White papers
- Introduce your product or technology as innovative
- Demonstrate knowledge of client technology and its challenges
- Emphasize the uniqueness and advantages of your solution
- Influence customer purchasing decisions
- Form the foundation for a marketing strategy and technical
documentation
However, in this document, success is demonstrated in the force of your
solution, not the hype around your product
Audience:
- Define characteristics of the audience you are writing for
Highlight their concerns and problems
- Consider their time and method of reading such papers
Provide an engaging though succinct initial overview/summary/abstract
Conclude with
- reviewing your solution
- how it addresses the client's problem
- a follow up procedure
Format:
- Review successful papers for models of development
- Consider the venue for publishing
Web site based presentations are written
differently than paper published documents
- Keep the narrative positive, in active voice, and non-technical:
Technical treatments are best left to the documentation
Marketing language is best left to subsequent strategies
Begin with a
Well developed overview/executive summary/abstract
- Must capture your target audience's attention
- Content: A critical one-paragraph summary
Provide material that gives them a good reason to read further,
keeping in mind that busy executives may jump to the end paragraphs/conclusion
State the Problem
Two-to-three paragraphs demonstrating your knowledge of your clients'
challenges and industry trends
Avoid hidden assumptions and agendas
Avoid technical complexity, acronyms, etc.
Define that which cannot be avoided and must be understood
Identify the main objectives of the paper
Describe your product
Incorporate design decsions; industry standards, testing and reliability; best
practices and ease of use
Liberally illustrate with simple and well-labeled diagrams and illustrations (Rely
on a graphic designer!)
Address how your product resolves the problem; tie the two together
Demonstrate with evidence
Illustrate with case studies and expert testimonials
Entice with
- benefits and returns on investment (ROI)
- future applications, developments, and timelines
Conclude: with confidence and credibility
Refer to the abstract and summarize your main advantages
Conduct an independent review of the paper before publishing
Publish
Seek out the most appropriate venus of your clients
Website overview: Since 1996 the
Study Guides and Strategies web site
has been researched, authored, maintained and supported by Joe Landsberger
as an international, learner-centric, educational public service. Permission is granted to freely copy, adapt,
and distribute individual Study Guides in print format in non-commercial educational settings that benefit learners. Please be aware that the Guides welcome, and are under, continuous review and revision. For that reason, reproduction of all content on the Internet
can only be with permission through a licensed
agreement. No request to link to the Web site is necessary.
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