Whitepapers and eBooks are incredibly helpful yet underrated tools for businesses. They deliver information-rich content in the form of an in-depth report. This article explains how to write a whitepaper or eBook and how they help your content marketing strategy.
What is a whitepaper?
Whitepapers are an ideal way to share reliable, academic-style information. They differ from blog posts, aiming to be more formal and informative. Whitepapers are fantastic when used as intended, as they can be a rich resource for a sales team to approach prospects and generate leads in B2B. They also strengthen your brand image and credibility.
Whitepapers contain facts, information, and thought-provoking arguments that reflect well on your business or brand. These are not documents you send in weekly emails to customers or post on a blog.
How to write a whitepaper
Whitepapers may be a more technical document to write, but it doesn’t have to be daunting. Whitepapers can start anywhere from six pages, expanding to 50+ if enough information and detail are available.
Make your whitepapers easy to digest, but don’t skimp on the detail. Those reading these documents will want every ounce of information available. Ensure your tone is consistent and professional and edited with a fine-tooth comb. A successful whitepaper should concisely share detailed information without the need for fluff.
What is an eBook?
Unlike a whitepaper, which is long and formal, an eBook is more engaging and helps businesses create a trusting relationship with customers. Brand trust can have a direct impact on your business’s success. eBooks are a learning tool and help customers digest information-rich content through an engaging medium.
An eBook at the centre of your content marketing strategy can help propel your brand. Although eBooks are long-form content, individual chapters are useful too. Chapters of your eBooks can be promoted across social media channels, spread through relevant sections of your website, and more. The most important point is to adjust the chapter to fit the context of your post.
When distributing your eBook, you can utilise the opportunity to build an email list for your customer base. Email direct marketing (EDM) remains the strongest strategy for ROI. Encourage customers through your website and social media channels to submit their email for a free copy of your eBook. This strategy is ideal for building a strong email list for future use.
How to write an eBook
When writing an eBook, all you really need is a clear understanding of the message you want to communicate. Start by picking a topic that appeals to the needs of your customers. Outline the chapters in your eBook and get to writing!
Your eBook should include multimedia elements to make it more engaging. However, don’t overdo it. Keep things straightforward and easy to comprehend. This is a chance to highlight your product or service benefits, highlight impressive statistics, and include an appropriate call-to-action with customers.
Your eBook will typically find itself sitting between 2000 and 2500 words as long-form content. However, this is not set in stone. “A picture’s worth 1000 words” lies true in eBook content. If an image or diagram can say more than words, it’ll be more effective.
Engage with new audiences & bring in leads
With whitepapers and eBooks, you can reach new audiences in an engaging way. With these tools in your content marketing arsenal, you will create a credible, trustworthy image to hook prospective and existing customers. Whether you’ve chosen to write a whitepaper or eBook, there’s nothing more important than editing your content and ensuring that all facts and statistics are reliable. Good luck with your content marketing strategy!