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A fast and easy way to write winning white papers!
Whether you're a marketing manager seeking to use white papers to promote your business, or a copywriter keen to break into this well-paying field, White Papers For Dummies gives you a wealth of practical, hands-on advice from one of the world's leading experts in the field.
The fact-based documents known as white papers have been called the "king of content." No other B2B marketing piece can do more to generate leads, nurture prospects, and build mindshare.
Where white papers were once used only by technology firms, they are becoming "must-have" items in the marketing toolkit for almost any B2B firm. Practically every startup must produce a white paper as part of its business planning.
But writing effective white papers is a big challenge. Now you can benefit from the experience of a white paper specialist who's done more than 200 projects for clients from Silicon Valley to Finland, from mighty Google to tiny startups. Author Gordon Graham-also known as That White Paper Guy-provides dozens of tips and tricks to help your project come together faster and easier.
White Papers For Dummies will help you to:
Auteur
Gordon Graham - also known as That White Paper Guy - is an award-winning writer who has created more than 200 B2B white papers for clients from New York to Australia. Gordon has written white papers on everything from choosing enterprise software to designing virtual worlds for kids, and for everyone from tiny start-ups to Google.
Contenu
Introduction 1
About This Book 2
Conventions Used in This Book 2
What You're Not to Read 3
Foolish Assumptions 3
How This Book is Organized 4
Part I: Getting Started with White Papers 4
Part II: The Three Flavors of White Papers 5
Part III: From Foggy Idea to Finished Document 5
Part IV: Succeeding with White Papers 5
Part V: The Part of Tens 6
Icons Used in This Book 6
Where to Go from Here 6
Part I: Getting Started with White Papers 9
Chapter 1: Unleashing the Power of White Papers 11
Seeing a White Paper for What It is 12
Getting the scoop on the three flavors of white papers 12
Following a proven system for creating white papers 13
Declaring White Papers the "King of Content" 14
Seeing the growing trend to white papers 15
Spotting three flaws in many white papers 16
Using a mantra to avoid problems 17
Understanding Today's Complex Sale 18
B2B marketing has evolved quickly 18
Today's B2B buyers do their own research 20
Profiting from White Papers 22
At the top of the funnel 24
Throughout the funnel 25
At the bottom of the funnel 26
Discovering Who Uses White Papers and Who Should 27
Chapter 2: An Exciting Opportunity for Writers 29
Sizing Up the Possibilities 30
Looking at three trends pushing white papers to the top 30
Understanding why marketers can't find qualified writers 31
Calculating the earning potential for a white paper writer 32
Discovering who uses white papers 34
Wondering whether the white paper opportunity will last 35
Coming into White Papers from Three Common Paths 36
Copywriters and white papers 37
Journalists and white papers 40
Technical writers and white papers 42
Finding White Paper Clients 44
Avoid most of what you hear 44
Getting started with the basics 45
The secret of freelance success 46
Chapter 3: The Past, Present, and Future of White Papers 47
Where It All Began: Generation 1.0 (1910s to 1990s) 48
Characteristics of Gen 1.0 white papers 48
The closest model: Business reports 49
Forcing White Papers to Evolve 50
Where White Papers Are Now: Generation 2.0 (1990s to Today) 51
Characteristics of Gen 2.0 white papers 51
Two close models: Annual reports and science magazines 51
But aren't white papers old-fashioned? 52
Still evolving, not dying 53
Where White Papers Are Going: Generation 3.0 (Coming Soon) 53
Some trends to watch54
Four possible paths to the future 54
Chapter 4: Just the FAQs on White Papers 57
Working Out the Whats of White Papers 57
What is a white paper anyway? 58
What are the industry standards for white papers? 58
What else do people call white papers? 59
What's the difference between white papers
and other marketing materials? 60
Figuring Out Who Writes and Reads White Papers 64
Who publishes white papers? 65
Who reads white papers? 66
Who hires people to write white papers? 66
Who writes white papers? 67
Understanding Why White Papers Are So Useful 67
Why do companies publish white papers? 67
Why do prospects read white papers? 68
Why do writers write white papers? 69
Pinpointing the Wheres of White Papers 69
Where do B2B prospects find white papers? 69
Where do people read white papers? 70
Where did white papers first come from? 71
Where are white papers going in the future? 71
Tracking the Whens of White Papers 72
When do companies publish white papers? 72
When do B2B prospects read white papers? 72
When should a company use each type of white paper? 73
Figuring Out the Hows of White Papers 74
How do people read white papers? 74
How long does a white paper take to create? 74
How much does a white paper cost?.75
How much can a writer earn doing white papers? 79
How can you tell whether a company needs a white paper? 81
How many white papers are "enough" for a company? 82
Part II: The Three Flavors of White Papers 85
Chapter 5: Picking the Perfect Flavor for Your Next White Paper 87
Recognizing the Three Purposes of White Papers 88
Defining the Three Flavors: Vanilla, Strawberry, and Chocolate 89
Zooming in on the product: Plain vanilla 91
Making points quickly: Scrumptious strawberry 92
Finding a solution: Rich chocolate 93
Making two tasty mash-ups 94
Getting messy with other flavor combinations 94
Choosing the Right Flavor 95
Reflecting on your purpose 95
Considering your target audience 97
Thinking about your target sector.98
Choosing between a pure flavor and a mash-up 99
Figuring out what to do if your idea doesn't fit any flavor 100
Developing Your Topic 100
Sizing up your ideas.100
Giving readers something new 101
Getting ideas from prospects and clients 102
Chapter 6: The Backgrounder: As Basic As Vanilla 103
Introducing the Granddaddy of All White Papers 103
Defining a backgrounder 104
Spotting a backgrounder.105
Understanding this flavor's appeal to sales
and marketing types 105
Deciding When to Use a Backgrounder 105
Promoting an undisputed leader 106
Supporting a technical evaluation 106
Supplementing a product launch 107
Looking at the Pros and Cons of Backgrounders 107
Pro: Easy to research 107
Pro: Easy to write 108
Con: Short-lived 109
Con: Not good for generating leads 109
Planning a Backgrounder 110
Gathering essential information 110
Allocating pages 112
Choosing an effective title 116
Setting a factual tone 116
Going Beyond Text in a Backgrounder 117
Adding graphics 117
Using rich media 118
Repurposing a Backgrounder 119
Press release.119
Slide deck 119
Demo120
Webinar 120
Chapter 7: The Numbered List: As Fresh As Strawberry 121
Introducing the Lightest and Liveliest of All White…