What is a whitepaper?
Originally White papers have been issued by the government and lay out policy, or proposed action, on a topic of current concern. More recently, the term “white paper” has also come to refer to documents used by businesses as marketing or sales tools. White papers of this sort argue that the benefits of a particular technology or product are superior for solving a specific problem. Whitepapers can be a great way to build links and it’s a tactic we’ve been using too.
What are whitepapers used for?
A white paper is basically an essay that persuades someone of a better way, solution or technique of doing something, then all wrapped up and presented in a way that would make a magazine article look dull. They are used by companies as part of their marketing mix and in the sales process to attract new clients.
Some interesting stats on how they are used by potential clients;
MarketingSherpa has reported that 69% of prospects download a white paper as part of their buying cycle, and 36% of those pass along the white paper to a supervisor.
IT Toolbox has reported that about 70% of large companies rely on white papers, compared with only 59% of smaller companies.
Once you have written your white paper
Once you have written your whitepaper and added it to your website, make sure you use social bookmarking sites to begin the process of getting the whitepaper out to more people.
Where to promote a whitepaper
The most common way of promoting a white paper is through your company’s website or blog allow perspective clients to download it and become more informed on what you can offer them and how you can add a solution to their problem.
Some of the more popular white paper syndication sites, which are mainly in the IT sector;
https://whitepapers.brandrepublic.com/
https://www.informationweek.com
https://whitepapers.techrepublic.com.com/?tag=tr-nav
https://www.findwhitepapers.com/
https://www.industryweek.com/whitepapers/
https://www.knowledgestorm.com/MainServlet?ksAction=Browse
https://www.webbuyersguide.com/marketing/submitcontent.aspx
https://www.keyitsolutions.com/
https://www.ithound.com/businessgreen/about_us
https://www.cbronline.com/whitepapers
Whitepaper directories:
https://www.networkdictionary.com
https://www.scmagazineuk.com/directory/
https://searchsecurity.rl.techtarget.co.uk/
You can find our own white papers here, including;
Comments
Do you have any knowledge/ experience/advice of how to get the white paper syndication sites listed above to pick-up your white papers? Or is it more a matter of publishing & promoting and if it’s good enough then it will get syndicated?! Thanks.
Companies spend large sums of money on writing and publishing quality whitepapers on their website and then hope that prospects will take the time to fill up the form and download it. Syndication is about not waiting and hoping that the prospect will land-up on your website and download it, it is about making your technical whitepapers available to larger audiences through proper marketing channels. We offer white paper syndication service at an inexpensive cost to make sure your white paper gets read by your targeted audience.