B2B Cost Per Lead Social Campaigns

Social Media Marketing: 5 Keys To White Paper Success

2012-05-14T18:50:14Z

Social media marketing has emerged as a highly effective tool for businesses to communicate information about their products and services, with the added benefit of virtual interaction with prospects and customers.

Social media marketing can build rapport with a variety of new clients and cultivate relationships with existing customers.

With the advent of social media marketing, have white papers become obsolete? The answer is an emphatic “no” — there are still very valid reasons to create and publish white papers. While these documents may not come in a fancy printed binder any longer, white papers still merit value and benefit to your business and to your customers.

Consider these five keys to using white papers for successful social media marketing:

Writing style: While social media marketing tends to present a more casual approach to writing, it is important that your white paper is a written narrative structured to be easily read and professionally presented.
Length: Web pages routinely want brevity, but white papers should be comprehensive and complete — at least five printed pages is a fair standard to set.
Intention: The intention of a white paper should be to educate and inform, and should be considered a pre-sales tool.
Fact or fiction: White papers should always present factual and objective information with appropriate references to credible sources. If a product is to be shown as “the best” then be prepared to back up the statement with facts, attributes, specifications and statistics.
SEO: Search engine optimization (SEO) is critical for online documents including white papers. Understand what keywords and phrases should be leveraged and integrate them throughout the document in a relevant form. This will improve your search rankings and drive more traffic to your business.

White papers definitely have a place in the world of social media marketing. Your business can build credibility, educate and inform, while also increasing your search engine rankings through using white papers effectively.

To learn more about how easy it is to start delivering your white papers in the cloud, click here to contact us.

Key Ways White Papers Can Lower Your Marketing Costs

2012-05-09T12:33:25Z

Marketing and advertising can become very expensive, especially if you are new to the market or launching a new product. One way to help bring marketing costs down is to use white papers. While you can’t market a business exclusively with white papers, they are a valuable tool that is too often ignored.

Consider the following ways that white papers can help lower your marketing costs:

Increase PR opportunities: The more relevant content you have published on a topic, the more likely it is that the media will contact you when they are researching that topic. Positioning yourself as an expert can help you gain more traction in your field, which will ultimately increase your brand presence across multiple media channels.
Rank higher in search results: Search engines such as Google love content; that is precisely what a white paper provides, and lots of it. Remember to integrate keywords naturally throughout the text and put your white papers on a page that is indexed by the search engines.
Give customers more reason to buy: Many consumers do some research before they make a purchase. White papers help you share more information about your products or services so customers can both learn more and gain more trust in your company.
Increase your brand presence: One of the highest marketing costs for many businesses is related to branding. Publishing white papers allows you to build your brand for much less. You have the initial costs related to creating the content, and the limited cost required for publishing on your site and through other media channels, but these costs are generally much lower than an advertising campaign, and white papers have the additional benefit of longevity.
Reach more potential customers: Sharing your white papers through social media can dramatically increase your audience and expand your customer base, especially if you write compelling content that people will want to read and share.

If you take the time to write a white paper for your business, be sure to make at least an equal effort to promote it to help reduce marketing costs even further.

To learn more about how easy it is to start delivering your white papers in the cloud, click here to contact us.

Strengthening Your Nonprofit’s Brand Identity With A White Paper Strategy

2012-05-01T20:59:20Z

No matter how compelling the white papers for your nonprofit are, you simply wasted valuable resources if people are not reading them.

Whether you are looking for supporters, trying to get the word out about services or attempting to build a stronger brand identity, you need to find a viable conduit for delivering white papers in today’s busy world. One way to strengthen your nonprofit white paper strategy is to follow the lead of small business.

