Sep
18
There are a few big lies people tell themselves when it comes to white papers. What’s a ‘big lie?’ It’s a story that is told to justify the poor performance of a white paper. The lie can manifest itself inside the mind of the writer or it could be distributed inside a corporation. Either way, the lie is told as a rationalization.
The most common big lie is – “I have a writing problem.”
Many people are quick to point out the faults and flaws of a white paper. They say, ‘Improve this headline,’ or ‘Tighten up your summary,’ or ‘Create a stronger close.’ All of which indicate that the writing needs to be improved.
In fact, most white papers have a marketing problem, not a writing problem. The papers don’t understand the core audience or the paper doesn’t present the product in a compelling light. The paper goes on and on without making a connection with the reader. And, as such, there are no results from the paper. Then the critiques and explanations start.
It’s easy to think that the writing is the cause of the problem. But, do you really know your customers?
Sep
17
Just starting out? – Purdue resource for writing white papers
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I found a link at Purdue describing techniques for writing a white paper. The material is at an intro level, but it’s good material for folks who are just starting out.
If you are an advanced writer, you’ll be more interested in the tons of resources along the right-hand navigation. There’s enough material for you to study for several hours.
Writing a White Paper – The OWL at Purdue University
Sep
17
Most people write white papers to sell. They have a particular product and they want people to buy it. So they throw together a white paper and pack it with content in a fancy sales pitch. Our product does this, does that, and it’s better than the competition. The problem most folks don’t realize – Most consumers see through this ego-centric sales pitch. As soon as you start writing about your product, the reader’s defenses go up and you’ve lost the game. I call this approach ‘head-on collision.’
Head-on collision describes the manner of the sales approach. It’s a one-on-one battle against the potential consumer. You are desperately trying to convince them to buy your product. Likewise, the reader is adamantly ignoring your pitch. And, like with cars, there’s a collision.
A better way to write a paper is to use a flanking strategy. Don’t approach the reader with straight-on, blustery language trying to sell them. Instead, look for an angle that accomplishes the goal of selling, but without the damage of a collision.
One flanking strategy is that of education. By using your white paper to educate, you are raising the information base of your prospect. You are providing real and concrete reasons on the nature of your industry or product-space, rather than the specific features of your product. How does this help you? By educating your readers, you are actually improving their decision making ability.
In the end, this education helps you increase your sales percentage. That is, unless you have a sub-standard product. Which, in that case, you’ve got bigger problems than just your white paper.
