Optimum Color For A White Paper? (Dallas, TX)
No, I’m not serious, but that seems to be level of thought these days for which bits of writing get tagged with the term, “white paper”. If you can write it, and it goes on paper that’s white it must be a white paper.
A white paper is a 6-12 page discussion of a narrowly defined topic. Usually begins with an executive overview, proceeds to a review of industry problems, conditions, and solutions and ends up with a final review. Typically used to establish a company’s expertise in the marketplace in a defined category, white papers are used early on in the buying process and can produce a steady flow of leads.
Leading white paper author, Michael Stelzner, says this about the primary purpose for papers:
“To win business, you must give away something important. The best giveaway is knowledge in the form of educational white papers.” —Michael Stelzner
Oh, you want an example? Okay, let’s make this a matter of life and death! You’re having a heart problem right now and you know you’ll be needing life-saving surgery in the next few hours or you won’t be reading any more white papers. Who do you want doing the surgery; Dr. Denton Cooley, the guy that pioneered the artificial heart, Dr. Jarvis, or the local heart guy up the street? Need a minute to think? Of course not. Those guys have gotten the good press for the bleeding edge (pun intended) work they’ve done in pioneering heart treatment advances and they’ve positioned themselves in your mind as the best option you have. That’s the purpose of a white paper, done properly.
What do you have that you do better than anyone else in your market? Even if you’re in a commodity business, what can you offer your customers that will help them sell more, make more, and make their lives better? That’s fodder for a paper. Let’s tell them how they can do it while simultaneously positioning yourself as the one who can help them get it done (you wouldn’t perform your own heart surgery and they’re not going to attempt your solution either).
Let’s consider adding white papers to your marketing effort to position yourself in your vertical niche and turn on the tap to a steady flow of new leads and referrals. So what’s the optimum color for a white paper? Who’s buried in Grant’s Tomb?
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Phillip Crum is the Chief Idea Officer of MarketingMeasure located at 2414 Arbuckle Court Dallas, TX 75229, and is committed to the idea of helping small business owners do a better job of finding their next customer or client. He and his two sons,Tyler and Preston, also own a Sir Speedy Printing franchise and employ those additional capabilities in the overall marketing services menu of offerings. Phillip can be reached at 214-213-7445, or pcrum@MarketingMeasure.com.
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