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
Wondering what you’ll do if you can’t come up with a decent topic for a particular day’s blog post? Prepare in advance by developing some “evergreen” posts. What do I mean by an evergreen post? It’s simply a post that provides general information, will always be appropriate for the audience, and isn’t time-sensitive. If you’re … Read more
White papers and complex supply chains work well together. If your company deals with a complex supply chain involving several levels, a white paper may be an effective way to deliver your messages to multiple audiences. White papers and complex supply chains: one example Suppose your company manufactures replacement gaskets for auto, truck, and industrial … Read more
You launched that new marketing campaign three months ago, and you’ve had it. Sales just haven’t increased. So you’ve decided to toss it aside and come up with something new. Bad idea. And I say “bad idea” as someone who benefits financially when companies need brand-new marketing approaches, because it usually means that they need … Read more