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IT White Papers May Need Spicing Up
By Doug Caverly
Staff Writer
Article Date: 2010-11-11
Every day, different news outlets relay about the same facts about the same stories, but based on presentation styles, people have strong preferences. This may be a lesson for professionals who deal in white papers (and especially technical white papers), as making things interesting can pay off.
Earlier this week, Larry Blitz posted an article labeling IT white papers "the world's greatest cure for insomnia." He argued, "[T]he majority of IT white papers are boring and obtuse. And far too many are written in dense, overly-technical language that only an IT geek can get excited about reading."
Other people apparently feel the same way, as well, given that 44.8 percent of people responding to a poll agreed that "vendors should have their keyboards taken away until they can write a coherent sentence."
Perhaps this inelegant approach works in favor of white papers' authors every now and then; it's possible some readers just buy a product or service as a form of surrender, rather than puzzle their way through the whole document. But it's probably a better idea to entertain readers, or at least not put them to sleep.
Blitz recommended, "Keep it simple. Speak in plain language. Drop the interminable buzzwords and phrases. Tell prospects what the software will do for them in terms of benefits, not features. And use concrete examples taken from real life situations."
Try to respect the readers' time, as well, by not throwing a 60-page tome at them when a 6-page overview would probably do the trick.
About the Author:
Doug is a staff writer for WebProNews. Visit WebProNews for the latest eBusiness news.
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