Using Mini Case Studies for More Effective White Paper Marketing

Using Mini Case Studies for More Effective White Paper Marketing:

The Introduction is one of the most important sections of your white paper. Integrating mini case studies into the introduction section ofyour whitepaper content is one of the best ways to build the kind of credibility that will improve your whitepaper marketing campaigns.

An important attribute in any B2B whitepaper is presenting valid industry-specific examples and references that serve as a ‘proof of concept’ for your stated position. Without these references, your white paper is reduced to an opinion piece, which also reduces your credibility and your lead generation potential.

An important reason to use case study references in the Introduction section is to establish credibility right up front.

For example, if you were selling a data encryption solution, a mini case study within the Introduction might read:

“An Idaho Power Company found itself in an uncomfortable situation as it attempted to track down several unscrubbed disk drives that had been sold on eBay. The drives contained confidential employee information, correspondence with customers and memos that discussed proprietary company information. The company said it hired an outside contractor to recycle about 230 SCSI drives. The contractor had sold 84 of those drives to 12 different parties using the online auction website. ”

The use of the mini case study immediately provides a path for the reader to follow in order to avoid a similar fate for their business.

There are three different sources to find mini case studies that you can add to your Introduction section:

1. Industry Specific Analysts/Media/or Spokespeople - such as news articles, websites, white papers, and statistics.

2. Opinion Polls - that reinforce an industry perspective, direction, or trend.

3. Portions of a Larger Case Studies - extracting a testimonial or business quote from a larger case study (either yours or from another company) that validates your position. Since you will have to attribute your sources, you may want to steer clear of a competitor to avoid your reader going to that website.

Adding mini case studies in the beginning of your white paper not only builds a case for your subsequent solution presentation, but it also differentiates your white paper from the crowd of statistical sameness (such as quoting a leading industry analyst), a technique that is used far too frequently in many white papers.

You can find similar stories like this via Google, searching industry specific online magazines and media sources, or using keywords in Twitter. You may not find the perfect example after your first search, but if you alter your search terms and use quoted search strings, you will eventually find an article that will reinforce your stated position.

Try it for your next white paper and you’ll find that your reader will notice it and welcome the change.