4 Clever Reasons To Publish A White Paper

Whenever you read an article on the importance of content marketing, the writer will give you a long list of things that you should be doing: blogging, videologging, eBooks and, whitepapers.

But what actually are white papers? And why should you be publishing them on behalf of your business? Here we find out.

A white paper is essentially a document through which you use your industry expertise to benefit clients and customers. Practically any business can publish one – everyone from waste collectors to management consultants. If there’s information that your audience needs to know (and you can’t explain it in a quickfire format), then white papers are the way to go.

Here are some of the reasons why white papers are so critical to business success.

They Separate You From The Crowd

Practically every business has a blog these days. And even if it’s good – which hopefully it is – it probably isn’t particularly original. It’s not the go-to resource for the industry at large. Rather, it is mainly a tool for SEO.

White papers, though, are different. These allow you to separate yourself from the crowd and provide a repository of information that countless websites will link to.

If you turn your white paper into a multimedia PDF, you can make it more interactive. For some audiences, that may help it to become more engaging and, therefore, useful.

You Can Repurpose Them

Once you’ve done the hard work of creating a white paper, then you can repurpose them for other content. For instance, you could turn them into a slide deck, blog posts, infographics, or even a webinar.

Agencies, such as Make Honey, believe that white papers are a powerful tool you can use to launch your entire content marketing portfolio. Once you set out your main thesis, you can then incorporate it into the rest of your work. The white paper can be a kind of keystone that holds the entire edifice together.

You Can Cast Doubt On Your Competitor’s Products

Let’s say that you’re selling a brand new anti-aging supplement but there are others on the market. In many cases, it can be difficult for consumers to figure out which they should choose. They might like your brand but, equally, they might trust somebody else as well.

White papers are a great way to cast doubt on your rivals’ products. You’re not going out to attack them specifically. Instead, you’re simply listing the reasons why your product works. So, in the case of the anti-aging supplement example, you might write down all trials and published research backing up your claims.

You Can Educate Your Partners

Part of running a successful firm involves improving the lines of communication between you and your partners. If you’re able to converse freely and get on the same page, it makes doing business substantially easier.

Whitepapers are a tool that you can use to educate your partners. You can explain to them how they should operate (and why) for maximum productivity. You can also educate them in a way that serves you.