By Michael Stelzner
This question seems to pop up often: Should we require prospective customers to register for our white paper? The short answer is yes. The long answer is maybe. According to a recent MarketingSherpa report, “Study data show only 6%-11% of prospects who arrive at your lead gen form to get a white paper actually fill it out on average” (Nov. 11, 2004).
The real question is why do you have a white paper in the first place? My guess is to generate interest in your product, solution or strategy, and ultimately produce a lead. If lead generation is your objective, it is important to take steps that best cultivate the lead. If you just want to educate the world, perhaps registration is not for you. People opposed to registration claim it is a barrier to access. I like to think of it as a filter that sifts and qualifies leads-when done properly.
If you are going to require registration, I suggest you take a cue from the world of computer game developers. New games build interest by providing access to the first few levels of the game in a demo. The hope is users will get hooked and want to purchase the game. Similarly, white papers that require registration should include the first few pages of unedited content so readers can determine if it is worthwhile to fill out a form to get the entire paper. With a simple form you can ask the right questions that determine if follow-up is appropriate. The result is a lead from someone who has expressed interest based on what they have seen thus far. With that lead you can go about your ultimate goal of selling.
Michael A. Stelzner is author of the popular paper entitled “ How To Write a White Paper” and has successfully registered more than 12,000 readers in less than two years. He can be reached at mike@stelzner.com. DISCUSSION: Discuss this topic at the WhitePaperSource forum.
