Posts by Gordon Graham
Who do you trust for a white paper source?
White paper writers often ask me, “What makes a good source?” Especially in an era of “fake news” and “alternative facts”?! Deliberate falsehoods are spread by many sources today. Those include social media chatbots, agents of foreign governments, clickbait creators, conspiracy theorists—not to mention vendors lying about their products. With all this misinformation, a recent…
Read MoreTips on white paper sources
When you search for white paper sources, any company can claim they’re the best. But finding the evidence to prove that can be tough. Doing research to turn up the right nuggets of proof gives your white paper more authority. Strong evidence strengthens your claims and proves that your white paper is more than one…
Read More20 top tips for white paper designers
First time ever designing a white paper? You can make that a smash hit or a total flop. It’s as simple as that. White paper readers don’t demand anything fancy. They just want a document that’s easy to scan, easy to read, and professional. If you give them that, they’ll likely scan it to pick…
Read MoreWhen clients “ghost” writers: Advice for both sides
A marketing person asks me to do a white paper for their company. They’re excited to have me on their team. Using my time-tested method, I deliver an executive summary. The client approves it with no reservations. They pay my first invoice. I expand the executive summary into a full-length draft. It’s the right length.…
Read MoreHow many white papers are "enough"?
B2B marketers often wonder: How many white papers should our company publish? How many white papers are really “enough?” The correct answer is “that all depends.” One of my clients asks me to write a white paper every time his sales force comes up against a serious objection. The more objections, the more white…
Read MoreSo you have to write a white paper…
Got a white paper project on your hands? But you’re not sure where to begin? Here’s a quick-start guide that explains all the basics, and points to some handy resources to help you avoid all the most common pitfalls. Whether you’re brand-new to this field, or you’ve done a few white papers but could use…
Read More18 must-do’s to promote a white paper
So you wrote a white paper. Now what? Now it’s time to get it in front of your target readers. And that means doing promotions. There are lots of ways to promote a white paper. In fact, my book White Papers For Dummies includes a list of 40 possible promotions. But not every tactic works for…
Read More12 steps to great white paper project management
A white paper project is a complex undertaking, with many moving parts. Here are 12 steps to an effective white paper project. We created each of these steps after going through a painful experience with a white paper that went off the rails A few were never even completed, despite my best efforts. So consider…
Read MoreCrossing the chasm with effective white papers
This is a tale of two white papers, and the companies that planned them. It shows how an effective marketing strategy can help you to create an effective white paper. And it shows how an ineffective marketing strategy can hinder your best efforts to create a good white paper. Along the way, we’ll review a few…
Read MoreMarketing Managers: 5 ways to boost content marketing results in the dog days of summer
If you’re like many B2B marketing people, not much happens during the dog days of summer. In North America and Europe, that’s from mid-July to early August… the most coveted weeks for summer vacations. In Australia, school holidays encompass Christmas and New Years, so many people take vacations in December and January. With so many…
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