1. Get the Best Writer on board
Individuals with little writing experience are often
delegated to write the white paper. In the IT industry, there is an assumption that the
developer is best suited to write about the solution. Let's be honest: writers write and
programmers program. There are some individuals who have both skills, but these are hard
to find.
In general, developers are not ideal for writing white papers; and neither is the Sales
Manager. Developers will focus on the technical innards, while sales types will gust about
its ‘unique’ qualities. In doing so, both miss the mark.
You can save yourself a lot of stress by hiring an experienced writer who can look at
your product or service – and present it in an easy-to-understand manner. These
writers know how to ‘sell’ a concept to both a technical and business
audience—not everyone has this skill.
2. Sharp Presentation
Attractive graphics reinforce your message. Use diagrams and charts to stop
‘glazed eyes syndrome’ setting in. Text-heavy documents drain the reader very
quickly! By combining charts, diagrams and tables you weave together the main selling
points and sustain the reader’s interest.
3. Avoid Terminology
Geekspeak and Three Letter Acronyms—e.g. B2B, B2G—are endemic in the IT
industry. Experienced writers avoid TLAs as they know that readers won’t understand
the terminology, become frustrated and move on. If you have to use these terms, put a
reference section at the start.
No-one likes to be patronized.
Technical terms without a clear definition will lose the reader’s confidence in
both you and your products. They will stop reading and go somewhere else. Why not? After
all, your beloved White Paper is not the only show in town!
4. Subject Matter Organization
Before you get to the heart of the paper, outline the relevant background materials,
such as industry research figures, that support your arguments. In the opening section,
highlight why your solution exists; in other words, what specific problem does it solve?
Don’t meander from topic to topic or you will lose the reader. Each paragraph
should only discuss one idea. Don’t mix ideas in the same sentence or paragraph.
For example, before you begin, assume that the reader is completely new to the subject
matter. Then outline the most significant issues and progressively walk through the
solution; begin with the larger issues first and sequentially move though the other
points.
5. Abstract v. Reality
Many white papers discuss the theoretical application on the solution, e.g. Product X
will do Y in situation Z. That’s fine up to a point as it helps paint a picture for
the reader. However, you need to underline your ‘theory’ with real world
examples.
Case studies and customers quotes are a very effective way of demonstrating how your
solution performs in a working environment. Case studies reinforce the theoretical
concepts. They help the reader see how the solution could work for them.
If the reader can’t relate to your solution in a practical sense, they will search
elsewhere for another product.
Summary
Oddly enough, many of us read the summary first. Because of this, it should capture the
essence of the white paper and identify the most interesting points.
If this section lacks interest, you may lose the reader — before they’ve even
read the first page!
Make your points. Make them clear. Make them stick.
White Papers are a low-cost way to promote your products and potentially gain an
advantage over your competitors. They also have a long shelf-life. They live on the web,
intranets, and hard-drives long after your product has been rebranded, you’ve changed
business strategy, or moved onto the golf course.
Download [PDF]
For this reason, ensure that your publication
reflects positively on your company’s high standards. Poor quality material will have
the opposite effect of what you intended. Persistence is the key. Once you get it right, a
well-written white paper pays for itself many times over in the long-term.
Understanding the Difference between Features and
Benefits
When you are writing about a product or service, you need to understand the difference
between features and benefits.
You have to get this right, as the customer's response is
based on:
- How you converted feature into benefits and
- How you sold those benefits to them.
Features are easy to identify
The main features of Microsoft Word, for example, are its
word processing capabilities, such as the ability to Save as HTML, use Templates and
spell-check the document.
Even though customers want to know the main features,
they BUY the benefits. Features relate to the seller, and benefits relate to the buyer.
Prospective customers ask themselves:
how do I benefit from this product or service?
and
will it increase my sales, reduce manual
operations, or improve my business?
You need to consider these questions and then write your
material around these points.
Writing about Benefits
First off, look at the product/service from their perspective. When discussing benefits,
use the “you” language technique.
For example, let's improve this feature-centric
statements with “you” language:
- Our new product has 1000 time-reducing features
- Product Z is user-friendly.
- Our website has the fastest download times.
If you write this from the buyer’s perspective, it
reads:
- You’ll earn $1000 a month.
- You’ll learn this accounting software in 5 minutes.
- You’ll save time by visiting our site.
Converting Features into Benefits
From now on, when you are writing sales material, try to
convert dry features into sticky consumer benefits. Your sales team will notice the
results.
Your Thoughts?
What are your thoughts on this? Drop me a line at ivan at klariti dot com |
I'm Ivan Walsh, the person behind this site. I help people improve how they write, publish and extend their business assets.