Adding value with white papers

The internet is full of wise words – let’s face it, you’re reading this and I’m taking the trouble to write it.  Why do I do it? –  I hear you ask.  Well it’s simple. It’s cathartic because I get an opportunity to get things off my chest.  It’s conversational because people comment on what I’ve written and indeed I sometimes learn something from them in exchange.  But probably the most important reason for me writing this blog is that it gives me the opportunity to show that Pauley Creative really does understand how the construction industry can use digital marketing to best effect. It’s part of my showcase, part of the method by which I market my business to construction marketers within builders, surveyors, architects, construction services, building product manufacturers and plant hire businesses.

What if you don’t have time to write a daily blog?  Well, combine all your information, knowledge and expertise and write white papers instead. I know they sound grand but they’re pretty much the same thing although a bit more structured, carries additional value and are perceived to have an extended ‘shelf life’.  They have that same opportunity for you to be authoritative about what you do and perhaps, because they’ve been around a long time, are perceived to be just a bit more important. Wikipedia describes a white paper as “an authoritative report or guide”.

A white paper gives you all sorts of added marketing advantages. You can blog about it, you can tweet about it, you can put on your Facebook fan page, you can put it on your web site and you can use it as a form of offer for an email campaign targeting existing customer base. You can offer a free download as long as the viewer exchanges their email address with you so you are capturing new prospects too.  If your white paper is on ground works for instance, you will know that anyone who leaves you their email address in order to download it is definitely interested in ground works. Now that’s really useful.

If your selling complex products then the service, technology or methodology is not self-evident just from viewing the product so a white paper allows product manufacturers to explain methodologies and technologies of their products in a much more detailed and authoritative manner which customers or prospects will find of real value. Creating relevant content on a website and marketing to the likes of architects, specifiers and engineers is not easy as they all require different bits of information so creating a white paper makes it easier for you to educate your audience on relevant areas or topics that are of interest to them.

Are you selling something which is new? Are your products expensive? Is the technology behind your product complex? If the answer is yes then prospects could just be waiting for that one white paper from you to make specification easier.

If you’re still feeling resistant to that suggestion here’s a handy hint. Make a recording of what it is you want to say. Most people can talk fluidly about subjects they are passionate about and you’ll probably find it easier to speak than to operate a computer keyboard. Once you’ve got your recording it’s easy to have it transcribed using an online service and then you have the basis of your white paper.

Still not convinced?  Well take a look at “10 Essential Rules to Help You Create “Ready-to-Buy” Customers With White Papers” by Michael Stelzner and then you might be. Are you maximising  the use of white papers to better understand your prospects or customers needs?