How white papers can step up your B2B marketing game

White papers are usually longer than other pieces of marketing content. This gives them the capacity to explore more complex topics in much more detail than in a blog post or even an eBook. In B2B technology marketing, knowing how to write a whitepaper is particularly important, because we’re dealing with uniquely technical concepts and an audience that needs to be educated and well informed. For that reason, whitepapers remain one of the most powerful tools for B2B marketing.

Nevertheless, the length and complexity of whitepapers make them difficult to write effectively. Especially, when considering the challenge of translating often complicated, technical content into clear language that your customer can easily understand and engage with.

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Key Advantages of implementing White Papers

• White papers can be used to share technical knowledge and business information with other companies within the same field
• White papers serve as excellent marketing collateral for presentations at industry conferences, seminars, and other promotional events.
• White papers help generate publicity and reach, especially when a company is at a start-up stage and trying to get media attention.
• If a company is working on an innovative area or solution for a specific audience, white papers can be very effective in showcasing the company’s achievements and industry expertise.
  

White Papers VS eBooks

It’s an old age question: eBooks or White Papers – which one should you use? Firstly, let’s define the differences between the two: 

B2B brands use white papers to persuasively educate their target audience. They address a certain industry problem and then provide a solid, informative analysis that is often written in the style of a report or case study. It’s delivered in a persuasive, detailed, and authoritative tone which supports the author’s expertise in the subject and their industry.

Most commonly, eBooks suit a broader, less-educated audience, while whitepapers aim to engage and educate well-informed individuals that are looking for more data and solid answers. Based on this approach, eBooks are best suited for B2C audiences while whitepapers are more effective for a more professional B2B audience. More B2B marketers and businesses choose whitepapers over eBooks because business owners look for proven, exclusive results. However, eBooks can still be used as a simple, informative guide for your readers that tend to be more customer-friendly.

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When is the time to use white paper?

Where exactly do white papers fit into the content marketing process? Most prospects will download a white paper when they’re further into the decision-making cycle, which can be divided into 5 steps.

1. awareness
2. consideration
3. preference/intent
4. purchase
5. repurchase

An informative, seamlessly written white paper would typically fit into the third stage. This is the stage where your client has heard or engaged with your brand, is considering purchasing your service, and now needs the final piece of persuasive material to prompt action.

The third stage is your cue to provide your prospects with valuable, researched content that provides a solution to a problem they face. If you can convince your client that you know their struggles and you know precisely how to alleviate them, your reader will take the extra time to enter their contact details and download your report.  

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What your white paper should cover

When it comes to writing a whitepaper, knowing your audience and the industry you’re in is crucial. You can have a genius topic, but if it is not relevant to your audience and the industry you’re dealing with, you’re not going to get far.  

To be effective, your B2B white paper should take on a common problem that the industry faces. To do this, you need to understand who your customers are and be able to identify their pain points and struggles. We suggest using data, analytics, engagement rates, and search trends to figure out exactly what your white paper should convey and the topics you should focus on. 

Remember: Your white paper isn’t a brand promotion. It is very important to maintain a balance between creating an informative non-promotional piece of content while proving that your business can help provide answers to your clients’ problems and questions. 

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The tone of your white paper

Your white paper needs to be an evidence-based and seamlessly constructed piece of literature. This document is an in-depth report that should be backed up by references from reliable sources to feel like it’s been written by experts. A professional and educated tone will support the quality and expertise of your white paper and show a compelling need for your services. It will also encourage audiences to associate your brand name with deep knowledge and insight. Plus, business owners want to know that you are an expert at your craft before they can become your clients. 

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Choosing the right title

Once you’ve developed a good topic, as well as persuasive and engaging content for your white paper, the next step would be choosing the right title. Coming up with a captivating, attention-grabbing title for your white paper is essential. A good B2B title is the one that inspires action and interest from your reader. It should be short, and relevant to your audience. 

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Design elements

To keep the attention of your buyer, you need an engaging design that will keep the reader captivated throughout the narrative. Considering that some audiences prefer to skim read it’s important to use design pieces to help highlight the headlines and guide them to the information that’s most relevant to them. Here are a few suggestions:

• Use infographics, blog articles, social media posts, or sales enablement tools to build a strong, visual design.

• Avoid walls of gray. Some think that white papers are supposed to be serious, and by that, they think “walls of gray.” Any white paper with text presented as a wall of gray may look serious, but it definitely won’t invite anyone to read it.

• Leave lots of white space. Endless, horizontal lines of text are hard for readers’ eyes to process. If you format a white paper with barely any white space, you risk losing most of your readers.

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Conclusion:

Whitepapers are an amazing tool for B2B marketers: they help you build brand authority, help buyers make decisions, and increase the number of leads. We strongly advocate for whitepapers and suggest you spend your time and thought creating engaging and extremely persuasive marketing content for your company. It’s not an easy task, but it can surely increase your company's ROI and convert the number of leads in the long run.