Free download: Directory of IT White Paper Online Syndication Services

Click the link above to instantly receive a comprehensive list of all online sources for marketing information technology white papers. Conveniently organized into a spreadsheet that includes all details needed to evaluate each vendor, including cost.

White papers are proven lead generation and deal closing machines. Research by MarketingSherpa shows that 69% of prospects who find, download, and like your white paper will actively pass it along to their colleagues, and 36% of total downloads will be passed on to a supervisor. 57% of IT purchase decision makers said a white paper influenced at least one buying decision in the past 12 months.

But with thousands of business-to-business IT white papers being promoted online, how can you make yours stand out from the crowd and get your target audience to find it, read it, pass it along, and ultimately buy what you’re selling?

Use Syndication Services to Place Your White Paper on Targeted Websites

A popular form of white paper lead generation involves distributing your white paper through syndication services you pay to place your white paper across a network of vertically-oriented websites that are targeted based on your ideal lead.  

When seeking a source for white paper syndication, be sure to examine:

Targeting ability

Seek a vendor that can target both your industry and your ideal reader. The vendor should delineate leads based on title or job function. For example, a senior accounting manager in the health services market or CIOs in corporations with over $5M in yearly revenues. Many vendors claim industry targeting but cannot refine leads to the job function level.

 Breadth of properties

Look for a vendor that has partnerships with a wide range of content sites to increase the penetration of your white paper marketing efforts via multiple channels.

 Lead support

Seek a solution that provides leads in a user-friendly format, such as a CSV file (to use with Microsoft Excel or other spreadsheet program) or integrates with Customer Relationship Management services such as Salesforce.com.

Analysis

The ideal vendor should provide detailed reporting, including a comprehensive historical analysis that reveals how your white paper campaigns are performing currently and in comparison to past performance.

More syndication site tips:

Take advantage of pre-populated forms

One reason to use syndication sites is that they require prospects to register or become a member of the network. (You also can use cookies or website analytics software to track visitors if you’re hosting a paper on your own site.) When a prospect is a registered member, each time they download a white paper, the form is automatically pre-populated with their contact data. This speeds up the registration process and ensures that you get more accurate lead information.

However, if the form isn’t pre-populated, MarketingSherpa research indicates only 6%-11% of prospects will actually fill it out (or use a bogus name like Elmer Fudd).

Orchestrate your listing dates

For syndication sites with extensive networks, ask to be spotlighted on the most available sites. Orchestrate the dates when your paper will appear so you’re promoted on as many sites as possible at the same time, even if it means not being on all the exact sites you wanted. The more downloads you can get all at once, the greater the likelihood your title will make the top 50 list that week. Once you’re in the top 50, it snowballs – other partner sites notice you, making it easier to sustain your ranking.

Tips for Standing Out from the Crowd

Now that you’ve identified one or more syndication services you want to use or individual websites you want to post your paper to, it’s time to ensure your white paper grabs the attention of your target reader and convinces them to download it by standing out from the other papers available.

Write a Compelling Title

The title is the ad for the white paper. Think about reading a newspaper and how you scan headlines to find something of interest before reading the article. Keep the following in mind when developing your paper’s title:

Shorter is better

You have three seconds to capture someone’s attention so get it fast with a shorter title. For example, on IT Toolbox the most-viewed white paper on business process management is named “Understanding the Financial Impact of BPM” and the least popular paper is titled “The Evolution of Business Process Management - Remaining Competitive in an Integrated World.”

Promise a benefit in the title Samples from KnowledgeStorm’s database include “Measuring the Return on HR Technology”, “Ten Things You Need to Know About Compliance”, and “VoIP Basics for IT Technicians.”

Use numbers

A title such as “Five Questions to Ask When Choosing a Health Insurance Provider” conveys to your readers that your paper includes tangible, rapidly digestible information.

Use plain English

Don’t use pompous language like “Best Practices in Utilization of Value Proposition Hypotheses” or made-up terms like “Enterprise-Level Supply Formulation Analytics Solution.”

Titles should be descriptive, not clever

According to CNET Networks Business research, prospects won’t download white papers with titles that include a play on words or puns. One example for Business Activity Monitoring software: “All Aboard the BAMwagon.”

Write your title last

As a copywriter, I use working titles during the writing process. When the project is complete I’ll go back and work on a compelling title that matches the paper’s content.

Special Tip: To test the effectiveness of your title, try posting the white paper with one title then post it again with different title. Track results and you’ll soon see which gets the best response rate. Keep optimizing the title by deleting the poor-performing title, writing another title to test against the best-performing title and re-post the white paper.

