3 Main Reasons White Papers Are Ideal To Market Your B2B

by Dan Martin

White papers are a super-powerful way to promote your B2B product or brand.

Don’t just take my word for it – 71% of B2B buyers use white papers to inform their purchasing decisions.

If there’s a more effective way to get your sales message across, I can’t think of one – especially if you have a technical product or service that takes a bit of explaining.

Whether you have a SaaS product, blockchain ICO, or some other technical offering, white papers help to spread awareness and answer prospect’s questions or ease their concerns.

What Is A White Paper?

In very basic terms, a white paper is a document that provides detailed information on a topic, usually a product or service. The exact purpose of the white paper depends on the type, but in general, they are used as part of a marketing and promotional strategy.

There are 4 main types of white paper:

Problem / Solution – The most sales-driven type of white paper. It’s presented in a way that convinces potential buyers that your product or service provides an ideal solution to their pain points.
Informational – In-depth document that describes a new product or technology and its benefits.
Report – Usually contains stats or research on a specific subject or topic and an analysis of how it affects the relevant industry or market. This type is
often presented as a list or an extended article – e.g. 7 Ways That AI Can
Be Used In Manufacturing.
Hybrid – A hybrid white paper uses elements of all or some of the three types already identified above.

Main Benefits Of White Papers

1. Lead Generation

Let’s face it – one of the most difficult things about selling a B2B product or service is generating qualified leads and converting them to paying customers or clients.

When you think about it, white papers are the perfect resource for generating leads as they help to pre-qualify the leads as only people that are interested in the subject will read it. They also provide a golden opportunity to get your sales message across and communicate your value statements.

Additionally, you can use the white paper as a way to get people onto your mailing list. If the white paper offers valuable content, such as deep insights or research into an area of interest, you can set up an opt-in box so that people get the document emailed to them. You can then follow up with other valuable content straight to their inbox, using what is known in marketing circles as an “email nurture sequence” or make them aware of special offers through an email newsletter.

2. Thought Leadership

If you’re in any doubt as to how well white papers perform in building thought leadership, just take a look at the websites of some of the top business and management consultancy companies – Deloitte, PwC, McKinsey, etc. They have dozens, if not hundreds, of white papers and reports that are available for download.

The reason that these big companies invest so heavily in white papers and reports is that they work! Nothing says “we know our stuff” more than a professionally written, well-designed, and highly informative white paper.

If your main marketing goal is thought leadership and brand building, then you should focus on creating white papers that are heavily research-based rather than promotional. You can add a short section at the end of the paper to promote your product or company.

3. Valuable Content

OK, you may think that this point is similar to the previous one, as we’re talking about delivering valuable content to potential customers. But the idea behind this bullet point is that you can easily re-purpose the content you create for a white paper for other content.

For instance, let’s say you write a white paper titled “How AI is revolutionising manufacturing”. You can use the content from this paper to write smaller blog posts on the different benefits and use-cases of AI. The research you did for the white paper can also be used as the basis for YouTube videos or Podcasts, in which you discuss the stats or findings.

White Papers – Versatile Marketing Resources

There’s little doubt that white papers are one of the best ways to build awareness around your brand or products.

But, they’re not easy to write.

You need to make sure that the white paper isn’t too “salesy” and offers real value to people reading. It also needs a bit of “sparkle” to make it engaging.

If the content is too dry or badly written, it may actually have an adverse effect on your brand image, which would be a disaster. Likewise if it doesn’t have a professional and eye-catching design.

That’s why you should consider enlisting the services of marketing material specialists. Here at uTB2B, we’ve mastered the art of creating white papers, sales decks, brochures, and other marketing resources. Contact us to find out more.

We are your high-quality content providers.
White Papers, Brochures, Sales & Pitch Decks, LinkedIn Social

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