Blog

White papers and case studies are the two most convincing, cost-effective marketing materials a B2B technology vendor can produce. But when should you use them? What are their key differences? Here’s a quick rundown.

Case Studies

At 1-2 pages in length, delivered in PDF from a website or in paper format, case studies make ideal sales documents.  

Like extended testimonials, they feature stories; often including subjective, anecdotal evidence, showing how a customer successfully implemented a vendor’s technology.  And the benefits they gained from working with that vendor.

Case studies are quick to produce – 2 weeks at most – and require less research than a white paper. They’re hands down the cost-effective piece of marketing literature that any technology company can produce.

For £400 - £800, a business can commission a magazine-quality case study, guaranteed to reassure any prospect facing a similar challenge.

When do case studies work best? Later on in the buying cycle, when prospects are looking for anecdotal evidence proving your technology has worked for a company facing a similar challenge.

White Papers

Generally, 6-10 pages in length, delivered in print or PDF too, modern white papers are most effective at drawing prospects into your sales funnel.

That’s because they educate and persuade prospective buyers at the start of their buying cycle when they’re looking for solid information about the business and technical benefits of a technology.  They’re not looking to be sold on your technology yet.

White papers  naturally take longer to produce than case studies – often up to 6 weeks - because they require a good deal of research. But for generating B2B technology leads, nothing can beat an effective modern white paper.

For £1000 - £2000, a B2B technology vendor can commission a white paper guaranteed to promote discussion inside a prospect’s company, educate your sales force, and spread your company’s expertise to a wider audience.

Now you know more about this powerful team, why not put them to work in your B2B technology marketing?

Why do prospects search out white papers? It’s because they want solid, unbiased information. They’re looking for answers to nagging business or technical questions.  

They most definitely do not want to be sold to…not yet, anyway.

Marketers who produce the most effective white papers know why. They know that by delivering valuable information in a white paper, they are building trust in their company.

And this is hugely important for technology buyers. It’s part of their job to know about the latest technologies, and to make recommendations to their peers. An effective white paper promotes valuable discussion across departments and at board level.

At the same time, white papers help to educate your sales force and improve the outcomes of sales meetings with prospects. Further afield, an effective white paper spreads your company’s expertise to a wider audience across the Internet.

So no matter how tempted you are to launch into a sales pitch, it pays to keep it on the back burner. By all means mention you offer a solution at the end of your white paper. But keep it as brief as possible.

Tell don't sell in your white paper. Focus on educating your prospect - not selling your product. By offering this intellectual capital now, you build trust: you prepare the ground for selling later on.