thought it would be helpful to show how a buyer persona comes into play when creating a specific content asset, in this case a white paper. When I ask clients about the audience for a white paper, I sometimes hear: "the technical and business decision makers" (i.e., The key is that the more you know about your audience, the more likely you'll produce a focused white paper that hits the mark. Once your paper has been written, getting your paper noticed and read starts with the cover design, title, and executive summary. MORE >>

Tweet In the latest 2010 B2B Technology Collateral Survey Report business to business technology marketers found out what works when trying to influence their prospects. White papers. Of course not all white papers are created equally. Done well, white papers can mean the difference between a prospect engaging in the sales process with you, rather than the competition. Done poorly, white papers can do more to make you look bad than influence your prospects to buy. In other words, it keeps the white paper about the prospect. MORE >>

White papers are still one of the most popular marketing tools for BI and high tech companies, among others. Proof positive is that I just finished my fifth white paper in almost as many weeks. find some long held beliefs about white papers very interesting. particularly find strong opinions around whether or not to include a table of contents and executive summary, and how long the white paper should be. Having said that, I think they are very helpful in longer papers. Length – There seems to be a trend toward shorter white papers. MORE >>

In a recent conversation I was having with the Bloom Group they believe “the practice of publishing white papers must come to a close because of the utter proliferation of white papers, and the poor content contained within so many of them.” Kill the white paper!” We think white papers – even those in PDF form that are emailed or posted on a website – are a relic of the print days” said Bob Buday , President of the Bloom Group. Personally I am taking the angle within my organization of more eBooks rather than white papers. MORE >>

In Is The White Paper Dead for B2B Marketing? Paul summed up a conversation he had with the Bloom Group, which is telling its clients to stop producing white papers. Paul goes on to propose microsites and eBooks as alternatives to white papers. That said, B2B marketers – particularly those selling IT products or services – need look no further than the research results to see why white papers are still an important part of the mix. 93% of IT buyers pass‐along up to half of the white papers they read/download 8. MORE >>