{"id":5221,"date":"2019-11-20T14:58:20","date_gmt":"2019-11-20T19:58:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thatwhitepaperguy.com\/?p=5221"},"modified":"2021-01-06T13:51:11","modified_gmt":"2021-01-06T18:51:11","slug":"crossing-the-chasm-with-effective-white-papers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thatwhitepaperguy.com\/crossing-the-chasm-with-effective-white-papers\/","title":{"rendered":"Crossing the chasm with effective white papers"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is a tale of two white papers, and the companies that planned them.<\/h2>\n

It shows how an effective\u00a0marketing strategy can help you to create an effective white paper.<\/strong><\/p>\n

And it shows how an ineffective marketing strategy can hinder your best efforts to create a good white paper.<\/p>\n

Along the way, we’ll review a few of the fundamental ideas in the book Crossing the Chasm<\/em> by Geoffrey Moore.<\/p>\n

\"\"This must-read marketing classic started with two perplexing\u00a0questions:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Why do some tech companies move from a few visionary customers to mainstream success?<\/li>\n
  2. And why do others fail? Even after they pour millions of dollars into marketing?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    These are great questions. And Moore’s answers have stood the test of time through three editions.<\/p>\n

    In fact, his book has been called “the bible for bringing cutting-edge products to larger markets.”<\/p>\n

    As you likely know, the “chasm” stands between the early adopters willing to take risks, and the early mainstream buyers who want to play it safe.<\/p>\n

    <\/a>Let’s look at two recent client experiences that highlight some of Moore’s vital advice, drawn from his decades of experience in Silicon Valley.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    \n

    Client #1: Good strategy to\u00a0cross the chasm<\/h3>\n

    Client #1 is a startup software firm with a cashless app for paying employees. They issue prepaid credit cards so managers can transfer funds\u00a0to employees.<\/p>\n

    My client gets paid out of the merchant fees whenever an employee uses their prepaid card.<\/p>\n

    Client #1 could likely\u00a0save time and money for many different types of businesses.<\/p>\n

    But they wisely targeted a specific niche: chain restaurants with 500+ employees who expect to get paid for their tips after every shift.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    Since 90% of restaurant-goers pay with plastic, having cash on hand to pay\u00a0out tips is a major headache.<\/p>\n

    Restaurants\u00a0end up paying thousands of dollars for armored cars to drop off cash. And managers waste hours doling out small amounts of cash to employees.<\/p>\n

    Client #1’s smart strategy aligns perfectly with the advice in\u00a0Crossing the Chasm<\/em>: Target a specific vertical market with a total\u00a0solution that meets all their needs.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    An easy white paper to write<\/h3>\n

    Client #1\u00a0drilled down deeper to focus on one specific problem of their chosen sector: tip management.<\/p>\n

    And they hired restauranteurs-turned-consultants who know the problems of this niche inside-out.<\/p>\n

    Because the marketing strategy was so smart, that white paper was relatively simple\u00a0to research and straightforward to write.<\/p>\n

    We wrote a\u00a0problem\/solution white paper focused on the problem of tip management in an increasingly cashless world.<\/p>\n

    The goal was to generate leads.<\/p>\n

    With such a well-targeted niche, we could speak to\u00a0this specific market in\u00a0their own jargon.<\/p>\n

    And the subject matter experts (SMEs) who regularly talk to people about this problem helped us add some telling details:<\/p>\n

    \u2014The waiter\u00a0who knocks on the back door asking for his\u00a0$17 in tips from the previous shift<\/p>\n

    \u2014The manager who must tell everyone the next cash drop isn’t for two days, so they’ll just have to wait for their tips<\/p>\n

    \u2014The bartender who uses the tips on her prepaid credit card to get a\u00a0taxi home after the bar shuts\u00a0at 3:00 am<\/p>\n

    Consider everything we had to work with from client #1:<\/p>\n