 Inside the Buying Cycle: They Requested a White Paper, Now What?
In many B2B marketing campaigns, an educational white paper is used as an offer to invite prospects to learn more about a company's products or services. White papers are extremely valuable tools, especially for those companies selling to a technical audience. The inquisitive, intellectual nature of scientists and engineers makes white papers a slam-dunk.
But, marketing teams often make the mistake of thinking that a white paper inquiry is a qualified prospect, ready to hand off to sales. The problem is that a buyer at this stage may not be far enough down the road for sales, or even telemarketing.
White papers are highly effective in the very early stages of the buying cycle, when a potential prospect is looking for new ways to solve problems. When done right, white papers give your company the chance to differentiate your products and services and build preference with your approach to the scenario at hand. They also become important leave-behind materials that get shared with others on the buying team.
However, it is important that you not overestimate the buyer's mindset after they have downloaded a paper from your web site. Nothing rubs a buyer the wrong way like having a sales conversation before they are ready. And if your audience is a technical one, their patience for sales personnel is limited, at best.
What Should You Do with a White Paper Lead?
Ideally, a white paper inquiry needs to be pointed in the right direction, a direction that will help him learn more and move further through the discovery phase of the buying cycle. The goal is to get the prospect to move to the evaluation stage and bring your company in as one of the participants.
Consider integrating visitor prompts into your web site, such as "Next Suggested Steps: Sign Up for a Webinar", or "Download article: 10 Steps To Consider When...", etc. At this point, the prospect really needs help figuring out where your business and products fit in with everything else, and how you are different. Develop materials or programs that are designed to help an interested prospect sort through the information. These include such marketing staples as buying guides, webinars and seminars, as well as articles in magazines. Guiding the information gathering process becomes especially critical when you're selling technical products with an assortment of bells and whistles for a variety of applications. For instance, prospects may not know the inherent differences between JavaScript code and native C++ code. Make it simple. Make it informative. Build the preference for your approach early.
Make the Process Memorable
Navigating complex technology decisions can quickly morph into information overload. The more you can help prospects through this process, the more likely your company will get on the evaluation list.
Think of it this way -- how does it feel when you are sitting at a restaurant and your waitress is 100 % on the ball? She refills your coffee effortlessly and knows exactly when to stop by your table; it's a memorable experience. Make buying technology products from your company a memorable experience. Walk in a buyer's shoes. What would you recommend they read first? What are the next steps? Don't leave this to chance.
Shape the path that your potential prospects will take when making decisions about your products and services. By helping them make smarter decisions, you will make a positive company imprint in the buyers mind early, and set the stage for a great relationship with this future customer.
Find out more about Managing the Buy Cycle.
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