Oh my. White papers. In my day-to-day blogging life, I get a lot of mileage out of humor, sarcasm, cluelessness, and being a dope in general. But a white paper is the one instance where you simply can’t joke around. You are expected to make a point, to explain, to elucidate, to persuade, to basically NOT be a dork. In other words, my safety net is gone.
For those who care to be illuminated on the topic, what are the necessary components of a white paper? Well, I pulled this from somewhere, and I can’t recall where. My regular readers know that I am always diligent about citing my sources. This time, I just can’t remember where I got this.
Anyway, a good white paper should do the following:
- Begin with a well developed overview/executive summary/abstract: Attention grabbing, one-paragraph summary of problem, solution and hint of results.
- State the Problem: Two-to-three paragraphs demonstrating your knowledge of your clients’ challenges and industry trends. Identify the main objectives of the paper.
- Describe your product: Incorporate design decisions; industry standards, testing and reliability; best practices and ease of use.
- Address how your product resolves the problem; tie the two together
Demonstrate with evidence. Illustrate with case studies and expert testimonials. Entice with: benefits and returns on investment (ROI) , future applications, developments, and timelines. - Conclude: with confidence and credibility
Refer to the abstract and summarize your main advantages
So, that’s the setup. The topic at hand is E-commerce, and why a small business owner should take the plunge into online retail. It’s a four part thing that included several interviews, tons of research and a bunch of anxiety about whether I sounded like I knew what I was talking about. I suppose I will let you be the judge. Of the four parts, the first two are online. Enjoy! Or, rather, endure!
E-commerce White Paper, el Parte Uno
A Lively Exchange 