The 3-Month Plan for Using Whitepapers to Generate Leads

In session six of the Lead Generation Quick-Start Series , Henry Bruce , president of the Rock Annand Group , says that in order to convert more leads into deals, you need to focus on lead quality over quantity. To do that, you need to demonstrate thought leadership, or a commitment to the target audience.

So you have your product, service, idea, etc., right? And you want to draw in your audience, right? You can easily do this as long as you focus on your buyers' problems by establishing solutions and providing results.

So what is the ideal way to do this? Develop a whitepaper (a problem-solving guide) from scratch!

First, brainstorm the whitepaper.

• Make sure it is repurposed         
• Don’t mention your product
• First, focus on the problem in relation to the buyer
• Then, focus on the solution        

In the end, your whitepaper should present the problem, the solution, and offer an example of a client who used this solution to achieve results.

Next, create the whitepaper.

A whitepaper is a bit different than a blog post:

            Blog Post     vs.     Whitepaper

            500-600 words     vs.     800-1,000 words

            Usually 1 point     vs.     Usually 2-3 points

Okay, you have your whitepaper. Now you need to craft a 90-day campaign to achieve your goals.

3-Month Campaign for Whitepaper Lead Gen Success

[Month 1] To promote the whitepaper, distribute it to your target audience.

• Send it in an email
• Promote a link to the whitepaper in social media, such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn
• Introduce the whitepaper in a blog post

[Month 2] Turn it into a webinar!

Pull in more of your target audience! Some of your prospects might prefer content in the form of a presentation over text. Convert the content of the whitepaper into webinar form to get more leverage out of your whitepaper's content.

[Month 3] Once you have everything, offer it all in one place.

Create a new landing page including the entire campaign: whitepaper, blog posts, webinar, and an ebook if you wrote one. Include a conversion form on your landing page to grant access to your whitepaper kit and generate leads from the process .

Think you're done? Go the extra mile!

Recycle and re-purpose for more content.

• Create additional blog posts directing back to the whitepaper.
• Since many people are more audio and visually-focused, create voice-over slides and 2 to 3 minute YouTube videos to capture interest.

Wondering how to create a whitepaper if you're just getting started? Start with what you have, and generate the whitepaper from already-developed content.

What successes have you had in using whitepapers to generate leads?