White Paper Services

Benefits of white paper writing services

Businesses often use marketing strategies that seek to directly persuade potential clients to partner with them. These are sale-oriented tactics, which certainly have their place. But they lack one key element: relationship. Businesses are made up of people, and people choose to work with those they trust. When you’re looking to generate new leads, you don’t have to go back to the same ol’ sales tactics. (This is especially true in this era of digital transformation.) You can use your marketing to tell a transparent and compelling story about your company. Potential clients want to know how your expertise can help solve their organizations’ problems. So you no longer have to rely solely on sales pitches. There’s a better way—one that complements more traditional marketing content: white paper writing services.

What is a white paper?

In business-to-business (B2B) marketing, a white paper is an in-depth presentation of information relevant to your business or industry. White papers have actually become an essential component of a broader content marketing strategy for many businesses. White paper presentations are distinct from other types of content (like a blog post) because they provide technical information. Furthermore, they provide well-researched data and statistics—with accompanying visual tools such as graphs and tables. And they do all this while forgoing direct sales pitches. A good white paper writer orients information around a specific problem potential clients face. Expert writers can then use relevant data to present a solution.

As opposed to blog posts, which attempts to persuade potential clients to use products or services, effective white papers build your credibility and authority in your industry. The targeted audience consists of clients already well versed in the subject matter. Thus, white papers allow you to propose in-depth, fact-based solutions for potential clients. In today’s B2B world, white papers are an essential component in your relationship with your target audience.

Why should businesses consider hiring a white paper writing service?

Social media posts, memorable ad campaigns, and other marketing strategies have their place in B2B networking. However, white papers allow you to present fact-based solutions to your client’s problems while building your own credibility as a seller. They’re also a good tool for lead generation. In other words, publishing comprehensive, authoritative output in addition to marketing-driven content allows businesses to establish thought leadership in the minds of potential clients. This generates new customer interest in your product or service. Therefore, you can see the benefit of using white papers in your content marketing strategy.

To be most effective, white papers need to balance factual accuracy with engaging content. Therefore, hiring professional white paper writing services is a good investment for future lead generation.

What are the benefits to businesses of releasing a white paper?

Good white papers are an essential component of a successful marketing program. According to a recent study, 60 percent of B2B marketers listed white papers as their most successful form of marketing. They often cited the fact that white papers help generate new leads because they present solutions to problems that buyers in their industry have. These solutions are objective and come from comprehensive data, which establishes authority.

In many cases, direct marketing has overwhelmed potential clients. As a result, they tune out businesses that only use explicit advertising and persuasion.

White papers replace explicit advertising with objective facts that demonstrate clear insight into problems that exist in any given industry. Therefore, white paper services can help your business establish authority and credibility with more discerning audiences.

How to hire a professional white paper writer

Given the benefits of white papers in B2B marketing, your business will benefit from hiring skilled white paper writers. An expert writer will complement other marketing strategies, such as social media marketing and e-content.

Of course, professional and skilled white paper writers are also more expensive. Even so, the benefits of establishing your business as an authority for potential customers in your target audience will give you a return on your investment.

What should you look for in a white paper writer?

When looking for white paper writers and services, remember that quality white papers balance comprehensive and in-depth information with engaging and compelling writing. A good white paper writing service can convey complex and industry-specific information in an easily readable manner.

Established white paper writers and writing services exhibit a clear track record of success in generating leads as a result of content. To determine past success, you can investigate a service’s previous clients, those clients’ industries, and the rate of return on the writing service’s strategies.

If you’re seeking to hire a freelance writer as opposed to a company, ask to review their portfolio of previous white paper content. Specific things you should look for include the following:

• An understanding of key facts and data in your industry
• The ability to convey complex information clearly and effectively
• The ability to focus on a problem and solution in a way that will stick out in the minds of potential clients

Writing white papers involves a balancing act between accurate and authoritative content, memorable and effective visuals, and a focus on new lead generation. Therefore, any potential white paper writer, both larger services and independent freelance writers, should be able to demonstrate a proven track record.

What should you discuss before hiring a white paper writer?

As with any aspect of marketing, effective white paper writing includes both universals and particulars to consider. Broadly, it’s a good idea to make sure any potential service or writer can clearly communicate the core problem you’re seeking to address and why your target audience will respond to it.

More specifically, the writer should be able to identify your target audience and accurately detail information specific to your industry through technical data.

