Originally published September 10, 2021 , updated on August 30, 2024

When businesses decide to invest both time and money into content marketing, there are a number of content types to consider. This includes blogs, online articles or a bigger push on social media. It could even be a YouTube channel, paid Google ads, and so much more. However, something that is often overlooked is the power of a good white paper.

White papers and making use of white paper writing services bring so many opportunities with it. Companies often miss these opportunities as the focus is on creating website, blog and social copy. We’re here to tell you that you should absolutely use white papers in your content marketing strategy.

There are many reasons for this. Below are six ways this type of content can benefit your business.

It’s an Excellent Tool for Education

We don’t advise treating a white paper strictly as a company brochure. However, there are ways to use these to educate existing and potential customers about your company, services and how you can benefit them.

For example, perhaps you are a subscription-based video editing software company. A white paper would be a good option as an in-depth product guide. It will give you the space to detail how video editing software can benefit content creators and various businesses. The white paper can also explain how to get the most out of your software and why your editing tools are better than your competitors.

In this way, the white paper adds value to customers and clients. It also helps you educate readers about your company.

White Papers Generate Strong Leads

A big reason that companies should consider white papers is that it’s a strong lead generator. White papers are long-form pieces. They show the value of a company and product. These pieces also gently remind readers why your company is the best in its sector.

Generally speaking, people who download white papers are most likely already considering your product or service. This makes them easier to convert into a sale as there is already an interest in what you do. No one’s going to download a white paper if they are not already inquisitive about your business. Your white paper can be a tool to push them from a casual website visitor into a customer.

White Papers Are Good Tools for Building Your Email Database

Email marketing is still an exceptionally strong tool to use. However, building a database of email addresses is a tough task and it’s not something that happens overnight. It can take a long time after you start to reap the rewards of building a strong database.

As a result, businesses are always looking into new ways to get people to sign up to newsletters or to get them to leave their email addresses. This is where a white paper can help.

A quick and efficient way to build a database is by asking for an email address whenever the whitepaper is downloaded. This is a great way to get newsletter sign-ups. The white paper can be the “free gift” that people get when signing up for a newsletter. This makes the exchange beneficial to everyone involved.

Ensure that the white paper is a clear link to your business. This way, people will also understand what type of content they can expect from your newsletters. If not, they might unsubscribe as soon as they have received their “free gift”.

White Papers Establish You as an Expert

White papers are authoritative and professional documents that make you look good. A lot of white papers are useful for company and product marketing. It can, however, also develop your brand voice and establish you as a thought-leader in your industry.

In this instance, white papers can be used to communicate trends within your sector. It could also be used to predict upcoming changes in the industry. While these don’t necessarily lead to more sales, they do help with reputation building and management. It’s an excellent way to become a trusted and reliable voice within the sector.

White Paper Content Can Work Across Platforms

White papers are information-heavy and are often used as an evergreen resource for an extended period of time. This is true for your customers and potential customers who download this document. It’s also true for those in business.

With all the information white papers contain, your content team can constantly use bits of it across various platforms. It could be in short snippets for Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn, or it could be in larger chunks for blogs, articles and press releases.

For example, perhaps your white paper is about ten trends in your industry for the next 12 months. Each trend could be a social media post on its own. You could also use each trend and the explanation for each as smaller, separate pieces that live on your website.

White Paper Writing Services Can Do the Job

Now that we’ve convinced you of the benefits of white papers, you need to actually create it. These documents need in-depth research and a lot of writing, and they can often take a long time to create. This is where professional services and copywriting for white papers come in.

Professional writing services have both time, knowledge and expertise to get this job done. They are the experts in creating content for businesses, possibly a lot quicker than you would. Additionally, a content writing agency can advise you on how the white paper can be repurposed into other pieces. This can then be used across your platforms and other marketing materials.

These are just six reasons why you shouldn’t overlook the power of white papers. It’s a marketing tool that can reap many rewards when done right. And like we said, if you don’t think you can do it right, you can always use white paper writing services. Either way, don’t ignore this when you’re planning your content marketing strategy. You will lose out on many opportunities if you do.

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