According to Hubspot, a white paper is “a persuasive, authoritative, in-depth report on a specific topic that presents a problem and provides a solution.”  In the B2B marketplace, white papers are among the greatest utilized marketing tools. In fact, 70% of B2B companies rank white papers as one of the most effective forms of marketing content above videos, blogs, newsletters and online presentations.

In business, companies gain market share by demonstrating how their services and products solve their customers’ most pressing problems. By communicating these solutions through white papers, companies can better help prospects and customers understand how their expertise can help generate positive outcomes and accelerate business growth.

8 Tips for Success

The production of white papers can be a daunting task. To simplify the process, we’ve compiled some useful tips to make content generation easier.

1. Address challenges and pain points. Know your target markets and the ways your products, services and expertise address their needs. Take advantage of the extended length of white papers to give more specific and in-depth information than you would in a blog or article.
2. Stay timely and relevant. Maintain a consistent rate of content production to ensure trends, data and news are engaging and meaningful to readers. Like other marketing initiatives, one white paper is not a campaign, and content needs to be updated regularly.
3. Support content with relevant data and statistics. Compile and share your own relevant stats to maintain a competitive edge. Cite outside resources and industry insights for additional support.
4. Stay away from self-promotion. Ensure your white paper provides meaningful information and a relevant solution to a problem. Too much content on product features or company information that is self-promotional is a turn-off for readers.
5. Utilize multimedia. 91% of prospects seek out visual or interactive content when making a purchase decision. Incorporate images, graphics, charts and other design elements to increase engagement.
6. Take SEO into consideration. Search engine optimization will determine how discoverable your content is via organic search. Focus on keywords, link building and crawlability. Whether you choose to gate your white paper may also affect SEO, so ensure landing pages are optimized for SEO.
7. Include a relevant call to action. Whether you provide an option to sign up for your newsletter (or other resource) or schedule a call with a sales rep, a powerful call to action facilitates engagement and interaction and makes it easy for readers to take the next step.
8. Collect data and analyze impact. Use metrics and analytics programs to understand how your readers find, react to and engage with your content. Consider click-through rates, number of downloads, prospect demographics and other trends. Use this data to identify qualified leads or expand on an important subject matter.

Promoting Your White Papers

Once you’ve crafted a powerful white paper, the job is only half finished. A great piece of content can collect dust if it isn’t properly distributed. Some tips for a successful distribution strategy for your white paper include:

• Feature it in multiple places on your website such as your news, portfolio and home pages.
• Share the white paper internally among team members, executives and other stakeholders.
• Distribute it across social media platforms and to your valued connections, industry influencers and relevant groups.
• Share your content with qualified leads who can benefit most from your expertise.
• Repurpose key points into a blog series or bylined article in a trade publication.
• Incorporate content into an email campaign or newsletter.
• Generate a press release to get more visibility for your thought leadership.

Addressing Challenges

By successfully addressing challenges and providing practical, proven-effective solutions through white papers, companies gain a competitive edge in the marketplace. By cutting through the clutter and delivering compelling data, savvy marketers can use their knowledge to craft content that is engaging, eye-catching, comprehensive and relevant. As a result, white papers can become one of the most vital tools in an organization’s marketing arsenal.