Table of Contents
What is a White paper?
A white paper is a powerful sales and marketing tool that provides problem solving information through which the potential customer of your organization can be convinced that you have the necessary expertise to deal with the said business problem. They are also called technical papers as they provide detailed objective analysis and explore the different technologies or products that can provide various solutions.
A white paper well written and designed to its full potential can greatly increase a company’s credibility, growth, selling process and position in the industry. However a lot of people fail to utilize this opportunity by miswriting their white paper and cannot engage the interest of the readers which results in a loss of investment as well.
How to Write a Good White paper?
Even though a white paper can be one of the most challenging technical documents to write, once you deeply understand its application and plan it out the desired results can be easily achieved.
Firstly you must clearly identify your target audience. A well written white paper is bound to fail if it addresses the wrong group. Keep them in mind while writing the paper and speak their language this could include your investors, vendors etc. The document must engage, inform and convince the reader. At this point focus greatly on marketing and sales.
Secondly set your goals and objective straight. Do you wish to achieve increase in sales leads, differentiate your offerings from the competitors, be the market leader, stand out as a subject matter expert, inform the clients or a mix of each of these components.
The next step is to put everything together that you have accumulated as content. Use headlines, pictures, paragraph summaries, facts, track records and credible evidence. Be specific and differentiate the proposed solutions while avoiding jargons, generalities, hidden assumptions and acronyms.
Lastly fine tune the document in a specific flow and style. Make sure the document doesn’t go too far in either technical or marketing side, keep it balance. Use simple and plain language to make it easy to read. Most importantly proof read the entire document for errors, mistakes, absence of clarity and continuity.
Tips for Formatting White Paper
Here are the four very important tips to help you along the way:
- Make the introduction captivating: Try grasping the attention of the reader right from the start. Once they are interested and believe the solution they are looking for is available they will want to continue till the very end.
- Write before you edit: This is a common trick to writing anything at all. Jot down the points while as soon as they come to your mind without worrying about anything else. Once you have all your ideas written then you can proceed to organizing them in a flow and editing them.
- Clearly communicate the value: A white paper is not a brochure or a billboard, it is a means to show your expertise and insight on the subject matter. Your content must be useful, informative and emphasize on the solution you are providing to the challenge. When the client has read something valuable they will definitely come back sooner or later to avail your services.
- Follow up: Your whitepaper is not for selling any products or services so make sure to seamlessly mention it in a natural way in the summary or ending of your document.
Format/Structure for White Paper
There is a stand organization to write a white paper which includes
- Abstract: This is usually what decides whether the reader will go into the details of the paper or not as it is a one simple paragraph of the purpose of the document.
- The Problem: Give details about the problem or the challenge keeping it concise and to the point. Cover this part in two to three paragraphs.
- Understanding The Product’s Design: This is one of the most important sections of the white paper, the other being the preceding topic. Describe the general functions of the product and understand it application leading the reader to part which is the actual solution.
- How the Product Solves the Problem: Detailed explanation about how the problem will be solved supported with evidence, facts and figures which convinces the reader that this is the ultimate solution.
- Conclusion: Give a one paragraph review of the entire paper while focusing on the main elements and emphasizing the benefits of the solution.
After you have mastered the art of writing a perfect white paper make sure you advertise it as much as possible so that more and more people can read it. Post it on your website portals and professional internet platforms. You can also mail it your list and distribute it in relevant conferences.
