The client wanted to advertise in a local publication for the first time in years. I had sent other business to the printer who produced it in the past, so I emailed my customer service contact with a simple question: is your company still printing this publication? Instead of answering my question, she replied with … Read more
You need to know how to write a white paper for marketing because white papers can be a powerful marketing tool. Detailed documents that explore complex issues to educate audiences, their goal is to offer facts and arguments to convince people that your product, service, or strategy offers the best solution for the situation. Knowing … Read more
As I pointed to a clunky phrase, the client waved me off. “Don’t worry about the language. It’s a proposal, not a marketing piece.” She saw my confusion and explained, “We don’t need to waste our time making the language flowery or sales-y sounding. This is just so we can get all the details together … Read more
What is a white paper? White papers are documents that explore complex issues to educate audiences. In a marketing or policymaking context, a white paper provides enough facts and arguments to convince people that your product, service, or strategy offers the best solution for the situation, educating them about the issue and making a case … Read more
Like average Americans, you’re exposed to thousands of marketing messages each day, from TV commercials to billboards to slogans on fast-food drink cups. How many of the ones you saw yesterday do you remember? Probably just a couple – maybe a few if you really strain your memory. So why do so many companies and organizations … Read more
Companies have many reasons for trying to handle their marketing communications needs in-house. Sometimes, budget is the main reason, but a more common justification is the belief that nobody in the outside world could ever understand the company as well as its employees. Hard to disagree — but it’s the very reason working with an … Read more
White papers and opportunity cost have a link marketers should know. As a professional white paper writer, I take pride in knowing how to do many things, but I also recognize that performing many of those tasks isn’t the best use of my limited time. Understanding white papers and opportunity cost It goes back to … Read more
White papers improve decision-making among stakeholders that matter to you. That’s what makes white papers a powerful sales tool for situations in which a prospect’s decision-making process involves several individuals. If your company offers a product or service that has a high value or will significantly impact your prospect’s organization, your primary contact probably won’t … Read more
Back in high school, I learned a valuable lesson about marketing materials while working as a dishwasher for a chain steakhouse. Washing dishes may be the grimiest job in most eateries, but I didn’t mind it. There were clear objectives and performance measures, the work was predictable, my co-workers left me alone, the radio made … Read more
Should you write your white papers? While it’s tempting to assign the responsibility of creating white papers to the members of your staff who know the information the papers will cover, that’s not always the best solution. Write your white papers and you may have challenges communicating Even if your team members are skilled writers, … Read more