University of Minnesota - UMN Executive Leadership Insights
The White Paper Marketing Handbook
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The White Paper Marketing Handbook

Robert W. Bly
Thomson South-Western, 2006
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Recommendation

This helpful, how-to manual explains the essential elements of writing white papers and using them to generate business as part of your overall marketing plan. Author Robert W. Bly is a veteran practitioner. He covers every conceivable issue, from appointing a writer to choosing appropriate images and typefaces, to distribution. He has a fluid style and includes check lists that will give you a great framework for any white paper project. getAbstract recommends this handy guide to any marketer who is considering an "edu-marketing" strategy.

Summary

Defining "Edu-Marketing"

The U.S. government created the Internet as a means of exchanging information among government agencies, which may explain why hard-sell ads do not work on the Web. Instead, sophisticated buyers want high-quality, objective information. Such consumer messages, which have both educational and light promotional content, are called "edu-marketing." They carry a powerful marketing punch. When prospects learn about a potential solution to their problems from your edu-marketing materials, they are likely to buy your product.

Edu-marketing can take several forms, but generally, it is deployed as a free package of material that provides useful information to the customer. Edu-marketing kits may contain special reports, CDs, magazines or "white papers."

Originally, the term "white paper" described a report or informational article that set forth a political position or that explained issue-based background matters to help policy makers take action. During World War II, officials used white papers to convey classified information. Today, these publications - also referred to as "executive briefings," "monographs," "special reports" or "bulletins...

About the Author

Robert W. Bly is a copywriter and marketing consultant. He has written more than 50 books, including the Copywriter’s Handbook and The Complete Guide to Successful E-Mail Campaigns. His articles have appeared in Cosmopolitan, Business Marketing and Direct Marketing.

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