According to the “Eccolo Media 2009 B2B Technology Collateral Survey Report,” white papers are the most influential form of collateral for tech buyers. Eccolo surveyed the use of B2B technology collateral during tech purchases. When compared to other collateral, white papers came out on top.
Tech buyers found "most influential": white papers 38%, brochures 28%, case studies 22%, videos 9%, podcast 3%:
The study also offered useful information on how to make white papers more influential:
"When asked to rank which factors would most likely increase
the influence of a white paper, respondents most
frequently responded that providing detailed technical
information would increase influence, closely followed by real-life use cases and new industry developments. Likewise, we asked respondents to rank those factors that would decrease the influence of white papers. Respondents most frequently indicated that poorly presented information would decrease a white paper’s influence, closely followed by too much focus on a product or vendor, and no inclusion of real-life case studies."
Download the study for free (reg required).
White papers can be extremely useful sales tools for IT solution sales people, serving as education and decision-support materials for customers.
Posted by: Lilian | November 06, 2009 at 04:05 PM