When it comes to establishing one’s brand as an authority, few resources get the job done like a data-driven white paper.
Longer than your typical blog post and more in-depth than an ebook, a white paper is a well-researched piece of content designed to educate readers on a specific topic. It allows you to position your brand as an expert in your field and demonstrate you have a solution to your audience’s problems. And because marketers often gate white papers behind an email form, these reports can help support goals like lead generation and sales.
But with a little foresight, a white paper can do more than capture leads. It can also fuel an entire year’s worth of content and support teams across sales, customer success and even design. From developing social media content to webinars to workshops, there are a number of ways you can extend the life of your white paper.
In this article, we’ll walk you through how to write a white paper as well as how to turn those data and insights into new content for the entire year.
What makes a white paper valuable?
Traditionally, a white paper is defined as an informational document to promote a product or service and is used by marketing and sales to persuade buyers to purchase from one brand over another. In marketing, a white paper can be used to provide in-depth research on a particular subject (like the state of social marketing) and gives brands an opportunity to build credibility with their audience.
Consider this data-driven white paper example: the Sprout Social Index™. The Index™ is our annual 30+ page white paper filled with unique data based on consumer and marketer surveys. We look specifically at the state of social marketing, and offer insights on topics like consumer behaviors, marketers’ social goals and what differentiates one brand’s social presence from a competitor.
This is our ninth year of #trend forecasting with the Sprout Social Index: Social Media Trends for 2022 and Beyond
We surveyed over 1,000 U.S. consumers and 500 U.S. social marketers to understand how social has transformed.
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— Sprout Social (@SproutSocial) May 17, 2022