The Summary/Abstract Needs to Tell Prospects What’s in it for Them

Whether you use a syndication site or your own landing webpage, you’ll need to develop a summary or abstract of your paper. If the white paper title is the ad, the summary/abstract is the closer. Be sure to give the reader a persuasive reason to read the paper by answering the reader’s most important question: “What’s in it for me?” Some further things to keep in mind:

●     Keep technical jargon to a minimum

●     Address who the reader is i.e., CFOs of large retail establishments

●     Talk about key problems and/or pain points

●     Eliminate all sales copy about the product or your company

●     Say what the white paper will offer the reader, for example “This white paper will address the challenges of corporate accounting managers.”

Search Engine Optimize the Summary/Abstract with Powerful Specific Keywords

The abstract page is often indexed by search engines like Google, so you’ll want to optimize your abstract/summary with the right keywords. Use a keyword tool like Wordtracker to see which keywords are used in searches. Use two or three in your abstract to help with search engine optimization.

Format Your Paper for Online Scanning and Offline Reading

People scan white papers online to see if the content interests them. To make scanning easy, break long paragraphs into smaller chunks. Use subheads, bullets and diagrams to call attention to important information.

Yes, white papers get passed around via email, but many people print them out for reading on the plane, at home, flight layovers, etc. For offline reading, keep your left margins wider than normal – people like to make notes – and make sure the font is black and large enough to read (especially important if your audience is older.) Don’t let your designer talk you into light gray mousey type that’s virtually invisible when printed. Stick to standard 10-point Arial or 12-point Times New Roman for the copy.

Other Online White Paper Promotion Sources

E-newsletters of Industry Publications, Associations, Interest Groups

Popular e-newsletters are generally sold out up to a year in advance, so it pays to contract for media buys far in advance of when you actually have a paper to promote. Text newsletters let you develop a text ad that looks like editorial. HTML newsletters are good, too, but test ad types to see what pulls best.

Search Engine Pay Per Click

You can promote your white paper via search engine PPC ads. Again, do your keyword research and test copy to see which words get the best response.

Search Engine Optimized Press Release

Once your white paper is complete, send out a keyword-optimized press release announcing its availability and where prospects can find it. Remember, pompous, jargon-laded releases and white papers don’t impress journalists – who want a topic that sounds compelling, fun, and useful.

E-mail Reporters re: Your Paper

Send a personal text-only message with a link to the paper. Make sure the link is to a page that doesn’t require reporters to register for your white paper (they won’t). Unless you’ve checked with a reporter in the past, don’t include attachments. If the reporter does accept attachments, send a PDF not a Word doc as they are infamous for carrying viruses.

Media Exclusive

Offering an exclusive is a great way to get better coverage and to build a strong relationship with an influential journalist. They look good and feel good when they can proclaim a story as an "exclusive.” If it's really hot, bloggers and other reporters will pick it up and link back to the original story, so you'll get more coverage from the exclusive than you expected. Give the reporter a time limit on exclusivity – seven days to three months depending on their publishing calendar – so you have the option to take it elsewhere if the item doesn't get the attention you think it deserves.

Turn White Papers Into Podcasts and/or Online Videos

According to KnowledgeStorm research, 41% of survey respondents from their registered user base of business and technology professionals (3,900 respondents) have downloaded podcasts at least a few times. Of those who have downloaded podcasts, 65% indicated they have used them for business and personal reasons. A whopping 60% said white papers and analyst reports would be more interesting as podcasts.

Ask your syndication vendor if they can repurpose your white paper content into a podcast. Most vendors can also repurpose your content into webcasts (which you can then sponsor) or they can take an existing webcast and turn it into a white paper.

There is a wide array of online sites to distribute your podcast, iTunes being the most popular. Other good sources include PodcastAlley and Podcast.com.

According to Paul Burani, founder of digital marketing agency ClickSharp Marketing, TubeMogul is a great service that enables publishers large and small to automate the upload of video content to the Web's top video sharing sites and gain independent information about video performance on the Internet.

TubeMogul Distribution Network

Monitor Results and Continuously Optimize Your Strategy

After implementing your white paper marketing strategy, make sure to monitor its success.  Obviously the quantity and quality of leads generated is the overall indicator, but some sources may work better for your industry or target audience than others, and some white papers may appeal to some audiences while others don’t. Keep an eye on this, and modify your strategy accordingly.

I'd love to hear about your experiences with online IT white paper distribution, good or bad, and advice for high-tech companies looking into this option.