Dynamic Copywriting

Michael Stelzner, in an April 2007 article on his Writing White Papers blog, wrote about 5 Reasons White Papers Are Marketing Super Weapons.

As always, Michael shares some excellent insights into why white papers are so effective as a marketing strategy. Although a year old, I still wanted to mention this article sites because he sites five different sources to show why white papers are:

• 1. A highly effective way to generate leads,
  
  
• 2. Read more than other marketing materials,
  
  
• 3. Highly viral marketing tools with high pass-along readership,
  
  
• 4. Rated high by business leaders as a key source for helping them make decisions,
  
  
• 5. Popular resources for businesses looking for solutions to problems.

One of the reasons I agree with Michael's assessment of the value of white papers is that they are usually (or at least should be) written in an objective, non-pushy style.

Now as soon as I wrote those words, I immediately thought of several bad examples I've come across recently, but the point is still the same. A well-written white paper is permiated with objectivity and credibility. The audience for white papers are people who want to find out ways to solve a problem. And this group will sniff out a thinly-disguised sales piece in a New York minute.

A very easy way to maintain the credibility of your own white paper is to avoid the words "is" and "are."

Such as, "The XBG widget is the best product on the market." Take out the word, "is" and you now have to provide proof and supporting information to make your claim. Such as, "Widget Manufacturers Report ranks the XBG widget as the best model they've seen in a decade."

White papers are all about credibility and objectivity. When done right, they truly are marketing super weapons.

COPYRIGHT © 2008, Charles Brown