In a 2011 Zoomerang poll of small-business owners, almost half of the participants reported using social media as a marketing tool. Of those businesses, about 75 percent did not employ anyone to manage their platform, and 64 percent only spent about $100 on social media. Despite a low resource utilization, half the businesses reported a significant increase in customers due to sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

So, how can you get these results for your nonprofit? Here are a few tips for distributing your white pages through social media:

Start a Facebook page and encourage your supporters to “like” your page and share your posts. Did you know the average Facebook user has 130 friends? By posting interesting information, you will encourage others to share with their friends, who may then also “like” your page.
Use Twitter hashtags to link to your white pages, especially when they relate to popular topics. If Facebook and Twitter are buzzing with posts about saving pit bulls and your nonprofit rescues dogs, you could link with hashtags like #pitbulls or #rescuedogs.
Use existing resources to drive demand for your brand identity. If you have experts on staff, have them write a blog post for your site or answer questions on Facebook about your niche. Useful or expert information travels fast across the internet and may draw additional supporters or customers to your nonprofit.

Your white papers can gain new life through the interactive elements of social media. Pull specific information for small posts and link back to your website or downloads to encourage people to read more. The more people read and share, the better your brand identity performs.

To learn more about how easy it is to start delivering your white papers in the cloud, click here to contact us.

The Call To Action: Making It Loud And Clear

2012-04-25T14:47:38Z

No matter how much entertaining or expert information is included in your white paper, your document is unlikely to generate results without a clear and compelling call to action.

If people are reading the page on paper, it is very easy to lay it down and forget about it. If people are reading online, it is even easier to navigate away and allow the link to be lost forever in browser history.

So, how do you encourage white paper conversion? Assuming you have provided interesting and compelling text about your service, product or need, the next step is creating a loud, clear and engaging call to action. Here are a few ways you can transform a weak white paper ending into a converting message.

Spell it out for the reader. Never assume the reader will know what to do based on information within the white paper’s text. Restate any need or consumer action and provide detailed steps or contact information. When you provide the reader with a concrete plan of action, they are more likely to pursue it.
Offer a free consultation or trial of your service and tell the reader how to obtain it. People who are engaged by your white paper are more likely to take the plunge to action if they can do it without monetary risk.
Use graphic design elements to make it stand out. You can use text boxes, changes in font, colors or headers to draw reader attention. Never put the call to action in the middle of your paper without restating it boldly at the end.
Do not include excess information in the call. For example, do not include fun facts about your company or additional information about your service. Cover all that in the body of the white paper and allow the action call to stand alone. This ensures it will be loud and clear.

The call to action is an essential element in the success of your white paper. Make sure you spend as much time crafting a clear action plan for your reader as you do spelling out service or company details.

To learn more about how easy it is to start delivering your white papers in the cloud, click here to contact us.

Are Your White Papers Landing In The Right Spot?

2012-04-18T03:19:48Z

There are a lot of reasons to write white papers for your business. You increase your credibility, demonstrate expertise in your field and have the opportunity to create more of an online presence for your company. The question is, will you make the most of that opportunity?

If you go to the effort of writing white papers, you want to be sure they are being seen, certainly by potential customers, but also by search engines. Follow these five tips to help you maximize this marketing opportunity:

Create an effective landing page: If you bury a white paper in an obscure section of your site, your readers will have a difficult time finding it. Create a separate landing page for your white paper and concisely explain why potential customers should read it.
Pay attention to keyword density: As search engines crawl your white paper, which should be in a searchable format, they will identify words that are used frequently. When these search terms are entered by a potential customer, your white paper will rank higher in search results if you use the same key words and phrases.
Don’t use your white paper as a sales tool: Yes, part of the purpose of a while paper is to increase sales, but you should not try to pitch your company or products directly in the paper itself or in the marketing materials used to promote the paper. The purpose of a white paper is to convey information about a particular topic; if you try to make a sales pitch, readers are not likely to come back for more.
Make it easy for the reader to access: It’s acceptable to ask for a name and email address before somebody downloads your white paper, but if you ask for more personal details or require them to fill out a lengthy form, you will see a lot more people abandon the download process.
Use social media: People like to share information through social media; the easier it is, the more likely they are to share. Don’t forget to integrate social media tools into your white paper.

To learn more about how easy it is to start delivering your white papers in the cloud, click here to contact us.

Your Customers: Are You Making Them Brand Advocates?

2012-04-11T04:02:31Z

The “haters” always seem more vocal, don’t they? While it’s valuable for businesses to listen to them, using the information to adjust services and products, your loyal customers are often ripe for becoming brand advocates for your business — an invaluable resource that you can build fairly easily using social media.

