This week’s readings focus on the subject of our final class project: white papers. A white paper is a document to assist decision-makers in their decision-making product. The concept of a white paper can be universally applicable, be it to assist a CEO on implementing a new business strategy, inform a government official about a pressing issue, or outline how a new product or technology creates solutions. White papers serve as unbiased collections of information and data that outline solutions in an objective way.
White papers take on different forms determining on their context of use. A white paper prepared for a CEO will likely be direct and to the point, as a CEO would not likely have the time to read through a lengthy document. A white paper made for an engineer regarding an emerging technology would probably be lengthier. It would contain detailed information and important sets of data so the engineer would have all the tools he or she needs to determine the feasibility of implementation. Regardless of context, a white paper must be visually appealing, well laid out and organized, and grab the reader’s attention immediately. It works the same way as a good commercial does. If it is eye-catching, relevant to your needs, credible, and feasible, you will be much more likely to take action.
The key consideration when drafting a white paper, as in any professional document, is to wholly understand your audience. In order for a white paper to be affective, it must outline a topic completely relevant to the recipient and present realistic solutions and alternatives. Anything else is a waste of the reader’s time and will likely be passed over quickly. A white paper must also be, or at the very least appear to be, objective and unbiased. The trick to a good white paper is to be persuasive. This can be done by establishing credibility by being honest and presenting the complete picture. A good example was the OSDDP white paper on implementing open source software in government institutions. The paper described the topic, and gave examples of specific cases. The examples outlined specific implantations of open source, including the benefits as well as the drawbacks and challenges the agencies faced. A government official considering taking action on this subject would have a clear picture of what to expect by reading the white paper. This document would be a great tool to assist him or her in their decision-making process; by addressing their problems and outlining ways in which to solve them.
being unbiased and persuasive?
I agree with you that its important for a white paper to be unbiased and objective. However when you are trying to be persuasive it seems like it is very difficult to also be unbiased and objective. A company that is trying to sell a product using a white paper is going to find it hard to be objective and still try to convince people to buy their product. They only way I believe it would be possible to do that is if your product was clearly the best solution for the problem. If your product isn't the best solution, being objective in a white paper about it might not help sell it. Like the OSDDP white paper about open source in government, it does a good job of being objective and unbiased, but if I were a government official, I'm not sure if it would persuade me to switch to open source.
Patrick Griffin
pgriffin@purdue.edu
not easy, a challenge for sales
I agree that that being persuasive, unbiased, and objective all at the same time is extremely difficult to achieve. A point I was trying to make is that a good white paper, at least in the context of selling your product, needs to 'appear' to be unbiased and objective to establish credibility. It's entirely possible that I have the true concept of a white paper wrong, but it seems to me that the goal is to present "the entire picture" with the intent to make a sale: it's a marketing tool in this context. It is doubtful that the product or solution being presenting in the white paper is perfect or even the best choice; but creating the perception that it is ideal, under the guise of objectivity, is, to me, good salesmanship.
Trust
I like what you say here. Like I said once before, white papers need to be unbiased, even when trying to market a product or service. I understand that being persuasive is hard when being unbiased, but like you said, it is the perception that people go after. They see a white paper with pros and cons, and even though the cons may be bad, at least they know they are getting an honest product or service. They know and realize the cons, but at the same time the consumers are happy that the cons are listed, because now they know they can trust this company that the cons can't get worse. This trust can go a far way when dealing with loyal customers.
selling with data
I think marketing can only go so far. If a consumer reads an advertisement, they will probably be swayed one way or another, but I think the same is true for a white paper. A document that presents all the facts and information in a way the consumer can understand is just as effective. If the customer knows what they want they will be sold on the fact that the white paper told them what they wanted, without all the marketing. I think technical specifications and clear cut data can go a long way in selling a product, but it definitely isn’t easy.
Context, context, context...
Just like all of our other projects in this class, the key to creating an effective white paper is taking context into consideration. Just like you said, a white paper directed at a CEO would be much more concise and to the point, while a white paper directed at engineers would skip no detail describing the technical aspects. Tailoring these documents helps increase the usefulness of them. The downside of this tailoring is having the wrong audience reading the white paper. An engineer would be very frustrated if they were looking for a white paper describing the inner workings of an electric motor if they were reading a white paper aimed at a CEO.
Understanding the Audience
I think that you made a really strong point when you began discussing the importance of understanding your audience, when preparing a white paper. As you stated, a white paper that is being prepared for a CEO will, and should, likely be prepared in a different manner than one being developed for an engineer. I think this will be a major concern that will need to be taken into consideration during this final project, as it will likely have a dramatic effect on the impact and success of our arguements. For our project, pertaining to sustainable energy, there are several potential audiences (none chosen yet) that will each demand a unique approach that will leverage different concerns.
Audience
I think Ben and nmhess hit the nail on the head. Depending on who the paper is being written for will determine the amount of bias and persuasion included. If the paper is being used by a marketing department, you can bet that it is going to one-sided. But if they are smart, they won’t make it too obvious, otherwise it’s just another commercial. I know for the paper my group is doing, it is meant to be completely informative, we are going to give options along with benefits and drawbacks. It will be up to the reader to then make their own decision.
White pages are a very
White pages are a very important part of selling products for a company. They do need to be very informative, and very educational, without being biased. I agree that it takes a very talented writer to write a white page that effectively sells a product and remains 100% unbiased. I feel that when writing a white page it is important to list only facts that are backed by creditable sources in order to keep the document very factual. I do however feel that keeping a white page to only the facts could make it hard for some companies to sell their products, especially if their products are not the top of the line products.
Isn't it possible to be
Isn't it possible to be objective and persuasive at the same time-easily? I think so. There are many ways to be persuasive other than through content. That's kind of the idea of this class. You can have objective information including the good the bad and everything else; through formatting you can achieve persuasiveness. It it is easy to read and it's layout is effortless to follow, I think the reader would lean to favor whatever is being promoted in the paper. This is, of course, for white papers that require a persuasive component-not all do.