By Howard Sewell
With the rapid decline of e-mail response rates, posting white papers, case studies, Webcasts, and other materials on relevant Websites and online networks is fast becoming a leading method for technology and other B2B marketers to generate quality sales leads.
The process of choosing the right Website, network, or syndication partner, however, is getting more complex. Industry shake-ups, including the acquisition of Bitpipe by TechTarget, combined with a flood of new syndication vendors, have increased the options for technology advertisers dramatically, as well as the risks.
To help minimize that risk, and make every dollar you spend on white paper syndication generate the highest possible return, here are 10 critical questions you should ask every vendor before you post on their site or network.
1. What’s the demographic profile of the person downloading white papers from your site/network?
As in choosing any advertising vehicle, the more detail you have on audience demographics, the more confident you can be that your message is being read by the right people. Most reputable vendors will be able to readily supply statistics on job titles, company size, purchase authority, geography, and more.
2. Is the contract price based on cost per lead, or fixed price per month/quarter? What assurances do I have on lead volume? What happens if we don’t meet that minimum?
Increased competition in the white paper syndication market has resulted in a trend towards promised performance. However, the methods by which that “minimum performance” is achieved, or what happens if it is not, vary greatly. Some vendors will launch additional email, sponsorships, featured listings, or other targeted promotions to increase your numbers, whilst others may just keep your materials posted (indefinitely, even) until the volume is met.
3. If there are lead promises, what constitutes a “lead?” For example, will I have to pay for consultants or students who download my paper?
Some media vendors count every lead towards your goal, no matter how qualified. If a measurable percentage of your leads are non-starters, however, your actual lead total can be much less and cost-per-lead much higher than advertised.
4. What percentage of total downloads or traffic is international? Will I have to pay for international leads if I don’t want them?
For many vendors, particularly the larger players with broad syndication networks, as much as 50 percent or more of all traffic and leads can come from outside North America. If you serve foreign markets, great. If not, your actual cost-per-lead could be double what the vendor is promising. Ask if there’s a way to either eliminate, or not pay for, leads from specific geographies.
5. Can you provide references?
It’s easy for vendors to throw around performance numbers. But sometimes the best evaluation of any site or network is a subjective one. Ask for references. Then call those individuals and inquire about the level of service they received, problems they experienced, as well as the quality of the leads delivered.
6. What’s the typical lead volume for a white paper in my category?
Most providers won’t be willing to give you actual lead numbers for specific companies, especially your competitors. But one way to get a good picture of overall performance is to ask for the sum total of all downloads per month across the network, and the total number of white papers posted. The average downloads per white paper will paint a fairly representative picture of the site’s performance.
7. How do you drive traffic to your site/network? Is my content syndicated to other sites — if so, how and where?
Vendors use a variety of tools for driving traffic to their site, including e-mails to their registered user base, paid search advertising, placement on partner sites, banner ads, and more. A note of caution, though: vendors that syndicate your material to other networks and sites can increase your exposure substantially, but also the chances that your material will be read and downloaded by a broader, and less qualified, audience.
8. Do subscribers or registered users get alerted to new content? If so, how? How many registered users are there? What’s the typical response to this alert?
Most advertisers see a big spike in downloads when their content first appears on the network, and these alerts are the reason why. The larger the registered user base, the larger the bounce. Even better is a vendor who only sends relevant alerts to individual users who have expressed an explicit interest in that category of content.
9. What’s the user experience on the site? How can I feel confident that someone searching for information on my product category (or the business problem that my technology solves) will find my white paper?
Search procedures can be dramatically different from one site to the next. On some, the content is prominent and easy to find. On others, it’s buried beneath layers of other information. Don’t judge a vendor on their sales collateral alone. Visit the site and search for information on your category. How hard is it to find relevant content? Can you search by keyword or must you browse by category? If the latter, is there a category that matches up well with your product or service?
10. If I renew my contract, how will the pricing be different from this initial term?
Renewal policies vary between vendors. Often, prices can change dramatically from one contract to the next (and not just in the wrong direction; some vendors offer renewing advertisers significant discounts). Either way, it’s better to avoid surprises and gain a proper expectation ahead of time.
About the Author: Howard J. Sewell is president of Connect Direct, a full-service agency specializing in direct marketing for high technology companies.
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