Write in-house or pay an analyst?

[HJSewell]

This is a question we get asked all the time by clients. Is it worth paying an analyst firm, particularly a more well-known firm (IDC, Gartner, Yankee, etc.) thousands of dollars to write a white paper for us, or will we get just the same amount of traffic/downloads/leads from something self-authored?

We normally recommend against paying the analyst firm, on the basis that readers and prospects are (in our experience) responding to content, and the perceived value of that content, and less so to "name value".

What are your experiences? All things being equal, do you see the kind of higher response from analyst-authored white papers sufficient to justify the additional cost? Even if you don't see higher response, is the fact that your company is associated with a known "name" in the industry worth the money?

Looking forward to your feedback,

Howard
_________________
Howard J. Sewell, President
Spear Marketing Group
"Marketing with a Point"
Web: http://www.spearmarketing.com
Blog: http://www.spearmarketing.com/blog

[Stelzner]

Hi Howard - This is one I have gotten a few times. The real advantage to the analyst firm is its ability to do research. Add to that the credibility. Many of my clients rely on them and also use writers to focus on other papers. Few solely rely on the analyst firms and I know their prices are off the wall. Back a few years ago when I was doing work for Compaq I recall the analysts wanted more than 20K for a white paper.

I recently interviewed Juniper Networks and they do find more lead generation comes from the big name analyst white papers because people are more willing to register to get the paper because they recognize and trust the name.

Best Regards, Mike
_________________
Michael A. Stelzner - Publisher
Founder of WhitePaperSource & SocialMediaExaminer.com

email: mike@whitepapersource.com
my book: Writing White Papers: How to Capture Readers and Keep Them Engaged
blog: Social Media Examiner
twitter: http://twitter.com/Mike_Stelzner

[mrowton]

Speaking as a person who has been a "lead" for companies in the past. I would tend to gravitate toward "Gartner" type papers first. But for me it depends on where I find the paper.

If I see a list of papers on a "bitpipe type" site that requires me to jump through hoops and get a sales call in order to read it, then I would prefer it come from a recognizable name.

If I'm researching a specific product or technology, and find a white paper that helps me research this and is easily accessible on your web site, then I would be much more inclined to read it regardless of who wrote it.

My advice would be, (1) it depends on how easy it is to get access to the paper, (2) how many papers from other companies are listed above and below yours (3) Your marketing budget for the product/service.