White papers, guides and ebooks are time-intensive content marketing projects. It’s surprising that many B2B marketers put lots of time and resources into developing white papers and then simply post them on their websites and hope leads will pour in.
Unfortunately, it’s not this easy.
Here are seven ways you can promote your white papers to get more downloads, shares and leads:
1. Syndicate your white paper.
You can attract more leads by posting your white paper to a syndication service. These services will promote your white paper, and you usually pay for every lead they bring your way. Just be sure that your syndication service can get your white paper in front of your ideal customers and that you’re not paying for bad leads such as your competitors, students and consultants.
2. Collect leads on your blog.
When you publish a new white paper, think about how your blog can support it. For example, write a series of related articles for your blog. Each related article can contain a banner ad or non-invasive popup (such as OptinMonster) that directs readers to your white paper.
3. Give your sales team a cheat sheet.
I once created a two-page version of a white paper that a client could give to their sales team. The purpose of the white paper “cheat sheet” was to have something that was easy for salespeople to hand out to leads.
4. Host a webinar about your white paper’s topic.
Not all of your ideal customers will read a white paper. If you host a webinar that’s on the same topic as your white paper, you can reach a wider audience. There are several ways you can tie your white paper to your webinar:
- Make the webinar a next step readers can take after they download your white paper.
- Use the white paper as a bonus that attendees receive immediately after they sign up for your webinar.
- Include the white paper in your webinar’s resources and send it to attendees after the live event.
5. Convert your white paper into a SlideShare presentation.
SlideShare is a great channel to use if your audience responds to visuals. Post highlights from your white paper in a SlideShare presentation. Be sure to include lots of strong visuals and go light on the text. You can even add a lead generation form to your SlideShare presentation to connect with potential customers.
6. Drive targeted leads to your white papers via LinkedIn.
LinkedIn has advanced targeting features that let you put your ads in front of exactly the right audience. For example, you can target your audience by company size, job function, title and location. You can buy both ads and sponsored updates.
LinkedIn also offers lots of free ways to promote your white papers. For example, you can mention them in status updates on your company page or have your employees mention them in their status updates. You can also share them in groups that your ideal customers belong to. Just be sure to have a trustworthy reputation in the group before you share links to your white papers. If you come off as too ‘salesy’, you might get blocked from the group.
7. Get bloggers to talk about your white paper.
Getting your industry’s top bloggers to talk about your white paper can bring a lot of leads your way. However, you can’t send a press release to these bloggers and expect them to get excited. If you send a blogger a press release, they will probably ignore it.
Instead, build relationships with these bloggers before you ask them to do anything for you. Share their content and comment on their blog posts. Once you have a relationship, send them a link to your white paper’s direct download page, along with a personal email that explains why their readers will find it valuable.
Try some of these tips to promote your white paper to reach a wider audience. Also, remember to build excitement before your white paper goes live. For example, send out some social media and email teasers to spark interest in your new white paper.