Frontline Perspectives

White papers are one of my favorite “offers” for lead generation efforts.  Whether it’s a direct mail promotion, an online banner or a print ad, prospects love to get information that will help them be more productive and make better decisions.  The use of a white paper in a lead campaign will almost always produce better results than any other typical giveaway a client has tried.

In fact, Knowledgestorm and Marketing Sherpa have reported that 71% of people read white papers more than any other marketing collateral, and Eccolo Media’s 2008 survey showed that 86% of technology buyers report that white papers influence their buying decision more than any other collateral.

I strongly encourage my clients to include the generation of additional white papers in their annual programs. Depending on the size of the organization and the goals for the year, this might be one or several.  In addition to being an effective for lead gen, there are several other key benefits I think they offer:

1. Thought leadership:  White papers position your firm as a thought leader in the industry.
2. Brand development:  White papers support a firm’s brand equity.
3. Author reputation building: White papers build a visible and credible presence for the author of the white paper.
4. Sales tool:  White papers become additional material to answer concerns or objections in the sales cycle process.
5. SEO: White papers generate excellent additional relevant content for your web site that will help with your search optimization strategies.

White papers can (and should always) be leveraged into feature stories in key publications, used for the development of presentations at industry trade shows and association meetings, and included in general publicity efforts.

Here’s a link to one of the white papers that our marketing team developed around lead generation as an example of what is included and the format that we often use: Business to Business Lead Generation – Generating a Consistent and Effective Program.   (Note:  you will need to fill out a form to have the paper download – if you don’t want to do that, just give me a call and I’ll send it over.)

After reading it, take 15 minutes to write down 10 ideas that could be developed into your own white papers (new regulations, typical misconceptions about a product or service, the top 10 things a prospect should consider before choosing a supplier, how to fix something, why this product or service is necessary, etc).  Then pick the two that look like low-hanging fruit (i.e. the easiest or most relevant to today) and talk to your marketing team about making these happen for 2010.

If you’d like more ideas, send me a note and I’ll be happy to send you some more samples.