop, to say nothing of the benefits of working with an experienced single source.

For more information, email Julia Moran Martz.

By Larry Bauer