White Papers Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What makes the best white paper?

Business white papers are essentially “deep dives” into a specific issue that your readers, customers or prospects are interested in. The best white papers are targeted at a specific buyer early in the research phase of the buying cycle. They help educate the customer or prospect and offer a solution that is supported with research and well crafted with a logical and sequential presentation of the material. 

What constitutes a poor white paper?

Blatant ads or sell-sheets for your company. In a well done white paper, the selling comes eventually with your ability to show mastery of the subject matter and put things in the proper context for your reader.

How are white papers best used?

Frequently, they are used as the centerpiece of an integrated marketing campaign. Often they are the key incentive that drives registration for more information. The best white papers can also spawn one or more contributed articles.

What can they do for your organization?

A good white paper demonstrates that your organization is “smart” about a certain issue or trend. In that regard, they can start the process of driving leads, creating credibility and showcasing thought leadership.

What to expect from the best white papers:

Studies show that white papers are among the most credible and influential marketing documents that you can produce. Prospects rate them very highly. However, the use of white papers as a research tool often starts well before prospects have budgets or timetables for purchase. Therefore, consider white papers to be an investment in the sales pipeline.

What is the Content Factor’s approach to white papers?

We don’t believe in a “by the pound” approach to white papers. Most organizations are lucky if they can carve out three or four really good white papers a year. Some need to carve out 15 very short ones. If that’s what you need to meet your automated marketing campaign needs, click here.

We usually immerse ourselves in your product or service area. This consists of staff interviews and extensive online research. The goal: learn what analysts, consultants and your competitors are saying about the topic. Then, we’ll create an outline, work with you to refine it and create the content. The whole process can take 4-6 weeks.

We can also turnkey the design and produce the paper for you. We recommend this because we know how to use captions, sidebars, callouts and other visualization that will increase readership. We believe in highly visual and scannable white papers. White papers are no longer black ink on white paper.

How many white papers have you done in the last 5 years?

We’ve probably done a hundred or more.