How to Use White Papers to Market Your Business

You have most likely heard about white papers if you work in a technology-intensive industry. But these advertising powerhouses shouldn’t be ignored in other industries as well. No matter what you’re advertising or promotion, if you need to sell or promote it to high level executives or it’s a very high ticket item, white papers can be a highly effective marketing tool.
Let’s take a look at some of the fundamentals about white papers for those who arenot as familiar with them and how they might help your business.

What are White Papers?

A white paper is a type of report frequently used to market a product or service to executive-level buyers. Since these kinds of buyers might need to make a case for the purchase to a board or a supervisor who has the concluding say, a report makes the most sense. It lays out all of the information people would need to make an educated purchasing decision without spending the whole report on a hard trade approach.

Why White Papers Work

White papers are helpful since they focus on education and problem solving. The basic idea is this: you identify a problem your target market has, you present them with a general solution or strategy and educate readers about that resolution, and then you close the white paper with a more precise pitch for your own company’s product or service as the solution to their needs.

How to Use White Papers Effectively

After you figure out how to write a white paper, you have to get that white paper into the hands of prediction. Here are 3 common ways you can do that to start the sales rolling in:

1. Share out your white papers through your website. While you can use them to build an email list, remember that the main idea is to get your white paper into as many targeted hands as possible — not making people jump through hoops to get it.
2. Share out them through white paper directories online.
3. Current hard copy versions of your white paper to prospects at meetings, conferences, or other in-person events.

While white papers are best known as technology marketing tools, you can use them to market just about everything. For example, you could use a white paper to sell your Internet marketing consulting services or just about any product targeting B2B customers. So go ahead. Search your competitors’ sites to look for examples of industry-specific white papers in action, and then give white paper writing a try.