"Delivering
what is meaningful to your potential customers."
How White Papers
Help Generate Business
For Technology Companies
Your company web site provides concise,
comprehensive information about the company, it's products and services,
key people, investor relations, contact information, etc.
A visitor seeking a solution will then
want details on a specific solution provided by your company.
A White Paper, downloadable from
your site
is the logical next step in the sales process.
White Papers first elaborate on the specific
problem for which your website visitor is seeking a
solution. This enters the conversation going
on in the mind of the prospect and builds affinity
with your potential customer.
They then explain the Science Behind the Solution
in a manner understandable and meaningful to the
reader's business concerns.
This positions your company as a thought leader and authority
in the industry - not merely a provider of goods and
services.
Details about your company's solution are then
presented. At this point, having not mentioned your company
early on, the reader is now more receptive to your
company's specific solution.
Finally a 'Call to Action is presented as contact
information of your company's sales department.
Writing White Papers is different
from ordinary copywriting.
White papers are written using a different
composition and style than a sales letter. No typical sales
language. Rather a 'report' style of writing is
used. Most copywriters have no knowledge about writing white papers.
I
don't just write your white papers. I also...
format
your page as a regular letter or two-column pdf document
add
your logo, photos and graphic elements as illustrations
prepare
title or cover page
convert
the Word or Desktop Publisher document to a .pdf file (you will receive both the .pdf and the editable word or
publisher file).
develop
an
executive summary* of the white paper for use in a lead
capture form on your company's web site.
* An executive summary is like an advertisement
for your white paper. It could be placed on your web pages
or in Bitpipe, etc. It is a paragraph or to that compels
the reader to enter contact information and receive a copy of
your white paper.
Popular White Paper Formats
Illustrated
below are two popular formats used for white papers. Choice
is basically a matter of preference, though there are some
advantages about which to choose.
For example, the two-column format is useful where you would want
to add quotes from authoritative sources. The two-column
format is also more scanable.
Standard
Format where all components (main text, illustrations, tables,
quotes) are inline. Also known as a letter format.
Two-Column
Format where the main body text is in the larger right column
and the narrow left column is used for items like table of
contents, pull quotes anecdotes, and illustrations.
Use
the form below to request two samples of white papers I've
prepared. There is an example of each of the two formats
illustrated above.
Magazine Format - Recommended only if
document is printed on paper.
The Magazine
Format, where the text is split into two columns of text
of equal width, the text matter continuing from the bottom
of the left column to the top of the right, as is typical in
magazines.
This format is recommended only if
the white paper will be printed and distributed on
paper. Papers in this format are more
difficult to scan and read on a computer since an entire page
(whole page of the
document) will not display fully and you need to scroll up
and down for each page you read.
White Paper Writing Samples
Click
on the blue underlined heading text to display the sample in a new
window.
Right-click on the same to download the .pdf document.
EQM Software for Equipment Rental Companies Armada Dynamics Murrieta,
CA
White paper describing the
advantages offered by EQM, an adaptation of the well-known MS
Dynamics NAV enterprise planning (ERP) software.
Specialized Crating
Services* Craters & Freighters, Inc. Omaha, NE
Custom crating and shipping service for sensitive cargo from
machinery to museum artifacts. Familiar with international
shipping regulations.
Load Balanced Multi-Server Hosting Superb Hosting, Inc. This paper describes the role of load balancing in maintaining optimal server performance and provide for
redundancy in a multi-server hosting platform for web sites receiving heavy traffic, in excess of 10,000 visits per
hour.
Learning the Esperanto Language *
Specimen paper not written for any client. This paper demonstrates the basic composition and rhetoric of a white paper.
The content explains why Esperanto is the ideal global language, mainly because it does not
pose the problems in learning most national languages.
*
two-column format white paper
To inquire about having a white paper written,
please fill the form below and click
on "Submit Request".
Sample
White Papers
available from this page for your perusal. Scroll down this page
to the list of samples.
What is a
White Paper?
White papers are sales
documents that combine the elements of an
article or report and a brochure or a promotional
booklet.
The main purpose of a
white paper is to generate sales leads and inquiries about a
company's products and services.
White papers are
focused on a generic solution to a particular problem. No
mention of the product or service by name early on.
This appeals to the idea that people don't want to be sold to while
they are seeking solutions to their problems.
Only in the last 1-3
pages is there information about your company's specific product or
service that provides the solution your customer is seeking.
The call to action is
usually limited to providing contact information of individuals
charged with marketing of a company's products and services.
By explaining the
science behind the solution in a way meaningful to the customer,
white papers are
written in a style that is implicitly persuasive.
Alternatives
to the term
'White Paper'
Since the purpose of a white
paper is to deliver information to company decision makers, they're often
called something else - including but not limited to:
+
Special Report
+
Technical Review
+
Guide
+
Information Package
+
Prospectus*
* Popular for promoting companies as
investment opportunities.
These documents are available from a
capture page on a company's web site where the reader enters name, company name, position
with the company, email address, phone
number (best time to call), etc.
The data collected is used as sales leads or
inquiries to follow up on.
A Better
White Paper
Two-Column
Format White Papers appear more inviting to
the reader since the auxiliary column to the left allows addition
of quotes and photos that make the paper look more interesting.
Click on image above.
Narrower
main text column enables easier and quicker reading.
Auxiliary
column at left allows you to add photos, quotes and graphics.
Please indicate what you are
inquiring about or interested in.*
Also include any specific requests, inquiries
and/or comments.
Please enter the four characters shown at right
into the small space at end of this line.*
* Required
information
You will be presented with the page to download
the sample white paper.
Privacy Policy - Any information you
provide will be used exclusively by Francis M. Ardi. Your
name and information will not be
sold, rented or otherwise distributed to any third party
or other organization.xx
I also write Landing Page copy.
Web pages to sell a single product or
service with a link to an online order form
or shopping cart.
