Content marketing is an umbrella term that can be used to describe a variety of different pieces of content. Some examples of content marketing include case studies, blog posts, articles, eBooks, magazines, landing pages, social media posts, email marketing, videos, and podcasts.

All of these types of content are commonly used by businesses as part of their content marketing strategy. However, one type of content marketing that is talked about a bit less is white papers, which are what we are going to be looking at in this blog post.

What is a white paper?

The term “white paper” is typically used to refer to a long-form piece of educative content. Typically, white papers are structured as in-depth reports that discuss a specific topic or problem, and present a series of recommendations or solutions.

They are highly technical and factual, which distinguishes them from other types of content marketing (such as eBooks and blog posts).

Importantly, although white papers can be used to present information about your business, their primary purpose is not to persuade people to buy your products or services.

Instead, white papers should be considered as a piece of valuable content that can be used to educate and inform your audience about a relevant topic.

Why are white papers important?

White papers can have a number of benefits for businesses when used as part of a high-quality content marketing strategy. For example, they:

• Can be used to present research, and educate others in your field
• Play an important role in thought leadership within your industry, by establishing your expertise and positioning you as a thought leader in your field
• Can be useful in generating leads and sales for your business (e.g. by publishing white papers on your website, and requiring people to enter an email address or sign up for your mailing list before they can view them)
• Make your brand stand out from your competitors by providing the hard facts and figures that show why your product is the best solution to a particular problem or issue
• Can increase brand awareness 

How are white papers written?

Many businesses can benefit from writing and publishing white papers on topics relevant to their field. Although the information contained in a white paper may vary from industry to industry, all white papers will follow the same general structure.

White papers typically consist of a table of contents. This will be followed by an executive summary and introduction that introduces the topic or problem to be discussed.

This will be followed by the body of the white paper, which will educate the reader about this problem and recommend solutions. To do this, the white paper will draw upon original research conducted by the company, as well as secondary research from other sources. It may also incorporate charts, graphs, and tables.

The white paper will then wrap up with a conclusion – perhaps outlining how your business used your recommended solution to achieve a particular result, or overcome a problem.

White paper can range significantly in length. Sometimes, they may be only five or six pages in length. Other times though, they might be fifty pages or more (depending on the complexity of the problem being discussed).

Getting started

Creating a white paper can be an overwhelming prospect, especially when it will be your first time writing one. At Tomedia, we are experienced in writing white papers, as well as other types of content creation. Find out more here.