Got a product that you're finding difficult to explain? Feel that potential customers simply don't grasp the significance of what you're offering? Does your product have special features that go beyond what can be hyped in a standard brochure? If any of these are true, then you probably need to consider developing a white paper for your technology or product type as an adjunct to your sales material.
White papers have become increasingly common as technologies grow in complexity. They explain the details of your product, where it fits in, and how it competes with similar products. They address the need for information beyond what a brochure would provide, supplying critical details for decision-makers needing to separate fact from fluff. They subtly deliver your message, rather than letting it get lost in the jungle of similar advertising. Sometimes, the best way to sell is to tell, and white papers give you an edge by providing information as a service as well as supporting the sale.
In fact, the white paper has become so important to the high tech area that analysts now estimate 80 percent of IT professionals use white papers when evaluating products and services, and 90 percent access white papers and case studies before even contacting vendors. White papers aren't just for high tech, though. They're an excellent sales aid for any technical product or service.
White papers can be created for a variety of purposes that might contribute to sales. They include:
* Technical guides and descriptions of how your product performs its functions
* Description of the technical area in which your product is situated (Network Security, for example), highlighting your product's strengths
* Comparison of the technology you are using against the technologies used by competition
* Exploration of the significance of new features introduced in your product
* Discussion of specific business benefits that your product provides
There are other possibilities as well, depending upon the details of your product and the market in which it is being sold. Because they outline the technical details in depth, white papers make ideal sales aids, to distributed along with brochures at trade shows, in media kits and by mail—and provided as free information on the Web. Internally, they can also be used to train sales staff and provide information for use in developing a marketing strategy, or as the basis for presentations and features used to promote your product.
But creating a white paper can require a significant effort. If you lack experience, it is easy to create a paper that is dull, lacking in focus, fails to adequately explain or to persuade. A good white paper needs to explain complex material in a simple, readable manner. And that requires experience. Luckily, there is a solution. You can outsource the project to a technical information service.
An outsourced approach generally begins with determining the scope of your paper, and what it needs to accomplish. Information is then skilfully gathered from interviews with your executives and engineers, from internal company development notes and marketing materials, and from secondary research. The paper is then scoped, and an initial draft is developed for your approval. When the final draft is ready, it can be delivered in a format suitable for Web or print publication--or both. Or the whole publishing process can be handled by the service, with any level of graphics.
Remember, in the Information Age, information is king. And what better way to position yourself than to provide useful and detailed information about your product in a skilfully written form? Of course, if you outsource your white papers, you can gain added efficiency by letting the same service handle case histories and advertising features for your product. But that's a different story.
You can gain the necessary expertise from companies such as BJ Dooley Technical Information Services—located here in Canterbury, and providing years of experience in all forms of technical writing and documentation. We can assemble project teams of any size to meet your requirements and deadlines. You can reach us at info@bjdooley.com or call 03 314-9920. We're just down the road from Christchurch, in Leithfield Beach. We can provide training, contractors, consultation or complete outsourcing. Visit our Web site at www.bjdooley.com for complete information on our services.
Copyright © 2002, Brian J. Dooley
Tell to Sell White Papers Boost Tech Product Sales - To learn more about this author, visit BJ Dooley's Website.
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BJ Dooley
(Visit BJ's Website)
Brian J. Dooley is an author, analyst, and
journalist with more than 20 years'
experience in analyzing and writing about
trends in IT. He has written six books,
numerous user manuals, hundreds of
reports, and more than 2,000 magazine
features. Projects include user manuals,
market research, technology research,
magazine features, case histories, white
papers, online documents, Web pages, and
multimedia. Mr. Dooley is the founder and
past president of the New Zealand chapter
of the Society for Technical
Communication. He has been a Senior
Analyst for Datapro (Gartner), and a
Senior Product Information Specialist for
Unisys Corp. He initiated and is on the
board for the Graduate Diploma of
Technical Communication program at
Christchurch Institute of Technology, and
he is on the editorial advisory board for
Faulkner Technical Reports. Mr. Dooley
currently resides in New Zealand, with a
Web site at http//bjdooley.com. He can be
reached at bjd@bjdoole
y.com.
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