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.
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.

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:
- 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.
- Share out them through white paper directories online.
- 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.