10 Revenue-Driving White Paper Marketing Ideas

WHITE PAPER
MARKETING TIPS
by Larry Chase
When done right, nothing pulls in qualified sales leads like a well-targeted offer for a juicy white paper. Offers for white papers and Webinars make up the bulk of ads in Web Digest For Marketers and the solo emails sent once a week to subscribers. I see what pops, and what lays an egg.
Below are best practices gleaned after watching this marketing phenomenon for well over a decade now.
It's not just about clickthroughs. After all, lots of poorly targeted leads will show great numbers but won't result in refined, qualified sales leads. There's a qualitative aspect to this form of marketing that's all important. Many of my advertisers share with me what types of campaigns really tear the roof off while other campaigns result in bubkes.
So here we go...
10Hot Buttons & Bullets
When advertising your white paper to your house list or in an email bulletin or newsletter, keep your copy short and to the point.
Use hot-button words like "Download Now" because readers typically like instant gratification.
Use bullet points because:
. They force brevity. They are easier for the reader to scan. They break up uninviting paragraphs
Long White Papers vs Short White Papers A recent white paper advertised in Web Digest For Marketers offered more than 80 tips on a particular aspect of Internet marketing. I wondered to myself if that was too long. It was a hit.
The lesson is if you've got lots of good content that will deeply involve the reader, go for it, but it better be really good. Sometimes long white papers can backfire because the reader feels a sense of obligation to read the whole thing.1I recently saw a very short white paper -- no longer than three or four pages. I wondered if that was too short and whether readers would complain. They loved it, because the content was rich, pithy and well-writteAn r, eacnedn tt hwehyi tceo upladp geer ta idnv aenrtdis oeudt i no fW theeb sDuibgjeesctt F mora Mttearr kqeutiecrksl y.offered more than 80 tips on a particular aspect of Internet marketing. I wondered to myself if that was too long. It was a hit.White Paper Does not Mean Warmed Over
Sales SheThee letsson is if you've got lots of good content that will deeply involve the reader, go for it, but it better be really good. Sometimes long white papers can backfire because the Nothing alienates reaa dreear dfeeer lsm a oseren steh oafn o bhlaignadtiinogn toov reera dr ethgeis twrahtoiolen t hininfogr. mation and then downloading a vacuous three-pager on why the sponsoring company is so wonderful.I recently saw a very short white paper -- no longer than three I shredded a $5,000o crh feocukr lpaastg yeesa. rI wbeocnaduesree Id r eiff uthseadt wtoa sle tto toh es haodrvte artnisde wr phreotmheort e such a "white paper." This particurleaar daedrvs ewrtoisueldr aclosom pwlaanint.e Tdh neyo lfoevweedr itt,h baenc tawusoe dtohzee cno nfieteldnst of inform2ation before the reader cowualsd raicchce, spsi tthhye ason-dc awlleeldl- wcornittteennt, .and they could get in and out of the subject matter quickly.When readers feel ripped off by an offer, they unsubscribe in droves. They also complain loudly and clearly to the publisher.
If you own a list and promote another firm's white paper, read it yourself before accepting the money. Taking the short money can hurt you in the long and short run.
3
White Papers vs. Webinars
I like both for different reasons.
White papers have legs. That is, readers and prospects can pass them along to others inside and outside of the firms in which they work. I sometimes think of them as Trojan horses winding their way around from one decision maker to the next. I wrote a white paper for a client more than five years ago, and I'm still getting feedback on it.
Webinars allow for audience feedback and deliver a live performance, which can have a certain drama to it, especially when there are hundreds of audience members, some of whom ask challenging questions.
4

Focused White Paper Titles
I like long white paper titles because they tend to tell me exactly what to expect when I download and read the contents.
Specificity in a title w... [download for more]