White paper planning: Don't miss this important step

It’s no secret that white papers are amongst the most useful marketing tools  you can use to  influence purchasing decisions  and boost customer engagement. But they need to be carefully thought through.

Why?

Well, there’s a lot that needs to go into  a white paper before the first words are ever written and it’s the planning  stage that is most often overlooked.

No matter if you are using your in-house writers or hiring a freelance writer, planning is essential when it comes to white paper writing.  Without a good plan, or creative brief  in place important information can get overlooked.

So what key questions should you be discussing at the planning stage?

​Questions about teamwork.

• What key corporate messages or competitive advantages need to be conveyed?
• Who are your team of reviewers? Are they all on board with the timeline and goals for your white paper?
• What background material can you provide? What references or links should be followed?
• How should the draft and final versions of the white paper be presented? In Microsoft Word, or Pages format, or as an unlocked PDF?
• Who will be responsible for the graphics and design?
• What is a realistic timeline for completion, allowing time for review and revisions?

Questions about content and structure.

• What do you want to achieve with your white paper? How will you know if it’s been a worthwhile investment?
• Who is your target audience?
• Where does your primary  audience sit in  relation to the sales funnel? Are you targeting the right decision makers?
• What keywords are important to your business and what keywords will potential readers use to find you?
• What do you most want to convey in the title of the paper?
• The call to action, or what you want the ideal readers to do after they finish reading

Compared to other forms of marketing, creating a white paper generally takes more time, involves more people, and requires a greater overall investment, so it’s important to get the groundwork right.

​Remember, once written a white paper can provide an excellent source of content to re-purpose into slide decks, blog posts and other bite sized content to attract your customers' attention

Like some help to write your next white paper?