Why you should never do without whitepaper creation in B2B marketing

Good B2B white papers are time and resource consuming and often require countless loops for revision. Quite a few companies therefore ask themselves the question: Is it even worth it? They shy away from the effort if the result is uncertain. However, they overlook the fact that whitepapers are a central tool in inbound marketing that can be used to generate wonderful leads. But that’s not all – the benefits of white paper creation go much further. 

In this article we will show you what these are and why you should never do without whitepaper creation in B2B.

Better industry perception through useful content

Do not consider a white paper as an annoying duty! Even if the production process is lengthy: Good whitepapers are a valuable resource in B2B. Therefore, you should rather see the production as an opportunity to share your knowledge with the decision makers in your industry. In doing so, you will not only help the readers, but also yourself. While users enjoy helpful tricks, tips and more, you benefit too: Your perception as an industry expert (or thought leader) grows immensely with a well-researched white paper. That’s why you can regularly remind them of your work. It could be a reference to social media, a newsletter article or your own campaign. A fixed cycle of three months, for example, helps to avoid appearing too brash. Just keep in mind that you should update your whitepaper after one year at the latest – a good reason for another campaign, by the way.

Customers appreciate whitepapers

From a customer perspective, whitepapers are extremely practical information opportunities. As decision-makers today seek less and less direct contact with a sales person, they research information independently. Almost half of these people consume an average of 3-5 items of content before personal contact takes place (source: 2020 Content Preferences Study).

Whitepapers offer them the desired explanations and insights at any time on demand. All without time-consuming telephone calls. What’s more, once a whitepaper has been downloaded, it can be viewed repeatedly. Should a decision-maker forget a detail, the person can reread it at any time. In fact, 48% of respondents to the 2020 Content Preferences Study said they had no problem downloading a white paper while sharing personal information. Only webinars and studies achieved slightly higher values.

Start your own whitepaper production!

We are convinced that whitepapers can help our contacts to close knowledge gaps, share practical instructions and at the same time strengthen our brand awareness.