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What is a white paper?

* A pre-sales document

* Targeted at prospects, leads, or other potential customers/partners/vendors who are still trying to decide on an approach, product, service, or idea

* A communication tool used to explain a complex product or service or educate industry customers

IN SHORT: White papers help people make decisions. If you give people a white paper of value, they will give you their loyalty and business.

Most common types:
1. Technology guide — explains underlying technology, why it is valuable to customers, how it is different from and better than others

2. Position paper — explains/advocates a standard, trend, or technology. Explains importance to potential customer.

3. Business benefits — explains why potential customers need/want product/service.

4. Competitive review — positions the product and differentiates it from competitors

5. Evaluation guide — thoroughly explains products features and functionality

6. Planning/implementation/configuration guide — helps customers plan for future trends, or walks them through typical implementation scenarios

7. Case studies — examine the success or failure of particular approaches, options, or technologies

8. ROI — explains the payoff of using an approach, technology, product, or service.

9. Services guide — explains different options available within a range of services

Why write a white paper?
* Educate potential customers and THEREBY ADVANCE THE SALES CYCLE.
* Educate sales force.
* Educate media, partners, vendors, other employees about complex topic.
* As a lead generating fulfillment piece.
* As content for trade publications.
* To redefine the market.
* To build the company’s credibility, authority, or standing in its market or industry.
* To differentiate a company from its competitors

Drivers for Success
* An in-house sponsor
* A real deadline
* A knowledgeable writer who understands, simplifies, and explains the underlying technology
* A topic and approach that is targeted to the right audience (message- and audience-match)
* Customer focus, not product/service focus

Process for Writing a White Paper
1. Analyze and define problem — what’s hindering the sales process?
2. Preliminary needs assessment to clarify TOPIC and AUDIENCE– always from the audience’s perspective!
3. Define specific objectives — are you going to generate leads? what call to action? is it technical or business-oriented?
4. Interview SMEs and read, read, read, read. Presos, reports, user guides, articles, interviews, reviews, competitive docs, pr, news items, blogs, datasheets. If you can, play with the product or watch the service being done first hand.
5. Write the paper — drafting & editing
6. Produce the white paper
7. Distribute the white paper

Structure of a Successful White Paper
* Catchy, meaningful title
* Abstract/executive summary. Can be 3-5 bullet points or a short paragraph.
* Define issue and provide background info
* Introduce problem or challenge. Sets stage for solution.
* Describe the solution. Back it up with evidence (statistics, testimonials, stories, kitchen logic)
* Describe benefits (with proof)
* Conclusion — a quick summary of benefits and reminder of risks of doing nothing
* Call to Action that tells reader to take next step (register at web site, call sales dept, schedule a one-on-one)

Along the way, add illustrations and sidebars that summarize or illustrate. Sidebars can also be used as home for details that might otherwise break up white paper flow. Layout & design can be important considerations. Tone and style of writing also helps–it doesn’t have to be dry & academic. Just don’t get too salesy or fluffy.

Effective Titles
1. Ask a question that relates to the problem
2. Break up title with a colon (Business Intelligence: An Intelligent Move or Not?)
3. Use a specific job title in the title (if you are that focused)
4. Use transactional verbs (Securing your Network blah blah vs. Web Application Security)
5. Use of dramatic title can be supported by a more factual/descriptive subtitle

What to Avoid with Titles
1. Cute titles and/or situational humor
2. Company names, product names, brands
3. Features
4. Confusing or annoying buzzwords
5. Anything downright offensive, illegal, in bad taste, or libelous

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Some rules that I live by when it comes time to write a white paper title.

1. Never use a company’s brand anywhere in the title. This includes company name, product/service name, or any branded approach’s name.

2. Titles should speak directly to (a) the customer’s pain point and (b) cover the gap in your sales process. For example, you may be having trouble getting customers to the close, and their main paint point is ATM security (they’re a banking client). You want to create a benefits-laden headline that addresses both.

3. Here’s a benefits-laden headline: “Improving Bank ATM Security in 6 Simple Steps.” Much much better than: “Bank Security Procedural Steps.”

3. A helpful pattern to use is “X things you should Y about Z”. For example, “11 things you should know about ATM security.”

4. Another helpful pattern is “How to.” For example, “How to increase your bank’s ATM Security.”

5. Yet another helpful pattern is the “Clever Colon Explain” pattern. For example, “Easy, but not Cheap: Creating Vastly Improved ATM Security Procedures.”

6. Use a subtitle to buttress your case, slip in the name of your product space, or whatever. For example, a good subtitle for the above might be: “A JavaEE Approach to Security” or somesuch.

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