If you approach brand advocacy thinking that it’s enough to give consumers a place to voice their opinions, your strategy is more than likely going to fail. Across the board, consumers — and people in general — want to know that you’ve heard what they’re saying.

Here’s how to get your customers talking, using that information to better serve the needs of your target niche, and creating brand advocates in the process:

Build community: Much like you build a team within your business, a branded community must be built, one layer at a time. Giving people a voice, responding, and allowing them to share with others in terms of relevant issues will help to create a tight community.
Listen: Cloud-based white papers can generate significant leads, stirring up a response within your community regarding consumer needs. But if you don’t engage and respond to those needs, your customers will quickly head elsewhere in the virtual community — a place where they will get a response. Let your customers know you hear them by using the information you glean from your community to make changes. Rewards help too, particularly for those customers who are vocal and already love what you have to offer.
Change: Remember those haters? Don’t ignore their potential as brand advocates. Disgruntled former customers are often one step away from loyalty. Use this valuable insight to respond to their needs, as their experiences can often signal gaping holes in your customer service or business policies. And when these types of customers walk away from their experience satisfied and with resolution, their voices are often the loudest in terms of brand advocates.

Neglecting what could be your most valuable resource could really cost you. Turn your loyal customers into brand advocates — and give them a megaphone to shout their praises, spreading the good “viral” word about your company.

Mapping Out A Comprehensive Social Media Strategy

2012-04-04T04:26:20Z

A company yet to adopt social media can be quickly left out in the cold. However, without a social media strategy, businesses who are using these tools can be just as outdated and unsuccessful. As you develop your social media strategy, your primary goal should be to engage customers — potential and existing — where they already spend their time.

Use these tips to cover all the bases of a comprehensive approach:

Get in the know: Using social media goes beyond simply tweeting and posting. Savvy businesses lurk, using social media to find out what customers think about their business, products and services. To listen in on the conversation, you need to find where consumers hang out. Do they mine blogs? Tweet? Facebook? Once you know their location, discover ongoing opinions and relevant issues and needs.
Make goals: This step should include specific business goals, like driving sales by 10 percent, but also consider consumer needs. Then, set a goal for your white paper content development to meet those needs.
Pick an approach: Taking seasonal factors into consideration, develop a timeline of events, promotions or product launches, and then match your content-delivery strategy to match that timeline. You’ll also need to select the tools you’ll use to deliver and track white papers. Cloud-based white papers offer businesses flexibility and performance, with the ability to generate leads via a variety of social media.
Get going: In this step, you’ll want to first select relevant keyword phrases, based on the reconnaissance you gathered in the listening phase. Then, develop white papers accordingly.
Put your plan to action: In this phase of the social media strategy, successful businesses must be ready to engage with consumers. You’ll have prepared a thorough strategy by following the preceding steps, but it’s not enough to hang your sign in the cloud and expect people to stick around. You’ll need to engage consumers as you post, providing an interactive experience and ongoing conversation.
Measure: With cloud-based white papers, you can also optimize available tracking tools to evaluate your strategy, making adjustments as necessary.

So, where is your social media strategy lacking?

To learn more about how easy it is to start delivering your white papers in the cloud, click here to contact us.

White Paper Delivery Methods: Are Yours The Most Effective?

2012-03-28T01:59:41Z

Effective white paper delivery isn’t just about getting your material out into the marketplace. It’s also about doing it efficiently, in a way that reaches the largest possible audience without requiring massive increases in staffing or funding. There are any number of delivery methods for white papers. The question is — which one represents the biggest bang for your buck?

Let’s start with the white paper delivery technique that is probably the least expensive: the email distribution list. Your sales or marketing team maintains a list of potential leads — and you simply email them a PDF of your white paper upon publication. Low cost? Yes, but it’s also a little lackluster in the performance department. If the distribution list is out of date or has inappropriate contacts on it, you’ll be wasting your time. It’s all too easy for a recipient to hit “delete” and move on to the next item in their inbox (assuming they get it at all).

