Understanding the “Benefit Checklist” Technique. One of the more effective techniques you can employ in your white papers is called “ The Benefits Checklist “.
The benefit checklist technique is one of several approaches you can use along with more familiar techniques such as bulleted text lists or a series of bulleted paragraphs. These techniques provide an easy way to ensure that business benefit statements will be clearly understood by your target reader. White Papers. What exactly is “a white paper,” anyway, and how does one go about writing a good one? You’d think it would be easy to find information about such a commonly mentioned topic, but to my surprise not one of reference books or business writing textbooks in my home library mentions white papers.
And so I went to the dictionary and the Internet. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, a white paper is “a governmental report” or “an authoritative report on a major issue, as by a team of journalists.” According to itpapers.com, which posts more than 22,000 examples of white papers, “In the IT community, a white paper is an informational brief offering an overview of a technology, product, issue, standard, policy, or solution – its importance, use and implementation, and business benefits.” Effective Business Writing: The White Paper. A white paper is considered to be a standard marketing tool today.
Statistics show that decision makers in organizations use them as their first external source of information. White papers are an effective medium that educate and inform and, most importantly, influence a prospective customer. A white paper from a company should reinforce why the organization needs to be selected over the competition. Outline of Any White Paper: Define the target audience/market and the purpose of the white paper, i.e., whether it is to establish authority on a particular topic, or create awareness of an upcoming issue or trend, or to provide information that will help buyers make decisions and differentiate the company from the competition.
Define the message the white paper is going to deliver and ask yourself the reason why anyone would want to read it. How to Write a Whitepaper - Technical White Paper Writing. Overview and Objective Every new technology has barriers to entry.
Often times these barriers are based on myth or inaccurate facts that have been presented in the media. Some times the barriers are based on real world experience of customers using similar technologies. Other times a truly new technology comes along that addresses a problem in a different way. In all cases, it is incumbent upon the vendor to educate prospects, analysts, and the press about the technology or a new approach to solving the problem. Requirements A whitepaper can be of varying length, usually from four pages to twenty. The white paper should be formatted into small sections with clear titles for easy reading. Outline. How to write a great white paper. Robert W.
Bly September 06, 2006 The use of white papers as a marketing tool has skyrocketed in recent years, not only for selling information technology but also to promote various products and services beyond hardware and software. A professional writer or editor hired to produce the text for a white paper typically is not an expert in the subject, which more often than not is both technical and arcane.
For instance, I've written white papers on everything from measuring ROI from content management systems to promoting bone healing with an implantable electromagnetic generator. Before the Internet, the greatest challenge for the writer was lack of information. In the Internet era, the problem is too much information. Let's say you are writing a white paper on COBRA administration.
The writer's challenge is not in finding sufficient content for writing the paper, but in selection. Learn how to write a white paper that provides objective information for your audience. Hoffman Marketing Communications, Inc., is a widely recognized expert at the craft of writing white papers.
Their senior writers have published numerous articles that: Answer the question, "what is a white paper" Explain how to write a white paper Draw from Hoffman's many years of experience and best practices for writing white papers These "best practice" articles have been published on numerous Web sites, in books, and in journals, including Robert Bly's "White Paper Marketing Handbook," ProductMarketing.com, SalesVantage.com, the American Marketing Association, Bacon's Navigator, MarketingProfs.com, and others.
That White Paper Guy is Gordon Graham, award-winning white paper writer. Why and How to Write White Papers. How to Promote my Software Business with White Papers?
White papers have become a popular marketing tool especially in the field of business and politics. FREE White Paper: How to Write a White Paper That Sells. By Don Nicholas • 12/13/2013 It’s Time to Succeed in Multiplatform Publishing Build your digital publishing empire with the secrets and proven techniques in this new handbook Claim your FREE digital copy of our 100-page Multiplatform Publishing Strategy Handbook: 60 Digital Publishing Secrets for Making Millions Online now.
You have our promise not to sell or share your email address, ever! Please read our Privacy Policy. Dear Publishing Colleague, Where were you in your publishing career 10 years ago? Were you excited about the Internet and its impact on our industry? White Paper Templates Instant Download. Write white paper format. White Paper Templates Instant Download. In this article, I'll show you how to write an effective white paper that gets your company noticed and the pitfalls to avoid if you're new to this area. Like other types of publications, such as a case study, the white paper has an accepted format that is recognized by its readers. Try to stick to this approach as readers are familiar with this style. Only more experienced writers should try more adventurous formats. Before You Start Define your target audience. It's very important to stress this point. Identify Your Topic Next, determine the main topic for your white paper. How To Write a White Paper. A white paper is usually thought of as a technical document accompanying a product.
White papers are created with the purpose of selling a product to another company by educating the buyer about the item's details. This paper defines what problem the product intends to fix and what additional applications it has to offer. Most of these reports are designed for an audience with technical know how, including engineers, software programmers, and other professionals. Writing a white paper is usually the domain of technical writers, but in some cases, the developer of a product will want to write his or her own document for marketing or proposal purposes. How To Write A White Paper. You’re About to Discover… Dear Marketing Professional, Hi, my name is Perry Marshall.
During the last three years I’ve written over 100 white papers and magazine articles. How to Write a White Paper. Consider learning how to write a white paper if you’re looking to improve your content marketing efforts.
White papers, like other long-form content marketing pieces such as case studies and e-books, have the potential to influence people not through flashy sales copy but through informative content. Simply put, you open people up to your marketing message by first giving them content they actually want to read. If you’ve heard of white paper writing as a marketing tactic already, you probably already know white papers can be excellent tools to drive leads and sales. But what are white papers and how do you write one? While white papers can seem complicated, they don’t have to be. Note: There are some differences of opinion in the white paper writing community regarding things like abstracts, best lengths, and rates if you choose to outsource your writing.
Let’s get started: White Papers. Summary: A white paper is a certain type of report that is distinctive in terms of purpose, audience, and organization. This resource will explain these issues and provide some other tips to enhance white paper content. Contributors:Sachiko Sakamuro, Karl StolleyLast Edited: 2010-04-21 08:23:17. How To Write White Papers. How To Write White Papers By Valeria Vegas If you’re a technical writer or an MBA, eventually you are going to need to know how to write white papers.
In the business world, white papers are a marketing tool. In fact, many project leaders and COs use them as their first source of information when it comes to making decisions about which companies with whom they should invest or partner. That’s because a company’s white paper is a thorough investigation into their selling points. In the following sections discussing the components of this technical writing, the term ‘the white paper company’ refers to the company you are describing (or working for) in the white paper.