This week’s reading on white papers had a very practical and informative affect on me. Through the past years I’ve dealt with white papers and found them to be very useful. However, I am simply but one type of audience. The biggest thing, once again, for a successful white paper is to clearly know your audience before the end product and address all of their needs through this end product.
I guess I’ve never even really considered how one could us a white paper as a marketing advantage. I’ve always seen white papers through a different viewpoint. I address most white papers to simply get information for mainly research and learning. I don’t think I’ve ever referred to a white paper for anything else.
The main purpose of your white paper is really going to change the context you write in. If you’re writing on the more technical line of things such as the Motorola paper, you’re going to serve to inform more than persuade. On the other hand a marketing white paper will take on an entirely different role when it aims more at selling something.
The article, “Steak Behind the Sizzle” outlines three common things to watch out for when writing white papers. I am planning on critiquing my project on these principles later on in the semester with our project. The principles include: objectivity, appropriate technical detail, superior writing. I think when writing a white paper there is a higher level of excellence that must be met. These can be very useful articles if put together with your audiences thoughts in mind. With the considerations of your audience in mind the only other step is to write in the proper context to get the information to the audience effectively.
The white papers we read today outlined some good points and ideas I plan to keep in mind during the remaining weeks.
Education Meet Sales
You mention here that you don’t see how a white paper could be used to market a product. I assume you work in IT because that was the same initial reaction I had, likely due to how we were introduced to the concept of white papers, that is, being an educational tool that often proves very effective in problem solving. But, I am sure these documents are praised equally over in Krannert as well. The difference, as you suggested, is persuasion. Technical white papers, thankfully, are straightforward and desire to sell me nothing. Marketing white papers, however, appear to accomplish much of the same feat but only with an obviously ‘better’ answer, that being the publisher’s product.
Marketing White Papers
I too have used white papers to find information about certain IT topics. While reading through them I did not ever consider them marketing tools. In retrospect, some of them had a clear bias and it is evident how these white papers could also double as a marketing tool. Overall, I think that this could be detrimental to the true purpose of white papers. The use of white papers as a marketing tool increases the possibility of bias in the white papers. This in turn, gives the reader a less than honest description of the technical aspects that the white paper is covering.
good point
I think Ben makes a good point with how the marketing tactics used with white papers could be detrimental to the whole purpose of white papers. I think we all know that the mission of business is to educate your product to potential customers in a effort to gain profit. I really don't think a company would spend all that time creating a white paper if they didn't structure it to benefit them. The idea of a white paper is to provide unbiased information to potential customers to allow them to make a decision. I just find it hard to believe a customer can make an informed decision based on a marketing document without finding bias.
Objectivity
I agree that there are differences between simple technical white papers, and those used for more marketing purposes, but a good white paper in either case will remain objective and unbiased. As the "Steak Behind the Sizzle" and other readings identified this week, biasing the information, even in a marketing white paper, will actually damage the credibility of the company and its product. Its far better when trying to gain a market advantage or simply sell your product with a white paper to remain as objective as possible, present the facts about your product, and introduce solutions using your product to possible business problems. The reader hopefully will identify with one of the business problems, and will contact your sales team about your product. This way your company and your product remain credible to the readers.
More than just a commercial
As Zephyrus correctly states, no matter what the purpose of the white paper is, it needs to be clear and objective. In my opinion the reason that marketing would find a white paper useful is that it provides more space to make a detailed argument for a product. A radio or TV had really only has enough time to say "Hey buy my product!". This is hardly enough time, especially if the product is a very complex or technical one. Having a white paper would allow the company to go into detail about a product, how it works, etc. Again as Zephyrus states, putting out a overtly biased white paper will not only not persuade people to buy your product but could actually hurt your company's credibility.
Andy
The Marketing White Paper
Andy, I like how you mention that the white paper can be used to portray larger amounts of marketing information. I suppose for a sophisticated product being introduced to a company a white paper can be a great way to market certain products. Actually, when I think of it I recently came across a white paper that was marketing something. I was researching some Adtran routing equipment and remember coming across a technical specifications sheet that was marketing the technical aspects of a piece of equipment. It was both persuasive and informative at the same time. I guess it really just depends on what angle you’re viewing the document from. Or what you are using the document for.
Marketing
I'm getting the feeling, though, that there is some implication from what you or someone else said that marketing white papers is more bias than other white papers. I could imagine the reason why a marketing team would want to write such a paper for prospective clients would be because a bias paper would not be at all valuable to those clients. If their product doesn't preform as well as they were led to believe (from a bias paper, for example) the client probably won't be pleased and won't do business with them in the future-something along these lines anyway.