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White Paper Leads Barely Edge Out Sweepstakes Leads?

By Michael Stelzner

B2B Marketer Tom Pick says white papers are right up there with sweepstakes when it comes to generating quality leads.

His words:

White papers are a popular and productive incentive for response. They weed out the pure prize-seekers attracted by sweepstakes because anyone willing to take the time to download and (hopefully) read a white paper at least has an interest in the particular technology area addressed. White papers also have far more branding value than sweepstakes. They are one of the most commonly used response incentives because of the balance of relatively high quantity and quality they provide, although sales will still often end up “throwing back” many of these leads.

However, Tom goes on to identify survey results, webinar registrations and free trials as far superior lead generation mechanisms than white papers.

Is he right?  Let’s see…

First, a MarketingProfs study place white papers ahead of webinars and trials.

Second, a MarketingSherpa study placed white papers ahead of webinars.

Third, another MarketingSherpa study put white papers ahead of analyst reports and trials.

Even though the evidence is pretty overwhelming, I want to ask you: Do you find  survey results, webinar registrations and free trials result in better quality leads?

Let me hear from you.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008 at 5:28 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.

  • Jim
    A simple way to secure your content is to archive it in an encrypted zip or rar. If your small time, then this is a simple and reliable solution. Only give your client the password when they have paid you but they can download freely.
    Your data never looses value, just realize the value of what you have and distribute it with care. You aren't going to come up against master crackers who want to steal your information, those only go for people like Microsoft and big fish.
  • Problem with that is data devaluation comes in, people take it less seriously because its so easy to access. Your leads could end up costing you much more time than its worth.
  • Interactive content is more immersive than other methods, prospective clients are more likely to remember you from it and pursue the product. Although you may only find mid level buyers, no big fish.
  • Webinar registrations certainly have been great for our clients. While Marketing Sherpa and the others may be correct, it's hard for me to see how interactive content such as webinars can be less effective.

    <abbr>Milwaukee SEO's last blog post..Milwaukee SEO: Any Site Can Benefit from SEO</abbr>
  • Speaking of VOIP, I use Skype to chat to my clients. The beauty of it is that you can call land lines and mobiles for cheaper than normal rates.
    I've used it for nearly a year now and I'm impressed with my own communication flexibility, I have a nice little setup in my office with mic and headphones.
  • The problem with webinars and chat is that it can be to casual, and most people will just waste their time (from my experience). However, I find VOIP very useful and popular among prospective clients these days.
  • I get the majority of my clients through webinars, forums and live online chats that I have set up. I find its much better than other traditional methods, you can speak to the client live and get a fairly good judgment on whether or not they are worth your time.
  • Hmm, the experience is different for me. Many of the leads from Whitepapers seem to fall through for me, the number of them is great but quality is poor it would seem. A lead found online through blogs or webinars is going to have his fingers in many pies so it may not be worth your time trying to get him when you could get 5 other higher quality leads faster using conventional methods.
  • I only use three sources for my clients and Sweepstakes is one. I am more careful with them because they are more driven by money than anything in my experience, that would explain your low quality, so I'm always cautious when i get a lead from them. I've used Whitepapers as part of my lead acquisition strategy and it is definitely better than Sweepstakes, so I'd recommend it.
  • Sweepstakes have gotten me more leads but the quality has been much lower, often causing complaints from the networks I sell to. I think that white papers would be a better way of attracting new vendors and prospects alike. all though I have not yet implemented that strategy yet.
  • Tom - The problem with demos is that most people are not interested in that information when they are the early lead stage. Both presume the prospect has been nurtured in some way (by reading stuff on your site or by calls from a sales person).

    I would argue that webinars are no better than white papers either as often folks register for them but never show up (50% on average). At least with a white paper there is a high assurance the prospect will get the message.

    Mike
  • Michael:

    Thanks for the link, and to reiterate - white papers ARE great for lead generation. But two points are important to note:

    1) Quality of leads depends a lot on where the white papers (or trial, or webinar registration, or other incentive) are promoted. In general, the more narrowly targeted the site, the more qualified respondents will be, regardless of the incentive used. But white papers are the most common tool because they are cost-effective and generate high response rates.

    2) Webinars and trials do, unquestionably, require more involvement from the prospect. That's why the numbers are lower (which my post indicated). In general, my clients have seen somewhat higher lead quality from these incentives -- but also higher cost per lead. That's why white papers remain part of the mix for so many tech marketers.

    Hope that clarifies things. Be well!
  • Those prospects who read a whitepaper are early in the buying cycle most of the time. That means if you follow-up in an apropriate way, you will become the expert in the issue at hand for those who move foreward in the buying cycle. In other words: you keep away your competitors from your prospect all along the way to the sale. It is an effort but - once mapped - the process is easy to handle.

    On the other hand: a prospect attending a webinar (or calling a sales rep - the apparent top level lead) is deep in the buying cycle, the competitor sharks swim around him. It's tough work to secure you this prey.

    I think what you chose depends on what you want: heavy fights, sometimes winning sometimes bleeding - or picking flowers once they are ripe.
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