Joined: 25 Oct 2004 Posts: 408 Location: Somewhere in the Pacific Ocean
Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2005 1:45 pm Post subject: Are technical folks ideal to write the white paper?
In a recent edition of the WhitePaperSource Newsletter, Jonathan Kantor wrote about selecting the best author for a white paper. Here is an excerpt:
Quote:
A common mistake that many companies make when starting a white paper project, is the assumption that a technical subject matter expert who has used, developed, or is highly knowledgeable about the topic is automatically assumed to be best qualified as its author. In following this practice, companies create overly complex white papers that fail to attract a wide readership with business executives who typically have the most influence in the final decision making process.
Your thoughts?
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Joined: 29 Nov 2004 Posts: 196 Location: Wrightwood, CA
Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2005 2:08 pm Post subject:
I agree 100%! I'd agree 200% if that were logically possible. In my opinion, the worst offenders are startups whose management teams are highly technical, most of them former engineers who built a company around their technology. These types of execs have real trouble accepting that many executives at other companies are NOT engineers themselves and will not buy in to a very technical white paper.
Engineer execs often dislike and distrust marketing language of any stripe, including hybrid technical/business white papers. They then proceed to shoot themselves in the foot because they cannot market their technology because the decision makers won't read their technical and dense marketing communications. _________________ Christine Taylor
Email: christine@ctaylor-co.com
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Joined: 28 Jan 2005 Posts: 455 Location: Denver, Colorado
Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2005 12:12 pm Post subject: Regarding Technical Decision Makers
Chris,
Your point is spot on, and I have encounter many of those technical CEO's and startup founders you mention.
Fortunately in the life cycle of a company, the technical founder eventually must delegate marketing and sales duties to a more "well rounded" executive if he expects the company to grow. To do so, that involves more traditional marketing efforts where effective white papers fit in.
As these business managers come to realize, in order influence the C level executives in their target companies, the old style, highly technical white paper written by someone in development no longer works. While some still cling to this old model, a series of white papers that their salesforce and customers tell them are horrible, eventually gets them to a more open mind that maybe they need to re-think their current approach and author. It's a hard lesson, but one that is eventually learned if the company wants to make an impact in their market segment. _________________ Jonathan Kantor
The Appum Group, Inc.
Email: jkantor@appum.com
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Joined: 29 Nov 2004 Posts: 196 Location: Wrightwood, CA
Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2005 12:36 pm Post subject:
Jonathan,
Thanks for the perspective, you're absolutely right that technology companies (and their CEOs) must evolve in order to make it in the market, and that will ideally result in better white papers.
I have a question for you and Mike, and others who have written white papers for some time: When you take on a white paper project, do you make it a point to find out these things? For example, whether the company is a start-up, what their present marketing communications look like, is the CEO an engineer, etc. After a recent bad experience of mine, I wish I'd known that going in!
Joined: 28 Jan 2005 Posts: 455 Location: Denver, Colorado
Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2005 1:09 pm Post subject: Finding out about the company
Christine,
What I typically do before I talk to a perspective client is to visit their website. If there are white papers posted there, I will download them and read them. You can quickly get a grasp whether a technical writer has written their papers.
During conversations with a CEO or decision maker I will ask them whether they have written papers before and how that process is going. Most agree that technical subject matter experts don't make effective writers, and they are often interested in knowing the advantages to a more balanced business/marketing writer.
I think white papers today are much more mainstream than they were in the past. I also think the day of the purely technical paper is going away with the Internet. It has increased the size of the audience requiring the content to appeal to a much broader base.
Yes, it is not true but most people have this (bad) assumption and it goes on for every writing related work. Even for technical documentation, this is what startups mostly point out and I cannot elaborate the incorrectness of this notion.
White papers are not just marketing material anymore, they have become the image of technology in the mind of technology driven executives.
Now they have symbolized as a smart marketing tool (just like a smart bomb that hits right on the target, may be a few inches up or down).
I had read a survey some time back that most executives rely on white paper to learn about a new technology, even if they do not have any plans to buy that specific product.
Even I have started to read lot of white papers now days to know more about a specific technology or a product, and yes, it helps.
Unfortunately, "my secretary can write this too" attitude is quite common in small companies and they still do not realize the actual potential of white papers.
Nevertheless, the case is almost opposite in big companies. They realize the value of white papers but still someone, somewhere, even in these big companies has the age old attitude.
SME and writers have different value. A writer cannot become a subject matter expert in all technologies and SMEs cannot become a writing expert in different domains. Both have different work and many companies have started to realize that fact.
I hope that ALL companies would realize this golden truth eventually. The sooner, the better for us and for them too
Joined: 28 Jan 2005 Posts: 455 Location: Denver, Colorado
Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2005 7:07 am Post subject: Role of White Paper
Hi Gurpreet,
I agree with you as well, and didn't know that the same battles apply to the issue of technical documentation.
Companies are also beginning to realize that just like an advertisement or their website, a white paper is a representative symbol of the company itself. Potential customers will form an impression of them as well as the effectiveness of their solutions based on factors such as the look and feel and the readability of their white papers.
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