The quick answer: when it’s missing key sections and just is too short!
I have noticed a disturbing trend among technology providers who use white papers as a way to generate leads. As a business-to-business copywriter, I download white papers and case studies myself from time to time, to see what’s currently being published. Lately, I’ve noticed that more than a few of the papers I’ve downloaded are branded as white papers, but they are not true white papers.
As companies cut their marketing budgets during recessionary periods, expenses are being carefully scrutinized and reduced if possible. The result of these cost saving initiatives has been an explosion in shorter marketing pieces which are naturally less expensive to produce. They are typically between one and four pages in length.
While these shorter pieces of hyped-up marketing collateral may be branded as a “white paper” on the cover, and while they may provide a company with bragging rights to claim they have a published white paper on their website, these documents do not satisfy the expectations that traditional B2B buyers have.
These sophisticated buyers are looking for depth and an actionable ability to grapple with current problems. And I believe your prospects and customers aren’t just casually looking for information; they require clarity and assurance. Hiring the right copywriter to give you precise & compelling content will make you the obvious choice.
On the contrary, the savings gained by employing such a strategy usually do not offset the diminished perceptions readers develop about the solution or company sponsoring the “white paper.” Why is that?
Put simply, one to four pages is not enough space for the typically in-depth elements of a true white paper. This space is probably just about right for a solution description plus a few benefits, or maybe a numbered list of questions or specific tips. But because marketers try to “boil it down” and quickly move into their solution, rather than wasting space educating the reader with background information (which is really not a waste at all when it comes to white papers), readers mentally downgrade them to nothing more than glorified sales brochures.
Actually, the “short length” characterized by much of today’s marketing collateral is one of the leading complaints of business-to-business executives when pollsters asked their opinion of the white paper medium.
InformationWeek conducted a study back in 2010 titled, “White Papers: How to Maximize the Use of White Papers in Your B2B Marketing and Sales Process.” It revealed that over 78% of the executive respondents ranked “minimal marketing” in a white paper is either extremely important or somewhat important… meaning they want less selling and more problem / solution education.
The term “white paper” historically means something very specific to these business buyers. It implies high-quality, well-researched information on a designated topic, and it also indicates sufficient length to thoroughly educate readers on that topic. Of course, the solution presented also puts the sponsoring company in a favorable light. In my experience, a six- to eight-page white paper includes (most, if not all) the following attributes:
- Executive summary
- Introduction to the problem
- Assessment of existing solution(s)
- Presentation of new solution and its benefits
- Case study using the solution (optional)
- Conclusion
As you can see, each of these sections fills at least one page, if not two or more pages on the meatier sections. If you follow a different outline, or if you do not have an enough research to fill six to eight pages, then please don’t call it a white paper. To avoid confusion, call it something else such as:
- A solutions guide
- A product reference sheet
- A technical primer
- A vision statement
- A trade show exhibit
But please don’t refer to it as a white paper. Creating a shorter marketing piece that disappoint readers’ expectations will not only waste your limited budget, it will frustrate your savvy target audience.
