Originally published October 19, 2021 , updated on August 29, 2024

White papers often get overlooked as a B2B content marketing tool. Instead, businesses tend to focus on blogs, articles, social media content, videos, and other forms of content. Many fail to understand just how excellent white papers can be as a marketing tool for business. 

If you have the right white paper writing service to help you, this form of content can be something you refer back to for a long time. White papers can be standalone pieces, or they can be broken down into bits and used to create smaller pieces of information in other formats. 

Below we’ve taken a deep dive into the importance of white papers and white paper writing services for B2B marketers. We’ve also added a useful list of some of the best white paper examples for inspiration. Before we get into that, let’s have a brief history lesson. 

When Did White Papers First Come About? 

According to the Guardian, white papers were first used by the UK government as far back as the early 20th century. The article in the Guardian explains that these papers clarified “…government proposals for new policies and legislation and are still used for that purpose to this day. However, since the early 1990s, they have become a tool for business-to-business (B2B) marketing.” This type of content is especially common in SaaS, tech, and IT companies. Companies in these industries often have complicated concepts and terms to unpack. A white paper is the best way to explain these in detail.

For example, someone who works in finance or procurement might wonder why money needs to be spent on a new hotel reservations system when the current one works perfectly fine. The business selling the new reservation system could use white paper to explain this. They could highlight the downfalls of the current system, and how the new system will allow for quicker – and therefore more – bookings. Which, in the end, leads to an increase in revenue for the hotel. 

Now that you have that background and understanding, let’s dive into the various ways that white papers can help your B2B business. 

A White Paper Writing Service Helps Establish Your Brand

A strong white paper and good writing will help establish your brand in the space in which you operate. This type of content makes you look authoritative and can establish you as a thought-leader in your industry. If you are a new business, this can go a long way in establishing your brand and cementing your position in the market. 

It’s a bold and smart way of making your presence heard and felt. Good white papers get referenced in other pieces of writing. This, too, helps to establish your brand as other companies link to your paper.  

White Paper Writers Are Subject Matter Experts 

Any white paper writing service or anyone who is in the business of copywriting white papers will have a niche or two that they are experts in. And if they aren’t experts themselves, they will know someone who is. 

White paper writers are, more often than not, subject matter experts. When an agency is briefed on a project such as this one, they will often look for someone on their team who is an expert in this particular field. For example, if it’s a white paper about the state of travel after the pandemic, an agency will call on one of their travel writers. 

This is also why it’s important to partner with an agency that has access to writers around the world. This not only ensures industry experts but market experts too. If you are looking to reach people in Kenya, for example, you would want an agency with insight into that particular market. 

It Will Help to Establish a Database 

Often white papers are available via download. To download it, your audience will need to fill in their email address and contact details. This comes in handy when you are trying to establish a database for your B2B business. 

It not only gives you a list for newsletter distribution (if they opt-in for this), but it also gives you a list of people who are already interested in what you do. This list is a good tool for targeted marketing campaigns or your sales team could use it for leads. 

White Paper Writing Service Is a Good Funding Pitch

When your business is looking for a new round of funding, you must motivate why someone should invest in your company. A paper such as this will give you the room to explain who you are, what you do, and give a strong reason why they should provide you with funding. 

White papers are always used for more than a single reason. You don’t only have to use it for one motivation. As you find more people who could potentially become investors, this white paper will be something you lean on to help make a case for your business. It could be what gets investors to buy in. Or, a lack of this kind of formal content could be the reason why they pass on your idea. 

It Can Be Used as a Marketing Tool Without the Hard Sales Pitch 

Marketing materials can often be too full of sales speak. Oftentimes, your audience might not care for your marketing efforts when they’re presented in conventional ways. This is where a white paper can assist. 

For example, let’s say that you are a company that offers plant care and plant decor services to businesses. In this case, making a hard sale to businesses may be difficult if all you’re doing is telling them why they should use your services. A white paper that details the benefits of plants in an office might be what it takes to convince a business to make use of your services. You could highlight how plants clean the air or include what science says about plants. Throw in some statistics about how greenery generally boosts people’s moods, and you’ve changed the minds of many. 

Once people read this, they may make decisions that benefit your business.

White Paper Examples

If you are looking for some inspiration, here are some excellent examples that you can read through.

• Google published a white paper that details the power of AI. 
• Airbnb published a report on the impact of short-term letting on the UK market.
• FCM took a deep dive into the state of the business travel market in 2020. 

You will notice that each of the above companies presented their papers in different ways. Google linked to an easily accessible PDF, Airbnb published it on their website and FCM asks for contact details to download the report. 

There’s no one way to present a white paper. With the right tools and the right white paper writing service helping you, you can find what works best for you and your business in this regard. Whichever option you go with, a white paper is bound to do wonders for your content marketing strategy. 

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