Whitepapers have become an increasingly popular marketing tactic for small businesses who engage in B2B sales. Why? Where does that tactic come from, and how does one craft a whitepaper?
Traditionally, whitepapers were produced by high tech industry, manufacturing companies, engineering firms, etc. in order to give their customers a better understanding of that product/service. Now, in order to develop and implement a content marketing strategy, more and more types of B2B companies (those who sell business to business) are jumping on the whitepaper bandwagon. Why? The TOP TWO REASONS I recommend whitepaers to clients are:
- A whitepaper can position a sale. Any time you can explain a process, give instruction or otherwise educate your prospects without "selling" is a powerful way to establish yourself (your company) as a trusted expert in your field. Using data or reports that support your brand message can influence the decision of the purchaser, and position your company to make the sale. This is called Education-based Marketing, replacing the sales message with an educational message.
- A Whitepaper provides value. Clients/prospects get valuable information from you for free. They can be emailed, they can be downloaded from your website, they can provide good searchable content - giving you more web presence. You can pull bits and pieces of the text for other marketing pieces. Simply edit for brochures, newsletters, web copy, etc.
Those are my top two reasons for crafting a whitepaper. If you think this tactic might be a good fit for your business, I'd be happy to give you a free, no obligation consultation.
Lynda Colón is a Marketing Communications Specialist who helps small businesses craft their messages trough their visual and written communications. www.fgdmc.com