White Papers in the High Tech and Software Marketing Mix

There are many marketing methods in Software and IT marketing that can be appropriate in some, but not all situations. I'd put White Papers in that category. The term "white paper" is a broadly used term, and can mean different things to different people. I define a white paper as a document written to provide insight or expertise specific to a market, process or product category.

PRODUCT & MARKET APPLICABILITY

White Papers are used far more often in B2B marketing than in B2C marketing. I have seen them used in a B2C environment, but only infrequently. A White Paper is most often useful when there is complex technology or work processes involved. In a B2C environment, they would usually only be used in an "early adopter" market where a product concept is new, and prices and sales cycles are still long.

MARKETING RATIONALE FOR WHITE PAPERS

Why use a White Paper at all? The best reason is to build credibility for your company or product. White papers are most frequently accessed by prospects early in the sales cycle, when a prospect is just beginning research on a product category. These documents allow company personnel to show off domain or technology expertise, which should reflect well on the product you eventually want to sell the prospect. The white paper shows off your company as thought leader in your category. It also allows you to subtly and gently position your company and product in the prospects mind, very early in the sales process. It is often helpful to designate one (or a few) people in the company as the author of the white paper and as an expert in the field.

THE "RIGHT WAY" TO DO WHITE PAPERS

So what are the key factors to creating a successful white paper? Here's a few:

* Written by a domain or technical expert
* Succinct-no fluff or overt marketing, to the point
* Aimed directly at your target prospects
* Provides valuable information to your target
* Mostly solution-agnostic, any product or company promotion must be subtle

WHAT NOT TO DO IN A WHITE PAPER

And what are the things to avoid a wasted effort? Keep these points in mind:

* Can't be a product brochure -no relentless promotion
* Don't make it the length of a book
* Never stretch the truth
* If it's too general, so that no one will invest time to read it

BEST USES FOR WHITE PAPER

What can you do with your white paper, once you've put in the time, money and effort to create one? There are many good uses--here's a few to consider:

* It will contribute positively to Search Engine Optimization on your website
* An excellent item to use in a PPC campaign offer
* A great email marketing campaign offer
*An important intermediate step in the sales process; often useful just after a website visit, but prior to a webinar or product trial
* Versatile as "lead bait"; regardless of the medium or campaign, you should require contact info from the prospect prior to a white paper download
*Assists in moving a prospect along without "high touch" interactions--helping automate the sales process and shorten the sales cycle

SUMMARY

White papers can be very valuable tools in a number of market segments. These documents should be used to differentiate your company as a progressive thought-leader in your market category. The optimal goal for a successful white paper is to position your company as a preferred vendor or serious alternative for prospects in your market segment. This is accomplished by demonstrating expertise and providing credible, valuable and unbiased information which is valued by the target prospect. It is NOT accomplished by "tooting your own horn", playing fast and loose with facts, or duplicating your company brochure. If you want to be a successful white paper marketer, it's important to restrain yourself from tactics in the latter category. That's what I think about making white papers an important part of your marketing mix. Please post a comment and add your experience and thoughts on this topic.

Phil Morettini
PJM Consulting
www.pjmconsult.com

Publishing White Papers on the Web

Let's talk about another great way of promoting your High Tech product or business on the Internet. One of the best ways to bring QUALIFIED prospects to your site is by publishing whitepapers.

In a previous column, I wrote about WhitePaperSource.com. This is still a great place to start if you are thinking about writing a new White Paper, or even starting a long term white paper campaign. I consider it the authoritative source of information on white papers as a form of promotion. There are forums there where experts reside to answer whatever questions that you may have about this important form of promotion.

The reason that white papers are so important, relative to other forms of promotion, is because they are credible. In fact, if you write a truly great white paper it won't be viewed by the reader as a form of promotion at all--but as a key information source in the search they are on to solve a particular business problem. So don't waste your time writing a thinly veiled product advertisement. Write a really useful white paper that will build your company or product's image as a leader in your business category--and one whose products and services should be checked out FIRST.

I wanted to provide you with some great additional online resources for your white paper campaigns:

PLACES TO LIST YOUR WHITE PAPERS

IT AND TECHNOLOGY TOPICS

http://www.keyitsolutions.com/

http://www.itpapers.com/

http://www.tecwhitepapers.com/

SOFTWARE

http://www.softwareceo.com/white_papers.php

NETWORK SECURITY

http://www.securitydocs.com/

GENERAL BUSINESS AND VERTICAL MARKETS

http://www.bnet.com/whitepapers.html'

So there you go, some additional resources for you Technology and Software white paper campaigns. Check them out and let me know what you think. Since this is my last column of 2006--Happy New Year--let's have a chat in 2007!

Phil Morettini
PJM Consulting
www.pjmconsult.com