Ebooks and white papers: better lead generation
Jinfo Blog

By Ann Marie Plankey

Abstract

Ebooks and white papers that is audience-focused is a great mechanism for generating leads. Account manager Ann Marie Plankey shares some tips about how to create effective content through which to build a lead list.

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We recently shared with you our advice on avoiding transactional messages in email blasts. But what should you use instead of the "free trial" or product demo offer to generate new, targeted leads?

Our work with sponsors suggests that ebooks and white papers are an excellent option which yields results.

Consider recent results:

• One sponsor sent a very simple, clean email blast offering a white paper to the FreePint subscriber list, and quickly generated nearly 400 targeted leads.
• Another started to plan around a "free trial" message, but took our advice to focus on a topical ebook instead. The mailing generated over 200 downloads, accompanied by detailed contact information for each visitor.

However, not just any report will do: Another sponsor tried messaging focused on a free sample of one of its premium reports. Although this mailing generated interest and leads, it was not nearly as successful as those that used ebooks or white papers as the lead-generator.

A few examples

One sponsor who has taken advantage of our content development options for several years is J. J. Keller & Associates, a US-based publisher of resources relating to government regulations in human resources, job safety, and transportation. J. J. Keller has plenty of its own content, but most is designed for the end user (e.g., the shop foreman) rather than the library or information centre.

To generate leads of information professionals who could be prospective customers, J. J. Keller asked FreePint for help creating custom reports. Over the past few years, we've used our DocuTicker content to create reports on Occupational Health and Safety, Anti-Discrimination, Unemployment Benefits and similar topics.

Another sponsor, Springer, wants to identify information professionals with interest in scientific, technical and medical (STM) topics. Because this is a big arena, we are creating reports focused on STM content for specific industries, such as IT, legal and finance. These free, practical reports will be the centrepiece of a series of mailings to accomplish two things: 1) raise awareness of Springer, through co-branding in the reports and 2) build lists of registrants based on industry and interest.

Request samples of these reports. If you'd like to have a look - email me at annmarie.plankey@freepint.com for copies.

Which content?

So what makes some types of content effective for generating leads? The best ebooks or white papers will be:

• Focused on a need the prospective lead wants to address, such as new skill development
• Suggestive of the solution the sponsor can provide but NOT "advertorial" in nature
• Short, well-designed and easy to digest.

We often build on our editorial resources to create ebooks or white papers for sponsors and vendors, and when we do so, we try to tease out the kind of "pain" an ideal lead is feeling. What challenges does this sponsor's ideal customer have? When we answer this question, and create targeted custom content to address it, we know we can identify the kinds of people that sponsor will want to talk to.

Ebook? White paper?

We've been asked what the difference is between ebooks and white papers... and the truth is that there is no real distinction. Either is educational content delivered digitally.

Part of a package, or stand-alone

FreePint can create ebooks and white papers as part of a sponsorship package based around email blasts, or as stand-alone resources you can incorporate into your marketing and lead-generation efforts.

Request a proposal, and indicate interest in ebooks and white papers.

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