White papers sometimes get a bad rap in the content marketing world as being super-technical documents best suited for equally technical companies and industries. But this perception is outdated. Today, all kinds of companies are producing white papers that help customers solve problems, drive leads and conversions, and demonstrate expertise.<\/p>\n
Demand Gen\u2019s most recent Content Preferences Study<\/a> found that white papers rank in the top two (behind only video \u2014 the new king of content) for the most valuable type of content for researching B2B purchases. It\u2019s also one of the most-shared types of content among colleagues in B2B industries.<\/p>\n White papers, when done effectively, can help your customers accomplish important goals while driving your lead generation and conversion efforts at the same time.<\/p>\n Here’s how to create white papers that deliver the most customer value and<\/em> drive results for your band.<\/p>\n Quick Takeaways<\/strong><\/p>\n So you\u2019re ready to develop a white paper to support your overall content marketing strategy.<\/a> What should you write about?<\/p>\n Don\u2019t just pull a topic out of the air or choose one randomly because it\u2019s familiar. The best white papers pick topics<\/a> based on customer challenges.<\/p>\n Great white papers help customers solve a real problem or accomplish an actual goal. This means that when you\u2019re choosing a white paper topic, you should always do it from your customer\u2019s perspective.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s take a minute here to talk about what white papers are not<\/em>. They aren\u2019t brochures or promotional documents. They aren\u2019t product overviews or company reports. In fact, one of the biggest mistakes companies make when they create white papers is they make it about them<\/em>.<\/p>\n This is usually done with good intention, but it doesn\u2019t make it any less off the mark.<\/p>\n Your potential customer will typically encounter your white paper while in the process\u00a0 of searching for a brand who can provide a solution. What better way to convince them that your brand is the best choice than by providing a solution right away with your content?<\/p>\n This doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019ll solve all of their larger problems or eliminate their need for your services. It means that you\u2019ll demonstrate the value you can provide and entice them to want more from your brand.<\/p>\n To think like your customer, you\u2019ll need to use empathy based marketing<\/a>.<\/p>\n As marketers, we spend so much time immersed in our products and services that we can lose sight of why they exist in the first place. By using empathy to think from the perspective of our customers, we get back to the core purpose of our brand.<\/p>\n One helpful tool you can use to practice using empathy is the jobs-to-be-done (JTBD) methodology<\/a>, which works by focusing not on your products or even who your customer is. Rather, it looks to uncover what your customer is trying to accomplish.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s more on JTBD theory:<\/p>\n\n
How to Create a Great White paper: 8 Best Practices<\/h2>\n
Build Your Topic Around Customer Needs<\/h3>\n