Originally established as a way to describe and explain government or corporate policies, white papers have been adopted by many businesses and corporations as an effective and concise way to communicate problems and solutions.
Effective white paper writing is an important aspect of identifying and solving problems, and more often than not, quality white papers are responsible for initiating positive and lasting policy change. They can help you:
- Generate quality leads.
- Explain complex business offerings.
- Nurture business prospects.
- Stand out from the crowd.
Whitepapers are an excellent tool to establish yourself as an authority in your industry. For a whitepaper to benefit your organisation, it must be authoritative, concise, and well-written, delivering your message in a compelling manner and style that is structured to be easily understood by the reader.
White Paper Building Blocks
Whitepapers are constructed of a basic set of elements:
- Your opportunity
A white paper presents a problem to be solved or an opportunity to take advantage of. - Proof of opportunity
A properly constructed white paper offers evidence that the proposed problem or opportunity exists. That evidence can be qualitative or quantitative. - Additional Problems
Additional problems identified by the original opportunity or problem can be presented. These additional problems might also be addressed in the solution offered by the company presenting the white paper. - Other solutions
White papers can present information regarding other solutions to the problem or opportunity at hand, often for comparative purposes. - Your proposed solution
This is the opportunity to explain why your solution is superior. This is your opportunity to differentiate your company from your competitors.
Your Benefits
The purpose of your white paper is to introduce your reader to the solution you are offering for a specific problem or opportunity – something it can do well. Other solutions include:
- Reputation Enhancement
Evidence of the problem and your solution will help enhance your reputation as an industry leader. This has both short and long-term implications, the better your reputation gets, the better the performance your business (and you) will enjoy. - Industrial/Sector Credibility
Your personal and professional credibility within your industry will also be boosted through delivering effective white papers. Every credible white paper you produce makes you the go-to resource for your peers and vendors. - Differentiation from Competitors
Successfully presenting your solution differentiates you from those competitors – at least where this solution is concerned. - Education
Prospective customers may not even know they have a problem or opportunity. Your white paper serves to educate them – educated customers will ask more relevant questions & receive what they want. - Promotion
Your product or service may be the solution to the existing problem or opportunity, but the white paper is not your sales collateral, directly. You can, however, place a specific call to action at the bottom of every white paper to help with the sales process.
Contact Jack Marketing Solutions™ today to maximise the reach and impact with your white papers.