{"id":3121,"date":"2012-09-27T11:05:32","date_gmt":"2012-09-27T15:05:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.exomarketing.biz\/\/?p=3121"},"modified":"2022-01-05T10:07:08","modified_gmt":"2022-01-05T15:07:08","slug":"white-papers-a-great-b2b-marketing-and-sales-tool-in-9-points","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/exob2b.com\/en\/white-papers-a-great-b2b-marketing-and-sales-tool-in-9-points\/","title":{"rendered":"White papers: a great B2B marketing and sales tool in 9 points"},"content":{"rendered":"

Studies indicate that more than 7 out of 10 prospects contact a vendor after reading a white paper. Nearly 6 out of 10 say that the paper influenced their buying decision.<\/em>1<\/sup><\/p>\n

The B2B (business to business) sale can often be complex depending on the nature of the products and services offered. This is because so much information needs to be communicated and many stakeholders are involved in the decision-making process, ranging from \u201chow\u201d to \u201cwhy\u201d we buy a given product or service.<\/p>\n

In today\u2019s Internet era, buyers begin as suspects in the \u201cAwareness\u201d phase as look to define their needs. This phase is often short as buyers rapidly move to the next part of the buying process.<\/p>\n

From Consideration to Decision to Action<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the \u201cConsideration\u201d phase, suspects qualify themselves as prospects when they come in contact with your company. They visit your website, read your blog, communicate via Twitter or other forms of social media, subscribe to your newsletters, and so on. At this stage, prospects vet or validate their needs as they become closer to making a decision. One of these decisions involves downloading a white paper, thereby bringing prospects closer to the \u201cDecision\u201d phase where salespeople enter the game.<\/p>\n

“As a marketing communication and sales tool, B2B white papers are often used to generate sales leads, establish thought leadership, make a business case, or inform and persuade prospective customers, channel partners, journalists, analysts, or investors.\u201d2<\/sup> This is why, in technology, product or method-based B2B companies, white papers effectively seduce prospects. They provide information otherwise difficult to obtain from a company\u2019s website. It could be useful to have a prospect\u2019s contact information, or if you prefer, to simply keep prospects active through lead nurturing.<\/p>\n

Your white paper in 9 points<\/strong><\/p>\n

So without more ado, here is the general structure of a white paper:3<\/sup><\/p>\n