Distribution services can be helpful. These services use their dedicated social media channels and newsletters to reach highly specialized audiences with an interest in your type of product offering. While some are free, other distribution services come at a price. Here are two questions to ask yourself: 1) Does my budget allow for this? and 2) Do I want to completely relinquish control over how my paper is distributed? Your responses will tell you whether or not a service is right for you.

Another option for white paper delivery is to leverage both traditional distribution methods and the networking capabilities of social media. HootSuite, for example, gives its subscribers the ability to manage posts, messages, tweets and more through a single user interface — great for anyone who wants to spread the word on a new white paper. A white paper designed with social media capabilities built into the paper itself, however, is even more compelling. Instead of relying on individual channels or services to disseminate information, social white papers seamlessly integrate content and functionality to allow readers to pass the material on themselves. It’s an efficient, cost-effective system that delivers results.

To learn more about how easy it is to start delivering your white papers in the cloud, click here to contact us.

Delivery person image via Shutterstock

Target Your Customer: Identifying With Your Readers

2012-03-20T13:53:38Z

A well-written white paper can still fail to make a meaningful connection with customers. If your content routinely misses the boat, consider whether or not you’ve taken steps to make your material resonate with readers.

Here are three ways to make that happen:

Identify your ideal customer
Do you have a target customer for your white paper? You should. White papers should always be written with a specific group of readers in mind. After all, the information that a high-level manager needs to evaluate your product is far different than the detailed specifications that a technical SME will want to see. Your white paper will be more successful if it is designed around your target customer from the very beginning. When you create content that is ideally suited to your customers’ needs, your chances that they’ll take the next step will increase exponentially.

Discuss the issues … and the solutions
Your publications should clearly convey that you understand the challenges that your target customers are facing. Devote part of every white paper to an overview of the issues facing a particular business or industry. It can take the form of simple statistics, a discussion of production issues or a description of the current marketplace. Then, make a clear connection between these problems and the solution offered by your product or service. While your understanding of the issues will create trust and rapport with your audience, the solutions you put forth will lead them further down the sales pipeline.

Invite dialogue
Deeper customer connections are possible when communication is a two-way street. While traditional white papers are always unidirectional, social white papers offer ways that customers can contribute to the discussion. The inclusion of rating options, a space to leave comments or even the addition of a “Share” button will encourage reader engagement with the material. When you establish an ongoing dialogue with your audience members, you make it clear that you value them for more than just their ability to make a purchase. The relationship you build will be stronger and more productive than one that focuses solely on the bottom line.

To learn more about how easy it is to start delivering your white papers in the cloud, click here to contact us.

Effective White Paper Titles Critical In A Short-Attention-Span World

2012-03-13T14:08:27Z

Effective white paper titles can make all the difference. By focusing on what is both interesting and important, a good title is able to grab the attention of even casual readers. When properly tied to keywords and content, it also has the power to improve search engine rankings. So what’s the downside? Creating them isn’t as easy as it looks.

Let’s start with a framework you can use to write an effective white paper title — a little something we refer to as the “What-How-Who Equation.” Take the time to really think through the following questions:

What problem does your product or service solve in the marketplace?
How does your product address this issue and provide a benefit?
Who is your ideal prospect for the product and what is his/her job title?

When you write your first draft, be sure to include each of these three components — what, how and who — to keep your title focused and concise. The end result will be more specific and relevant to the readers you’re trying to reach.

Next, try to add something to capture the reader’s interest. White paper titles without spark or flair will get buried in the tide of information that audiences have to wade through every day. Make yours stand out!

Here are a few examples to get you started:

Seven Ways to Reduce Time to Market: Enhanced efficiency for website designers and application developers.
Less is More: Streamlining operations for manufacturing managers.
Going Mobile: Marketing platforms that deliver results in the retail food industry.

Notice how each of these white paper titles included a reference to what the problem was, how the product would address it and who the solution would most benefit. Although each title is relatively short, all three include both an attractive hook and all of the critical information an audience needs to read further.

Finally, don’t forget the importance of SEO. Search engines use titles as their primary source of information about a web page. With that in mind, be sure to include critical keywords in your title. Online researchers will have an easier time finding your content and your product offerings.

To learn more about how easy it is to start delivering your white papers in the cloud, click here to contact us.