Finally, you should discuss what an authority in your industry looks like, what information they have, and how you can use comprehensive data and industry-specific information to establish yourself as an authority. This will ensure your clients are not sidetracked with unnecessary information, and you’re not presented with unnecessary diversions into unrelated problems in the content you’re paying for.

What should you avoid when hiring a white paper writer?

Quality white paper content should be an informative presentation of information rather than an explicit promotion of your brand. Therefore, you should avoid potential writers whose output is solely geared toward direct marketing. Instead, you want someone who can communicate detailed industry-specific information clearly and in an engaging manner.

Cost of white paper services

The combination of quality writing and detailed technical knowledge doesn’t come cheap. In general, anyone who is able to successfully pursue a writing career should be able to demonstrate the skills and reliability needed to stand out in a crowd. The specific field of white paper writing is no different. When you’re looking to hire white paper services, it’s important that you balance the costs with the benefits of more lead generation down the road.

Remember, one of the main goals of white paper is public relations between your business and your potential clientele. Therefore, any white paper writer or service you hire will serve as brand representative for your customer base. Hiring a white paper writer is as important as hiring any public relations professional. Keep in mind the stakes for your business and what you stand to lose if you hire a subpar service.

What is the typical cost of white paper writing services?

The cheapest white paper writers and services may be as little as five dollars. Services this cheap will likely be produced by amateurs without an established portfolio or track record of success. More established, professional white paper services might charge between $5,000 and $7,000 per piece: about $500 per page. Most white papers are between eight and fifteen pages.

One thing to keep in mind is that established writing services make less money if they charge by the hour. Therefore, just like any good service provider, the best white paper writers usually post rates per page or per project. If you hire a service that charges by the hour, it’s important to discuss the hourly requirements of the entire project, including research and writing. Then, determine how that hourly rate compares to the final length of the finished project.

What factors can affect the cost of white paper writing services?

White papers are usually more expensive than other forms of marketing content because they demand more work. While social media posts or marketing releases use informal persuasion, white papers require much more in-depth research. Translating comprehensive data and research into authoritative yet engaging prose requires more man-hours than less in-depth content.

How do white paper writers typically structure their fees?

White paper writers structure fees in a variety of ways. In general, most quality freelance writers structure their fees per page or per project. Others structure fees by the hour or by the word or charge a retainer to include ongoing work over a specific amount of time. White paper writers also have to balance their time commitments with the desired income.

Therefore, when you’re choosing a white paper writer or writing service, make sure you have a mutual understanding of the likely time commitment for your project.

Top white paper services

If you think white papers would be a great addition to your marketing strategy, now’s a good time to look at some of the better white paper writing services available. Remember, different services may have different processes and writing styles. It’s important to look not only at a service’s overall track record but also at the amount of experience it has in your particular industry.

What are the best white paper services?

The best white paper services respond to the needs of a large and diverse clientele and are well versed in a variety of industries. As such, they can provide specific writers who have the knowledge and experience to craft accurate and high-quality white paper for a company in your particular industry.

If you’re looking to hire individual freelance writers, you can check out websites like Upwork. Here, you can get a good idea of a writer’s experience and fees. Be careful to look for writers specifically advertising white paper services.  Any writer who is looking to start blogging or writing freelance will have a good idea of the market they are pursuing. If you have any questions, just ask!

Regardless of whether you hire a large company or a freelance writer, any potential hire should provide a comprehensive portfolio of past work.

How do the best white paper services set themselves apart?

The best white paper services have a proven track record of producing comprehensive and engaging content. If possible, look for services that have an extensive portfolio of content specific to your particular industry. A good service should also be highly responsive to your unique needs, engage with your business model, and be able to clearly communicate your target audience’s specific problems.

Good services should also be able to quote you fees. They should help you balance costs with the projected business outcomes of better lead generation through quality white paper content.

How should you decide between white paper services?

Choose a service that has a track record of producing content relevant to your industry. If they show experience through industry-specific data to an educated audience, you can be confident they’ll help establish your business’s authority.

Consider the cost. Compare smaller services—or individual writers—who specialize in your industry with larger services that produce content for a wide range of diverse industries.

Finally, make sure the service you’re researching understands your needs as a business. Quality writing services should provide clear and constant feedback to their clients. Ideally, the production of quality white paper content will be a collaborative effort between your business and the service.

A white paper could be just the avenue your business needs to get to next-level lead generation.