Case studies: the 7 biggest blunders
Why do some case studies work so well, while others don’t? Why are some so dazzling, while others are dull as dishwater? Over many years of writing and reading case studies, I’ve noticed several blunders that writers often make. You can take your next customer story from feeble to forceful by fixing these top seven…
Read MoreHow to write a killer landing page
You’re a B2B marketer who wants to generate leads for your product or service. So you send an e-mail to an appropriate list, offering a must-read white paper or special report loaded with valuable information. All the reader has to do is click the link you provide to download the document. Why is it so important…
Read MoreFree places to publish a white paper
Written a white paper and want to get the word out about it? Of course, you already did all the basics, right? You already put it on your website, e-mailed your prospects, told your sales force and notified your channel partners. Right? You wrote a press release, and extracted two or three blog posts from…
Read MoreDon’t give leads to Sales too soon
Did you ever get a phone call like this: “I noticed you just downloaded a white paper from our site, and I wanted to follow up with you… “ Heck, give your prospects a day or two to read the thing before you start badgering them?! Such an over-aggressive sales process can destroy any goodwill…
Read MoreHow to do a white paper makeover and make every page count
I just downloaded a white paper that’s almost two-thirds overhead?! Can you believe it: 7 out of 11 pages are the “wrapper” around the content. Every white paper needs some overhead, just like a sandwich needs two pieces of bread to hold it together. But when this counts for nearly two-thirds of a white paper,…
Read MoreDesigners, here’s how NOT to format a white paper
Nothing undermines a good white paper faster than poor design. If you’re not sure how to design a white paper, or you’ve never done one before, read on. A white paper is neither fish nor fowl. It’s something between a marketing piece and a scholarly essay. It’s not a brochure, so it shouldn’t be…
Read MoreAffordable graphics for a white paper
Every white paper needs at least one good graphic to help anchor it in the reader’s mind. But many marketers face the same problem: No budget for fancy graphics. Here’s a cost-effective tool that can help just about anyone create white paper graphics: SmartDraw. SmartDraw is an extremely easy-to-use drawing program. And the business version comes with many templates…
Read MoreWhy you should write in short bursts of time
People frequently tell me they don’t have the time to write. “I’m too busy,” they say. Or “I know that white paper is important, but I just can’t seem to get around to it.” And while writing, say, a short report or article is daunting enough, when faced with a longer piece of work—like a…
Read MoreWhy not use hype in a white paper?
While every company is unique, a lot of white papers share the same problems. How can I put this delicately? Many white papers suffer from an over-abundance of wishful thinking, unattributed factoids, vacuous logic… and good old-fashioned hype.And there’s no place where hype is less welcome than in your next white paper. Hype doesn’t work…
Read MoreWhat is a white paper, anyway?
Ask any 10 people this question and you’ll likely get 12 different answers. Here is the best short definition I’ve ever found, after years of looking: a white paper is a persuasive essay. To expand on that a little, a white paper is a persuasive essay that uses facts and logic to promote a recommended…
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