{"id":1164,"date":"2014-07-02T16:11:58","date_gmt":"2014-07-02T16:11:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thatwhitepaperguy.com\/?p=1164"},"modified":"2022-09-21T00:15:18","modified_gmt":"2022-09-21T04:15:18","slug":"the-white-paper-marketing-handbook-book-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thatwhitepaperguy.com\/the-white-paper-marketing-handbook-book-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Book review: The White Paper Marketing Handbook"},"content":{"rendered":"

White papers drive billions of dollars worth of technology sales every year.<\/h2>\n

Yet few people can say for sure what a white paper really is.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

That’s why any new book devoted to building more understanding about white papers is welcome.<\/p>\n

In\u00a0The White Paper Marketing Handbook<\/em><\/strong>,\u00a0renowned copywriter Bob Bly covers a lot of territory.<\/p>\n

In fact, he ties together everything from direct mail to webinars with the concept of “edu-marketing.”\u00a0I prefer the term “content marketing” but that’s a quibble.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The point is, today’s buyers are burned out on sales pitches. So the best way to engage prospects, generate trust, and draw them into your sales funnel is to give them some truly useful information.<\/p>\n

In other words, the most effective tool for generating leads is content.<\/p>\n

And one of the most popular pieces of content is the white paper.<\/p>\n

This means marketers need to start thinking less like salespeople and more like publishers.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ask yourself: What kind of unbiased information could you provide to your prospects that would help them on the job?<\/p>\n

And how could you maximize the “halo effect” this would create, so that\u00a0prospects begin to see you less as a vendor keen on selling them and more as a trusted partner interested in their success?<\/p>\n

For those just thinking about these issues for the first time, Bly provides good guidance.<\/p>\n

When he says that white papers are a combination of advertising and journalism, he’s right on the money.<\/p>\n

And his list of ways to prove the assertions you make in a white paper should be tattooed on the back of every marketing manager’s hand.<\/p>\n

Here they are again for quick reference:<\/p>\n