Three Worthy White Paper Marketing Tips
By Michael StelznerAccording to Larry Chase, “When done right, nothing pulls in qualified sales leads like a well-targeted offer for a juicy white paper.”
I would strongly agree.
Larry recently crafted a list of white paper marketing tips. Here are a few of his better tips (with my commentary).
Promote with hot buttons
When advertising your white paper to your house list or in an email newsletter, keep your copy short and to the point. Use hot-button words like “Download Now” because readers typically like instant gratification.
I might add that you should consider inserting a few questions or problems the reader might want solved. This will entice them to click.
Repurpose and repromote your white papers
Many advertisers underutilize their white papers and do not get the maximum return on their investment in them. Resend an offer for that white paper every other month to the same list. Why? Because if you’re using paid placement ads in newsletters, you’ll reach new subscribers who didn’t see it the first time around. These new subscribers are referred to as “hotliners.” Hotliners are those who’ve come onto a list in the past 30 days, and they tend to be very active responders.
Don’t think of a white paper like an ad. Rather these marketing tools can deliver qualified leads for literally years.
Consider a name change
The very name white paper can be a misnomer. It conjures up images of wonky research tomes. In the Internet marketing industry that is sometimes a plus, since our business is so numbers driven.
If your readers don’t know the term, refer to it as a free report, a paper, a study, a guide or even an ebook.
What are some of your tips? Have you applied any of Larry’s suggestions with success? Come on, speak up…
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July 23rd, 2008 at 8:34 pm
I read Diana Huff writing about promoting white paper and I read your comment too there, Mike. I would like to refresh what she wrote as I believe it is relevan with our topic. She doesn’t advise direct URL to the homepage for two reason :
One, you can’t track how many people clicked through from the ad as you can with a URL that points directly to a landing page.
Two, by sending people to the home page, you’re making them do multiple clicks to find the white paper, which lowers the ad’s effectiveness.
And last her bottom line is a great ad that can be made even more effective with a targeted URL.
July 24th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
Mike:
Shane doesn’t give the right response to the white paper marketing because she doesn’t consider the impact of time. Sending people to surf from different source bores people who doesn’t monet and time including knowledge too. The only way to promote white paper you can simply write what white paper has mote than other informative channels.
Ntarugera François
July 24th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
I agree with both posters above. I think that it’s important to be able to track the effectiveness of the marketing, but it’s also important to keep in mind the kind of usability issues that are presented with ineffective directions. In those cases, I think it’s wholly appropriate to create a very poignant and targeted “landing page”-esque page specifically for your tracking… maybe with a short little folder address tacked to the end. (Unless there’s something I’m missing… ’cause it is a little late.
August 1st, 2008 at 3:30 pm
I like Larry’s tip re: the importance of the White Paper title. As he points out, you need to know your audience if you want to have a very specific title but it really works. I would also add that if you can you should try to be contrarian. Good contrarian titles appeal to human curiosity.
August 2nd, 2008 at 6:02 am
Shane: I agree that the link has to go directly to the white paper comntent, and not to a homepage. Instant gratification definitely plays a role, and analytics are easier when your targeted traffic accesses the targeted page directly.
August 2nd, 2008 at 9:26 am
Targeted URL’s are a must, as well as good titles. This also helps with search engine optimization.
August 3rd, 2008 at 9:18 am
Mike:
Ofcourse Jacques is selling what he knows better. But what will you do with URL if you do not have access to any information? All is about information no matter any format you can get it from!
That is my point of view after having in this kind of business for the past of 19 years traditionnaly even more than that. Once you what you are dealing with and to whom you want to land it to, then your destination will be successful.
Ntarugera François
August 4th, 2008 at 4:28 am
Mike:
After having been in this kind of business for a long time, I came to understand that all is about knowledge. Enjoy the writing of whitepaper for simple but special leads. Rwanda is ready to learn something from you with your surrounding
Ntarugera François
August 4th, 2008 at 5:21 am
So the tips may be of great usage indeed
August 4th, 2008 at 10:36 am
Mike:
Whenever you try to give someone, always try to consider that what maybe a tips to you could not be a tips to him. All will depend on your editorial line as Newspaper or white paper.
Ntarugera François
August 5th, 2008 at 3:34 am
Mike:
As a Newsman in a Newspaper, I do appreciate your way of piecing together all comments from any products produced in your White paper before it disappears in a puff of smoke while thinking deep trying to target your next wallet.
Ntarugera François
August 8th, 2008 at 9:56 am
Repurposing and re-promoting your white papers is a good idea. We often thing there is no need to re-send them to the same list if the papers were refused. Name changing is a perfect option indeed. Probably the new name will capture attention the very person who refused your white paper under the old name. Larry Chase is right and I completely agree with his tips.
August 11th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
Great post Michael. Here are some career related white papers myself and co-workers have written that might help your visitors.
http://www.beyond.com/Media/career-white-papers.asp
Keep up the good work!
August 13th, 2008 at 7:33 am
Mike:
Are there some new ideas about how to create a standardize white paper besides from what we’ve been reading from different sources?
Rwanda has enterd M US 80 within six month only from Avitourism. You can imagine that strong marketing skills .
May be you can learn something from Rosette Rugamba who
is the General manager of ORTPN.
Ntarugera François