By Jim Logan
There are two interesting and related discussions taking place today in marketing circles around the world. One such discussion is whether or not to blog. The other is to blog at what cost and discontinuance of other marketing tactics, print and old media in particular. This discussion is rooted in thought as old as the hills, when do you abandon something perceived as old to start something considered new?
These discussions are valid as there are only so much time, money, and people to launch and nurture a marketing campaign and support a business. And while there are few either or choices in marketing tactics, the reality is you can’t do everything.
Given the time and resource constraints of many marketing departments, white papers often get caught in the discussion of what can and should be done to promote a business, especially in light of increased broadband penetration rates and web-based marketing tools and technologies. This discussion leads to some interesting questions and debate: Should white papers still be written? Do blogs replace their need? Which is best at communicating with prospects? Are white papers old media? Are white papers still relevant and effective?
While you really can’t compare blogs to white papers, they’re different animals, and few companies would ever have to make a choice between blogging and writing white papers, it’s an interesting dilemma to consider. If you were forced to make a decision between blogging or writing white papers, which would you choose?
The choice is clear.
White papers continue to rule the marketplace of buyers and sellers. Blogs can’t match the effectiveness of white papers and never will. And if you could only support one writing effort, you ought to start writing your next white paper.
Here’s why.
Whether in print or online, white papers remain the most portable and extensible of all written marketing communications. There are dozens of ways you can use white papers to promote your business:
- Handout white papers at tradeshows
- Offer a white paper as a giveaway to website visitors
- Offer a white paper as link bait for a website or blog
- Offer a white paper as part of a lead generation campaign
- Offer a white paper in exchange for an email address or as part of an autoresponder information offering
- Offer a white paper in exchange for taking a survey
- Offer a white paper as a bonus to reply or register
- Leave a white paper at the end of a sales meeting
- Promote a series of white papers as an industry reference
- Repurpose a whitepaper into a press release, article, tip sheet, special report, booklet, etc.
The list goes on.
Looking at the list above, there aren’t many of these things you can do with a blog. Certainly you can repurpose some blog posts as articles and press releases, but blogs don’t have the extensibility to reach beyond the web and can’t address a combination of online and offline prospects and customers. You can’t mail a blog, leave it behind after a sales meeting, include it in an envelope, or use it as bait to register visitors.
Some would argue you can repurpose and print blog posts to accomplish all of the above, but at that point you’re not packaging the blog, you’re repackaging words and content.
An advantage given with blogs is increasing search engine rankings. The more you post, the more you feed search engines and the greater the odds of being found by searchers seeking information and solutions. This is true and a huge advantage of blogs over static websites. But white papers in PDF form are also read and indexed by the major search engines. So, placed on your website for download, white papers increase your exposure to the information seeking public. If written and updated routinely, white papers can give websites some of the stickiness and search benefits blogs enjoy.
Maybe the greatest advantage of white papers over blogs is the perception of value. Whether right or wrong, white papers are viewed as reference material, blogs aren’t. A white paper reader expects a greater depth of knowledge in whatever topic the white paper covers. And there is a level of prestige in writing, reviewing, and editing an industry white paper. Overall, white papers are considered more serious work, even educational, and as such are regarded higher than blog posts. In many industries, this means a white paper has a greater chance of being read and subsequently communicating a value and benefit.
However, there remains a lot of promise in blogging. Sure, there are many businesses that can benefit from blogging, mine is one, but today white papers still rule the marketing world.
The bottom-line is there’s a place in marketing for both blogs and white papers. Truth be told, most companies are stronger when employing both to attract and serve customers. But if you had to make a choice to do one or the other, the choice is clear, pound for pound the white paper beats a blog everyday in the marketplace of buyers and sellers. Maybe the future will change my opinion, but for now, I prefer white papers.
About the Author: Jim Logan is a B2B direct response marketer and sales consultant who speaks, writes, and consults on the topics of growing revenue and closing sales. Jim may be reached through his website at http://www.jslogan.com.
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