5 Planning Mistakes to Avoid on White Papers
When done correctly, a white paper is a powerful marketing tool that can help your B2B business educate prospects, generate leads, and position your company as an authority on a topic. However, without a proper plan in developing your white paper, the result will be a jumbled mess that fails to achieve any of those goals.
This post will highlight some of the most common planning mistakes people make on their white papers, along with some tips to avoid them.
PLANNING MISTAKE 1: Writing Without a Clear Plan
Whether you’re writing your white paper yourself, going with an in-house writer, or outsourcing a white paper writer, you need to have a concrete plan. If you try to wing it and address issues only when they pop up, your writing process will be full of unforeseen problems and avoidable headaches.
If you’re going with an in-house writer or outsourcing a white paper writer, you should meet with them and agree on the project terms. What will the deliverables be? This can include a project plan, outlines, and drafts. These are just a few of the important elements that should be clearly agreed upon before the project starts, to avoid miscommunication and ensure everybody's time is well spent.
Since a good white paper will contain outside research and quotes from subject matter experts, you should know who your writer will be interviewing for material. You should also know if the writer will need a signed release from each of their interview subjects. Will each subject matter expert read their copy before the project is turned in? Also, who will your writer be reporting to? And will there be anyone else on the project? If your work with an experienced white paper writer, they will most likely bring these issues up before agreeing to your project.
If you haven't already, think about the logistics of the project. What's the deadline for the paper? How many pages and words are you expecting? You don't need to know the exact answers to these questions, but having a good idea will save you time later on.
Today's white papers not only need to be well written, but they also need to be visually engaging. That means your white paper will need some graphic elements and probably images. Will your writer also be designing the paper? If so, will they be in charge of obtaining stock photos? Or will you be providing them with images? It's important to consider these factors before the writing process begins.
PLANNING MISTAKE 2: Not Establishing an Objective
Before you write the white paper, make sure it aligns with your business objectives. Take some time to think about your business and marketing goals, and how a white paper might help you achieve those goals.
Do you want your white paper to generate leads? Or will the white paper fill a gap in the content that you already have? Maybe you'd like to support the launch of a new product or service. Or do you want your white paper to position your company as an expert on a specific topic? A white paper can be used to achieve a variety of objectives, but without a specific one in mind, it won't be of much help.
A white paper can also be used to nurture prospects through a complex sale. It can also be used to cast fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD) on your competitors. A white paper can even be used to effectively influence a buying committee by building up your brand authority. It's important to know your objective before you begin writing, as each will require a slightly different approach in developing the paper.
No matter what you decide your white paper objective will be, remember that white papers are educational in nature and shouldn't come across like a typical sales brochure.
It may take some time to determine the most optimal objective for your white paper. If you have team members, discuss with them what your organization's most pressing marketing needs are. If you're working with an outside white paper writer, they can help you come up with a suitable goal for your white paper.
Typical White Paper Objectives:
Generate leads for your sales force
Educate potential customers, your sales force, channel partners, and the media
Build brand authority and credibility
Fill a gap in your existing content
Position your company as an expert on a specific topic
Nurture prospects through a complex sale
Cast FUD on competitors
Influence a buying committee
PLANNING MISTAKE 3: Targeting the Wrong Audience
Often times, organizations don't do enough brainstorming on who the ideal reader should be for their white paper. If you don't get down in writing who your target audience is and how your white paper will help them, your paper will be aimless and ineffective in reaching readers.
When determining who your target audience should be, ask these important questions:
Who is our primary (and secondary) audience for this white paper?
What are their top challenges or concerns?
What solution will help them overcome their challenges?
You should know who will be the target audience for your white paper, because they will have different expectations. Here are some of the most common readers of white papers:
Executives
C-level executives want to know about lower costs, higher profits, or improved customer service. They expect polished production, with clear graphics they can easily understand.
Managers
Managers want to know about streamlined workflow and labor savings. They want to learn how a new system will affect their area and their people.
IT People
IT people typically want to see technical details. They don't mind longer papers with only modest production values, but they may become suspicious if the formatting is too slick and colorful.
User Representatives (users)
Generally, users aren't a significant audience for white papers. However, if a user is a part of the buying process, then their needs must be addressed as well. These readers prefer detail-oriented white papers that can be more or less technical.
If you don't have a specific audience in mind before you begin to write, the result will be a muddy paper that isn’t effective in reaching any specific group of readers.
PLANNING MISTAKE 4: Choosing a Weak Topic
Many white papers fail to achieve their intended marketing objectives, because readers don't care about the topic you've chosen. Even if you have a specific objective in mind for your white paper and you have carefully considered your target audience, all that thinking is wasted if you choose a weak, uninteresting topic.
Consider the scope of your topic carefully. Some topics are simply too broad and could be an entire book. But if your topic is too narrow, it won't be compelling enough to be covered in a white paper. It's important that you select a topic that focuses on something your audience will care about, so make sure your white paper addresses a problem or a challenge that your target audience is facing.
People don't read white papers to learn about the features of your product or service, nor do they read them to learn about your company. People read white papers because it might contain helpful information that will help them overcome a problem or a challenge. They want to know what's in it for them. The harsh truth is that most of the time, people don't about your company unless you can help them first.
To choose a strong and compelling topic, first check to see what your competitors and industry publications have already covered. If it's a common topic, you may need to tackle it from a fresh angle. If possible, you should find out what your customers' biggest concerns are during each stage of the sales cycle. Once you've come up with some potential topics, ask your customers which one they prefer.
Once you know what kinds of questions are the most pressing, look to address them in your white paper. This way, you won't waste time and resources on a white paper that people won't be interested in reading. When your white paper topic is relevant and useful to the reader, it will get more downloads and be shared more often.
PLANNING MISTAKE 5: Skipping the Outline
If you have a clear plan, a business objective, a target audience, and a compelling topic, you might think it's time to begin writing your white paper. However, even with all of those elements accounted for, you should first create an outline of what your paper's content will be.
You might think that you already know enough about your chosen topic, or that an outline will stifle your writing creativity. While that can be true, writing a white paper without an outline is like constructing a skyscraper without a solid foundation. If the building has no foundation to stand on, painting the walls or tiling the roof will prove to be a fruitless endeavor.
Likewise, you shouldn't begin the writing process until you have an outline that describes the major elements of the paper, addresses supporting topics, and details a clear path from the problem all the way to the solution and call to action.
When creating an outline for your paper, it's useful to gather everybody involved in the project, from the writer, the marketing team, subject matter experts, executives, and other stakeholders. Each person will bring their own point of view, and everyone involved will be able to point out missing elements and identify spots where more or less emphasis should be placed. This process may take several days or several weeks, depending on the availability of the involved parties and the project scope, but it is a critical collaborative exchange that should not be skipped.
Your white paper outline will serve as the foundation for the entire project. It is also a way to get executive buy-in and feedback. Creating an outline helps all the involved parties come to a consensus, and it allows them review the outline and offer feedback. Once the outline is approved and finalized, it becomes the working document, and you can move forward on the project with confidence.
This post is an excerpt from a longer white paper. To download the whole paper and learn more, click here.
