The Importance of Bottom Line Messages in White Paper Marketing

The Importance of Bottom Line Messages in White Paper Marketing:

If you agree that the purpose of a white paper is to convince a reader to the benefit of a particular position using valid educational content, at some point in that process a writer must reach a bottom line conclusion for that reader.

Surprisingly, what may seem like an obvious and required white paper marketing task, is frequently absent from many white paper examples. Rather than providing a clear bottom line statement, the “bottom line” is embedded within one or more places in the white paper content.

What’s the problem with a white paper that does not have a clear bottom line message?

Leaving the task of determining the bottom line up to the reader, assumes that readers WILL read ALL of the white paper content and figure out that bottom line message on their own. That’s a pretty huge assumption. If you get it wrong, your white paper marketing dollars will be wasted.

Given today’s short attention reader, white paper marketers cannot assume that the reader will read all of your content. In fact, most won’t, preferring instead to skim your whitepaper sample looking for visually appealing components such as bullets, pull quotes, charts, concept graphics, and summaries.

Your bottom line message should stand out as well, so that your reader will read it during that ‘skim reading’ process and get it from the start.

You can never repeat your bottom line message too frequently. Here are some tips you can use to ensure that your ‘short attention’ white paper reader clearly gets your bottom-line message:

1. Formulate a Succinct Bottom Line – Sometimes writers can spend several pages describing the head of a pin, instead of calling it by its simple name. Re-read your content, and distill your bottom line message to one or two sentences.
2. Problem and/or Solution – There are two areas in a white paper where you can use a bottom line message, at the end of the business challenge section, and at the end of your solution/strategy section. You can use them in both, but you run the risk of diluting your solution message. If there are too many “bottom lines” they tends to diminish the impact of the one you want to clearly deliver to the reader.
3. Use the Shaded Text Box – Make your bottom line message stand out by using the “Insert/Text Box” command in MS-Word. Highlight your bottom line message, surround it in a dedicated box, and shade the box with a light grey color.
4. Use an Executive and/or Concluding Summary Reference – Referencing a bottom line message in an Executive or Concluding summary engages your reader, but you don’t want to spoil the impact of your reader seeing it for the first time in the main content section. Instead provide a generic, high-level description.For example, instead of using the bottom line message “cuts operating costs by one third”, you can say “makes a more compelling business case” in your summary section.

If you would like to learn additional white paper marketing tips, please download a FREE sample chapter of my book, “Crafting White Paper 2.0”. If you would like to purchase a copy, it’s only $9.99 and available via the Apple iBookstore.