Why Smart B2B Marketers Still Bet Big on Whitepapers

One of the most misunderstood and underrated tools in business-to-business (B2B) marketing is the whitepaper. While other forms of content may seem to generate leads more quickly, make no mistake, whitepapers are a powerful asset for driving long-term growth. By including them in your marketing strategy, you’ll boost brand credibility, attract higher-quality leads, and increase conversions.

What Is a Whitepaper in B2B Marketing?

Mailchimp says, “A whitepaper is an informational document that gives an in-depth analysis of a subject while highlighting a business’s products or services and encouraging people to use them.” Instead of creating a blog post, social media update, or another piece of short-form content, a whitepaper allows you to explore a topic more deeply and provide valuable insights for your audience.

• Whitepaper formats may vary depending on the topic, but most follow a similar structure and include key elements. For example, many whitepapers use data-driven reports to support or prove the points being made. Numbers speak volumes and help establish your authority on the topic. Another common style is problem-solution storytelling. Nothing connects better with your audience than tapping into human emotion and validating what the reader may be experiencing. Even though your audience may represent another business, there’s still a person on the other side of the screen making decisions. By showing that you understand their challenges and offering thoughtful solutions, you earn their trust—and their interest in learning more about your business.
• By the time most business professionals choose to download and read your whitepaper, it’s safe to say they are in the consideration or decision stage of the buyer journey. They’ve likely visited your website, explored your social media profiles, and may have read your blog posts. Now is the time to dive deeper and fully capture their attention. By providing educational content backed by data or actionable insights, you can help them understand why your business is the right fit for theirs.
• As a business professional yourself, you’ve probably realized how challenging it can be to communicate your differentiators quickly and effectively. Technical businesses or companies in complex industries need a resource that clearly explains who they are, what they do, and how they can help. A whitepaper allows you to cover these topics in a way that no other content format can match.

How to Optimize Your Whitepaper

Now that we’ve established the importance and basic structure of a whitepaper, the next step is to optimize this valuable piece of content. Doing so will bring your message to life and help you get the most return on your investment. Here are a few ways to optimize your whitepaper for success:

• Include research from trusted sources. The best way to elevate your whitepaper is to include external research that supports your claims and reinforces your expertise on the subject. This not only adds credibility but also brings additional perspectives to the conversation. Be sure to cite your sources appropriately throughout the whitepaper.
• Show how you can help (include keywords and search terms). It’s always best to show, not just tell. Anyone can claim to be the best in their industry, but your whitepaper is your opportunity to prove it and helps demonstrate what sets you apart and what you’ve learned along the way. Another key step is optimizing your content with keywords and related search terms your audience may be using online. If you’re unsure which keywords are most relevant to your business, we have helpful resources to guide you.
• Elevate it with design. No online resource is complete without some level of graphic design. This is a great opportunity to make your content stand out with clear branding, compelling visuals, and design elements that help explain your points in an easily digestible way. Don’t overlook this part of the creative process because many readers will click away or skip your whitepaper if it lacks visuals to capture and hold their attention.

How to Promote and Repurpose Your Whitepaper

After you have carefully written and designed your whitepaper, it’s time to get it out in front of the correct audience and start gathering quality leads! There are numerous ways to promote and reuse your whitepaper, so here are a few that we have seen work well for many B2B companies:

• Email marketing campaigns. Email marketing campaigns are a great way to speak to certain segmented audiences that are in the consideration and decision stages of the buyer journey. Crafting an email marketing campaign that effortlessly includes a call-to-action (CTA) to learn more about your specific products, services, etc. is a perfect way to gather leads from people who are already interested in your business. Your email subscribers are some of the most important people in your inbound marketing flywheel. They want to learn more about your solutions and are eager to dive deeper into learning more about how you can help them.
• Social media marketing. Although whitepapers may not be set up for how most social media algorithms work, there are ways for your audience to learn about them. LinkedIn is one of the best platforms when it comes to sharing B2B whitepapers. A good promotion example would be to use a sales executive’s personal LinkedIn account. This way, you can reach a new audience and speak from someone who is viewed as a trusted source in the industry. Create a post from their account that begins with a story about the struggles your audience may be experiencing. End the post with your solutions, and show how explaining more in your new whitepaper will be beneficial for the reader. These posts tend to be more engaging and still make your point.
• Website CTAs. Promoting your whitepaper on your website may be the easiest way to reach your audience and gain leads. You could promote it through a pop-up on the homepage that asks them to learn more about the specific topic. You could also create a button on your homepage that directs viewers to a landing page that is specifically created and designed to promote your whitepaper. These are easy ways to gain traction and leads quickly

“Your email subscribers are some of the most important people in your inbound marketing flywheel. They want to learn more about your solutions and are eager to dive deeper into learning more about how you can help them.”

Don’t Ignore This Tool

Whitepapers in the B2B industry are very overlooked and underutilized. If you want to get quality leads from people who are ready to make a purchasing decision, a whitepaper will be your most valuable tool to make that happen. Follow the steps above and you’re sales pipeline will thank you later!