Writing white papers is not an easy task for most companies, but every company needs them to effectively educate and market their products and services to potential customers. In many cases, white papers contain additional information and extra analyses, which aren’t included in other advertising or marketing materials. Your business can utilize white papers to reach a wider audience, but first you need to ask yourself these important questions:
1-Who is your audience? Make sure you analyze and define your audience, so you can effectively convey your technical or business concepts to the reader. If needed, you can include an extra section of your paper called “Intended Audience” in the body of your white paper.
2-Did you create an outline? It’s a good idea to structure your white paper accordingly, so that you present a solution to your business/industry problem. To use your time wisely, I would recommend that you get your outline reviewed by experts of the subject before writing the entire paper. Make sure to have supporting evidence to support your argument as well. Key components of a white paper should include the cover page, executive summary, table of contents, body, summary & call to action, and lastly, the author’s biography or works cited page. It is important to make sure that your executive summary is clear and understandable, so that the reader can follow your in-depth description of your business problem in the following sections of your white paper.
3-Did you explain your diagrams or flow charts? Many white papers include diagrams and flow charts. These require a thorough description and explanation. Make sure these diagrams are easy to follow and not too technical for the reader.
4-What kind of writing style are you using? White papers are essentially marketing materials, but a little more meaty. Make sure the white paper is readable, but also beware of marketing-speak. White papers are typically more formal, but try to minimize technical jargon. Also, in developing the style of your white paper, you should also identify what type of white paper you’re writing.
5-What is the length? The shorter your paper, the better. You want to make sure that the paper explains the complexity of your product or method, but it should never be longer than 15-pages.
For more information on white paper guidelines:
http://www.whitepapersource.com/writing/7steps.html
http://www.klariti.com/business-writing/more-guidelines-white-papers.shtml
http://www.nwcg.gov/teams/pmo/products/documents/White_Paper_Guidelines.pdf
Laura Powars
CEO/Founder
Enallage
Source: www.articlesphere.com
