White Papers That Work Hard For Your B2B Marketing

By:  Sarah Clachar

When I interview ingredients suppliers in the supplement industry, it strikes me that they're not just providing high quality ingredients to their customers - they're providing credibility and valuable information. 

Manufacturer after manufacturer point out that these adjunct services are what makes a supplier invaluable to them.

So what better way to perform this service, build your reputation and strengthen your customer base than by providing well-documented white papers. With a white paper you can provide your customers not only with valuable information but also with another reason (or two or three) for giving you business.

• Post them on your website to build content and make it easy for potential clients and customers to download;
• Send them to current clients as a way of cementing your relationship;
• Present them with fanfare to a waffling prospective;
• Offer them as a premium in your direct mail package

White papers can really give your business a strategic, credibility-building oomph.

Yet the key to effective white papers lies in three things:

• Provide relevant information:  Know what your potential customers care about and tailor it to their interests.  While you may have an agenda of what you want to say, you have to frame it in what your prospects want to hear and learn about.

• Use good, reliable sources - whether it's experts that you interview or published research, you want your white paper to strengthen your business' credibility.  Remember, you're providing your customers not only with supplies but with information they can use to further their business.  Make sure both come through with quality.

• Make it interesting.  Some businesses mistakenly think that academic language will help make them seem more credible.  While you may not use the same casual language in other advertising formats, you still are writing to another person.  Make your white paper something that someone will enjoy reading - so that they will read it! 

Apply these three things to your white papers with a clear call to action at the end and a white paper can bring green to your business.

With a background in biology, strong research skills, and a business journalism background as a contributing editor to Nutrition Business Journal, I write white papers that work hard.  Contact me at sarah@healthwriterclachar.com to discuss a white paper that can put a spotlight on your business.

And check out this pertinent free report "17 Health Copywriting Tactics for a Tough Economy".  See how information works to keep your customers close.