Need to Persuade? Try Using White Papers
By Michael Stelzner
Information overload. Filters. Time constraints. Limited patience.
Marketing excess makes the task of influencing a chore!
Getting an audience with someone important and presenting vital points have never been harder. It is just plain tough to persuade people if you can’t speak to them.
Fortunately, there is a way.
The white paper is often ushered past the guards and into the inner courts of important people.
Why?
White papers are sought after to help readers make decisions. Like the ancient wise man, the great white paper will have a significant impact on its readers.
These informative (and often persuasive) documents tend to contain information that is very valuable.
The persuasive white paper:
- Identifies problems facing its readers (to build affinity)
- Discusses trends (to push a need for change)
- Provides solutions without selling (by speaking broadly and objectively)
- Suggests what to look for (think key considerations when seeking a solution)
The art of persuasion involves building interest, providing valuable information and directing readers to act in a very specific manner. When applied to white papers, the result is a virtual salesperson that acts in your best interest, all the time.
Have you been persuaded by a white paper? What made you want to take action?
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January 19th, 2007 at 3:37 pm
Michael,
Your question, “what made you want to take action” is a very compelling one. In fact, it is at the core of all copywriting - white pages or otherwise.
I believe that there is one very simple answer to this question that is usually overlooked. It is this… People will only take action to meet an emotional need.
This in turn begs the question: What defines each of our emotional needs?
The answer to that is a bit more complex… Our emotional needs are defined by what I call our “sub-prime filters” and our “preference filters”. Found inside of our brain, these filters modify and transform the information we receive into fuel for our emotions.
The best part about all of this is that, in many ways, these “filters” are predictable once you understand them. Sort of like knowing that I can create water by mixing the right amounts of hydrogen and oxygen. Once I know the formula and the procedure, I can create the same reaction - or action in this case - again and again.
But what is the formula? In other words what information should I give my reader to create action? If you really knew your reader, the answer to that would be simple. For example, if I want my wife to be happy I get her flowers and do the dishes. When you really know your reader, then you know the formula and can create the emotions you need to create action.
So, to answer the first question of “What made you take action?” I say the writer understood me - I mean really understood me. They knew the formula and I melted like water.
But how do you “really understand” your reader when you’ve never met them? Oh, boy… now there’s a question! No time for all that here, but I did address it in my latest ebook. Suffice it to say, there is a formula and you can really know and understand folks you’ve never met.
And when you do, you’ll be able to effortlessly persuade them to action.
January 19th, 2007 at 4:53 pm
Joshua - Thanks for your great message! You know with white paper, I wonder how much emotions play into decisions. Your thoughts? - Mike
January 19th, 2007 at 6:36 pm
Michael,
Great question. The answer is YES. But maybe not in the emotional sense that most people would think about.
Consider a highly technical white paper dealing with the function, specs, design, etc… of a highly specialized piece of software. It is expensive so the reader is a CTO. I think we have now gotten to the stereotype of the flat, non-emotional personalities in the world (no offense to any CTO’s that may read this!)
He is reading this paper because he has a need to fill in his company and is looking for the solution. But why does he care if it is a good solution or not? Why not just grab what’s handy and implement it? Because the software could bomb and cost the company serious money. But why does he care? Because if he loses the company money it is not likely that he will be employed too long. But why does he care about his employment?
Well he is a CTO, which tells us that under all those 1’s and 0’s there is a passion to succeed (an emotion) - otherwise he’d still be a techie on the support floor. We also know that he has a need for security (another emotion) - or else he would likely be a CEO running the show, not an employee. Finally, there are likely a thousand other emotions attached to his income that would not be met if he picked a lousy piece of software.
I suggest that, while on the surface he is making a series of very analytical decisions, the energy that is driving those decisions and causing him to choose carefully is being fueled by core, fundamental emotions.
Understanding this about out CTO will significantly impact the tone, feel, and focus of the conversation we have with him.
January 19th, 2007 at 11:37 pm
Joshua;
Interesting. So how do those underlying emotions translate into writing persuasive words that strike an emotional cord with the CTO?
Mike
January 20th, 2007 at 8:36 am
Good Morning Mike,
You know this sure would be easier if you read the book (:
On Monday morning I’ll answer your question a little better… for now I’ll say that each of us do business with people that we know, like, and trust. We make these judgments based on how closely their values and worldview align with our value/worldview.
The CTO is most likely a “melancholy” personality type - that’s his “sub-prime filter”. By nature he has a strong emotional desire for order, exactness, details, correctness, and efficiency. So our software would not be described a “fun and easy to use” because he doesn’t care about that stuff. Rather, we would say, “it is efficient, thin, and fast”. Now you are talking his language and demonstrating that you understand him and are like him. He’s closer to trusting you.
Further, you need to get past his “preference filter”. Let’s say he is the CTO of Red Hat, a Linux OS. At the preference level you need to engage specific jargon key to his likes and dislikes. For example, you would not talk about “administrative access” - a Windows terms. He would be repulsed at the term and instantly know that you don’t know Linux. Instead you would say “root” - and he would like you even more because you talk his lingo.
Finally, knowing his underlying desire for success and security, you can pepper the paper with historical performance information about the product showing that it did this or that for other companies. “By selecting xyz software, I was able to streamline our operations, generate an additional billion dollars in revenues, and reduce support time by 50%. The CEO was delighted.” one case study might say – the first speaks to his “sub-prime filter”, the last sentence to his core emotional needs. This kind of language builds trust and provides a solution to his needs.
Contrast all of this with the kind of language you would use writing a white paper to an HR manager, a medical professional, or government official. By really knowing the industry AND the type of person you are dealing with, choosing words that touch on their core emotional needs you are able to develop a relationship and trust without ever meeting the person. Did I mention this is all in my ebook? hehe
Ok, we can make this my Monday answer… (:
January 20th, 2007 at 8:45 am
Joshua - Thanks for your answer.
However, what you are talking about has more to do with writing to appropriately engage a target reader and less to do with persuasion, in my humble opinion.
I discuss these very same points in my book.
While I will acknowledge that it is important to understand the ideal reader, I am not so sure about your claimed emotional tie. Perhaps you can “turn off” a reader with the wrong language. Indeed, you can. And if they do not read, they will never be persuaded. We agree on that.
But the tie to emotions seems fuzzy.
Mike