3 Reasons Why White Paper Demand is Spiking
By Michael StelznerOne of my early predictions for this year was a spike in the demand for white paper writers this year. Or said another way, I predicted marketing folks were going to be demanding more white papers for their campaigns.
Speaking from my own personal experience, the demand for my white paper writing services has never been greater.
If this trend goes beyond me, here are three reasons there’s a spike in white paper marketing:
1. Businesses are struggling to stand out in a very fragmented marketing world: Social media alone has added dozens of new marketing channels (think Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Digg, …). This has made it very difficult for marketers to pick any single channel for their efforts. White papers have an appeal across the channels AND can pull someone in from a social media channel.
2. The slowing economy means all eyes on marketing: In the past, marketing could sneeze and prospects would rush in. Now executives are asking and demanding more from marketing. One lead generation tool that has withstood the evolution of the web is the white paper. In fact, as the web expands, free content offers like white papers will become more important to help businesses stand out from the crowd.
3. More industries are starting to use white papers: It used to be that high-tech was the only place you saw white papers. Now white papers are working their way into ALL business-to-business industries. I am seeing more use of white papers in financial services and Internet services in particular. However, they are also growing in manufacturing, real estate and many other industries that sell complex or expensive products and services.
Are you a writer? Has the demand for white papers increased?
Are you a marketer? Are you using more white papers?
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July 8th, 2008 at 11:50 pm
You are raising dome very pertinent points, Michael. Worldwide the economy is sliding into recession, and companies are looking at the best way forward. Maximizing the bang you get for your advertising buck is definitely a priority of managers and marketers alike. Being unique, and having a vehicle to broadcast your special angle to potential clients is of cardinal importance when competing for an ever smaller heap of crumbs. Well crafted white papers are definitely very effective tools in achieving these goals.
July 9th, 2008 at 9:05 am
Mike,
I agree with all three points, and would add a fourth:
4. Cost Savings - With the recent announcements of corporate downsizing, the prospect of the full time marketing writer is going by the wayside in favor of outsourcing these services to external freelancers. With this resource, companies don’t have to pay a salary or benefits, and can use them on a “per need” basis. In total, it’s far cheaper to outsource this service than to have a full-time writer on board to accomplish this task.
Jonathan
July 9th, 2008 at 9:31 am
Interesting observation Jonathan.
I wonder how many “writers” inside the corporation are actually doing white papers.
It is very rare that I hear about this.
Any insights?
Mike
July 9th, 2008 at 9:38 am
Back when I worked at JD Edwards in 1999, the company had a team of full-time writers that did a wide range of writing tasks including brochures, web copy, executive speeches, 10K and Annual Reports, as well as white papers.
The problem was that white papers were usually low on the priority list and usually pushed aside since the other tasks always took priority due to their tight deadlines. As a result, white papers often took 6 months to get done. By that time, the information was stale.
Many companies are in the same boat, it’s easier and cheaper to outsource the task of writing white papers since their internal writers are often “over-stretched” with too many tasks on their plates. Also there isn’t enough white paper projects to warrant having a full-time writer assiged to the task.
Jonathan
July 9th, 2008 at 9:40 am
Yes, I think most white papers are outsourced or written in house by someone without the title “writer” (like a product manager).
July 9th, 2008 at 9:43 am
Not from my experience.
Project managers were tasked with formulating the strategy. The writer was tasked with writing the white papers.
Jonathan
July 9th, 2008 at 8:56 pm
While Jonathan is quite possibly correct, I think that it may only hold true for significantly large corporations. I have worked for both small (one had less than 5 people) and large (over 2000 employees worldwide) companies, and from my experience in the small companies people wear many hats. I was officially called the “Operations Manager” at one company, which was purposefully ambiguous. I did everything from greeting customers, to planning the worldwide marketing efforts - that included writing the employee manual, press releases and a bunch of whitepapers somewhere in the middle.
July 10th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
I think white paper has always been the best marketing tool even several research deny this fact. Even customer could feel the different of white paper and other tool because it more focus on reader’s needs rather than product itself.
July 12th, 2008 at 8:45 am
Well content is King and white papers consist of considerable important relative content. We, as a web design company have been adding considerable more white papers and case studies to our clients websites.
August 11th, 2008 at 10:59 am
Great post. We are always looking for new and innovative ways to market in this slowing economy. No matter how much social media is going on a business still needs something tangible to give to potential clients.