Posting a white paper on your website and requesting users register to gain access to your paper is a smart way to collect leads. However, much debate surrounds this strategy. Answering the question, “Should we require prospective customers to register for our white paper?” requires a bit of thought. The short answer is yes. The long answer is maybe.

The real question is why do you have a white paper in the first place? My guess is to generate interest in your product, solution or strategy, and ultimately produce a lead. If lead generation is your objective, it is important to take steps that convert interested parties into leads.

People opposed to registration claim it’s a barrier to accessing the white paper. However, when done properly, the registration form is a filter that sifts and qualifies leads.

The key is to give away enough content to entice someone to act to get your paper. When done correctly, people do not mind registering.

If you are simply posting the title of your white paper and then asking for registration, forgo the process. If you are providing a title and a paragraph abstract of the white paper, highly consider registration. If you actually format the first few pages in HTML, then most certainly ask for registration.

Let’s take a cue from the world of computer game developers. New games build interest by providing access to the first few levels of the game in a free demo. The goal is to hook users with a sample that entices them to act—namely purchase the game. Similarly, white papers that require registration should include the first few pages of content so readers can determine if it is worthwhile to fill out a form to receive the entire paper.

Providing the full text of the first page or two increases the lead quality by assuring those who register are truly interested in the offer. If readers are exposed to enough valuable and relevant content, they’ll be willing to trade personal information for access to the white paper. The result is a filter on leads. Those who are truly interested in your topic and have resonated with what they have read will be the ones providing lead information.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 5th, 2006 at 4:47 pm and is filed under Lead Generation, Marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.