White papers are for the suit-and-tie world, and they
work very well there. But don't let the formality distract
you from your core mission: Ultimately your white paper has
to help you sell something.
It's not about charts or graphs or prettiness. The name
of the game is persuasion and salesmanship. And that means
writing good copy:
http://www.perrymarshall.com/Copywriting
I interviewed world-renowned advertising copywriter
John Carlton and got one solid hour of some of the best
advice on persuasion and salesmanship that you'll ever
hear. John is one of the highest paid ad writers in the
business, and in this interview he explains exactly what
ingredients must be in a sales message for it to work.
Plus he provides examples of three sales letters he
wrote for paying clients, and explains exactly why they
work the way they do.
Disclaimer: John is not a 'corporate guy' by any
stretch of the imagination. And when you read John's
sales letters, it'll be obvious that his writing style is
considerably more aggressive than you would use in a
white paper.
But - do NOT miss the underlying principles he's
talking about here, because they all still apply:
-It's got to hit the reader's 'sweet spot'
-It needs to tell a story
-It needs a clear and definite call to action
In the case of a white paper, that call to action
may simply be for the reader to call you for a consultation
and discuss her situation. You don't need to hammer
her on the head to make that happen, but you do
need to be very clear about exactly what that next step
is, why it's worth taking and how she should proceed.
Listen to this interview with John Carlton - he's got
LOTS of good information on persuasion and
salesmanship:
http://www.perrymarshall.com/Copywriting
Enjoy.
Perry Marshall
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