Having Trouble Keeping Your Prospects and Customers Turned On?

By Tom McNamara

You've got a problem: You're launching a new product or service in a few months and you'd like to stoke the prospect fires to see what kind of leads you can generate. Or maybe you're trying to educate your existing customers about a new technology or trend that will impact their business in the near future. What's the answer? A White Paper.

What is a White Paper?
White Papers are essay-style documents that explain or analyze an issue, technology or market trend. In addition to educating your customers and prospects, they can foster a better understanding of the strategies and developments at your company. The style and tone should be educational, objective and non-promotional.

What Kind of White Paper?
You can design different types of White Papers for different purposes. For example, a ‘Technology Briefing’ explains new or underlying technologies. Whereas, a ‘Planning Guide’ presents guidelines and best practices for preparing for a future industry change or implementing a new technology. The list of possibilities is endless.

Who is the Best Target for a White Paper?
The target audience for your White Paper can be anyone who needs to better understand a technology, application or strategy, or who is trying to make a more informed decision about a product or technology investment. These people can include prospects at all levels in your sales funnel, existing customers, industry analysts, media or in the case of a pubic company, your investors.

Pinpoint Your Target
But don’t make the mistake of trying to speak to all these audiences at once. Each person has their own objective and you need to frame your White Paper around their specific challenges. If you try a shotgun approach, you’ll miss your target completely.

Why White Papers Work
White papers work because they nurture your prospects rather than sell to them. This builds trust and you gain credibility as an industry expert. So, what are you waiting for?

Turn your prospects and customers on and get your White Paper project going now!