Answering the white paper question with a strategy

Last year, our team would cringe when it came around to the “it’s time to write another whitepaper” discussion. It wasn’t that we couldn’t see their importance as a new business tool to attract potential new clients, and engage current clients with ideas to help them build their business. It wasn’t that we weren’t looking forward to the brain stimulating research that would benefit our own life learning and the addition to the team knowledge base. It WAS the painful decision of what to write about, how long it should be, and whether the hours spent researching and writing would be worthwhile. As my personal goal this year is to fit in a white paper each quarter into to my regular responsibilities to clients and the firm, I am increasingly aware of how valuable resources are in this economy, and wanted to make sure we were being smart in our white paper approach. I had to ask myself whether it was acceptable to be reactive as we have been in the past; to rush and write on all these varied topics without first looking at it from a strategic approach. This question led to my first white paper topic of 2011 a white paper about white paper/educational marketing strategy… which is completed, just under the wire for the 1st quarter. At dio we believe that great creative usually stems from a sound strategic plan. In that context, white papers are no different than a television spot or a print advertisement. We took a look at how the white paper has evolved into a commercial educational tool with a high return on investment, and explored the ways a strategic approach can enhance your return on those valuable hours of research and writing. Please check out the whitepaper at: http://www.diousa.com/dio/WHITEPAPERS_files/educational%20marketing.pdf I look forward to your feedback! Glenn Cudaback Account Director