As you probably already know, a white paper can be extremely helpful for promoting your business and letting others know about the products and services that you have to offer. Unfortunately, however, many white papers fail. If you're wondering how you can ensure that your white papers serve their intended purpose, make sure that you follow these tips. Then, you could be surprised by the many people who will be interested in what your company has to offer.

1. Concentrate on a Very Specific Audience

One problem that many people make when writing their white papers is attempting to target too wide of an audience. Your white paper needs to speak to a very concentrated group of people in order for it to be effective. You shouldn't just target your white paper to business owners; instead, you should focus on business owners who own certain types of businesses that are of a certain size. Otherwise, your white paper could end up too long or could contain too much irrelevant information for your average reader. If necessary, write multiple white papers for different groups.

2. Dumb it Down

As a leader in the industry, you probably know everything that there is to know about your products, services and industry as a whole. Don't make the mistake of assuming that your readers do, though. Dumb things down a little, and avoid overly technical wordage. If your readers get confused and don't understand what you're talking about, there's a chance that they'll find a company that explains things differently.

3. Teach, Don't Sell

The point of your white paper might be to market your business and encourage people to look into your products and services, but you shouldn't make it obvious in your writing. Instead, you should focus on teaching about your industry and what your product or service is supposed to do. If your readers feel that your white paper is too promotional, they might be skeptical about what you say. If you focus on instruction, however, you can build trust while proving to your readers that your products and services are a necessity.

4. Hire a Professional

If you don't have experience or don't feel confident about your writing ability, hire a professional, such as Hoffman Marketing Communications, to write your white paper for you. It's better to hire a pro than put out a white paper that won't do its job effectively. You can also hire a professional to look over and edit your white paper if you would prefer to write it yourself.

White papers are a necessity for marketing. To ensure that yours is successful, follow these four tips.