White Paper Lead Generation Tactics
By: Mike D'Agostino
White papers are the de facto standard when it comes to marketing collateral. White papers can be created by one person and can immediately be put to use for marketing efforts. Product sell-sheets/service overviews/educational brochure hybrids have become the modern-day white paper, combining content and topic expertise with definitive solutions.
White paper lead generation campaigns have two goals: get people to open and read the white paper, and get people excited after reading the white paper. While it is definitely important to entice people to open and read the white paper, ultimately you want them to be as satisfied as possible after reading it. If someone reads (or doesn't finish reading) a white paper and does not see value in the information provided, it can have a negative impact on future sales follow-ups. Best case scenario is to leave the reader wanting more, which can be addressed and satisfied with direct sales contact at a later time.
Again, focusing on the goal of producing a good quality white paper, it is important to understand who you are marketing to before it is created. White papers can often be grouped into one of two types:
Technical White Papers: Focus on selling a product or service based on statistics and scientific facts; addressing deployment, implementation, and/or analytics.
Marketing White Papers: Focus on addressing pain-points of the target audience, often focusing on business objectives.
If you are marketing to a group more aligned with IT matters, where performance and measured return are important, a technical white paper would be the way to go. If you are marketing to upper management and C-level executives, where the bottom line and business objectives are key, more of a marketing white paper would be the way to go. No matter which type of white paper you produce, however, it is important to use both strategies. A good technical white paper will focus on presenting definitive statistics, but will also highlight the business value of a certain solution. Conversely, a good marketing white paper will address the pain-points of the intended audience, and back up claims with scientific/technical evidence.
Once the white paper is completed and the target audience is defined, it is time to address the other goal mentioned above which is enticing people to open and read the white paper. No matter the amount of promotion for the white paper, it all boils down to a text description. When someone makes the decision to open a white paper, they are doing so based on what they've read. Since most white papers are promoted via enewsletters or text listings on a web page, it would make sense to believe the title or subject line is of paramount importance in drawing someone's attention.
