To make your whitepaper as effective as possible, whitepaper expert Gordon Graham identified the following criteria:
- It cannot be one-size-fits-all. You must identify a single need or specific target market and address that one need or market.
- Do NOT put your name in the title. Instead of being a self-promotional piece, this is meant to be informative.
- When it comes to self-promotion, make sure the whitepaper is actually informative. The purpose of the whitepaper is to highlight the quality of the information to establish your authority and expertise. NOT you boasting about yourself.
- Provide a very simple way for individuals to obtain your whitepaper. Make it easily accessible at your place of business, online, on your voicemail message, etc.
Follow-up with the people who reach out to you with inquiries regarding the content in the whitepaper. I realize this seems basic, but if every advisor was doing it, I wouldn’t bring it up! As soon as they get in touch with you, take the time to follow up (not a day or two later).