Articles, Presentations, & Press Releases

The Launch Pad
October 2004

The Essential White Paper

The white paper has become a very popular piece of marketing collateral in the last few years, especially in high tech companies. It’s more detailed than a brochure, so more information can be conveyed. It has the technical detail of a datasheet, but explains how the technical solution solves a customer problem. It’s an opportunity to educate the target customer and add marketing spin at the same time. What a concept!

The Origin of White Papers
Various definitions of the term white paper include:
-A government report on any subject, bound in white.
-A short treatise whose purpose is to educate industry customers.
-A statement of official government policy with background documentation.
-Official statement with the government rationale.

One historical account is that white papers originated in England, where extended explanations of government policy were bound in blue covers, and the term White Paper referred to a report that was too short to be bound as a blue book. Somehow, the term white paper made its way to the United States – maybe on the Mayflower? I think maybe it happened something like this….

Sometime after the Mayflower or Revolutionary War, the concept caught on in the U.S. Government, once government employees discovered that a significant part of their job description involved generating lots of reports that would be given to other, more senior, government employees to read. The more senior employees didn’t want to read 300 page documents, so they asked the lowly employees to create a White Paper version. Once the lowly employees figured out what that meant in bureaucrat-speak, they were overjoyed that they didn’t have to create such long reports. And then everyone in the government was happy. After that, companies picked up on the trend. And there you have it. (NOTE: I have never, ever claimed to be a history expert, however I am very familiar with how the government works.)

Marketing versus Technical White Papers
Some white papers are very technical, with formulas, wiring or network diagrams, statistics, specifications and very little text. They are written by technical professionals, for technical professionals. They usually do not contain any marketing information.

A marketing white paper has more text with some drawings, written in a less technical style. It contains more information about market trends, customer needs, a description of the company’s solution, and how the company’s solution is better, faster, and cheaper than anyone else’s solution.

Format
The overall format for a white paper is 90 percent text and 10 percent graphics. If printed, it may be on plain white paper, or it may be on special paper stock with company logos or a customized cover. These days, most white papers are in pdf format, so that they can be posted at a website and viewed online, or printed in hardcopy.

Basic Outline
Everyone approaches their marketing white papers a little differently, but I find the following outline to be particularly useful:

Part One
Discussion of a major industry trend that is creating a customer problem, including statistics or other quantitative projections.

Part Two
Possible solutions for solving the problem, with discussion of any history of these solutions if applicable.

Part Three
This is the marketing pitch that claims that your company’s solution offers the best solution to handle this growing problem, along with specific business benefits.

Content and Sources
In order to develop a white paper, you need to do the research first. Each part of the white paper requires gathering information before you begin writing.

Part One – The Industry Trend and Customer Problem
You will need to do some secondary market research for this section. Look for journal articles or analysts’ reports that project trends in technology, market demand, or business issues in the short-term future. The more articles you have, the better. If you cite material from these articles, use superscripts and add a short bibliography at the end of the white paper. In this section, you can also use quotes from existing customers, but make sure to get permission for the exact wording of the quotes before you put them in your white paper.

Part Two – Technology Solutions
For this section, you need to research the history of solutions for this customer problem. To gather this information, interview the technical people in your company and also do online research. Are there partial solutions in the market that address a part of the problem? Are there complete solutions for the problem now that will be inadequate going forward? The goal in this section is to state that a better, more complete solution will be necessary to keep the customer happy.

Part Three – The Marketing Pitch
Gather up your key messages for this section, because here is your chance to communicate them to the customer. Messages can be woven into the narrative of this section in addressing customer benefits and explaining how the company’s solution addresses the customer problem. You will also need to have a clear understanding from the technical team as to how your product provides a complete solution. That may require an illustration or two in order to complete the story. Make sure that the technical team reviews this section carefully; accuracy is critical in this section.

Uses for White Papers
These days, most companies have white papers available at their corporate website. Sometimes they are directly downloadable and sometimes the site visitor has to fill out a contact form in order to download the white paper. Either way, it’s a great tool to give customer prospects a little more detail about your products and help them understand how they can benefit.

White papers are increasingly used as sales collateral, to leave behind with the customer after the sales call so that the customer can read more about the product at their leisure.

White papers can be put into press and media kits and they are especially valuable because they provide enough detail for editors to write about your product. They can help your company control the content that makes its way into journals and magazines.

Quick and Quirky Example
The quick and quirky example will return next month. In the meantime, I suggest that you visit some high tech company’s websites and read their white papers. It’s a great way to get more ideas on style, organization and conveying marketing messages.
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Sharpen your keyboards and get ready to write….

Catherine Kitcho
The Launch Doctor