56 of 60 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Unorganized book offers little that can't be found freely by searching, December 6, 2006
This review is from: The White Paper Marketing Handbook (Hardcover)
Bob Bly is a wonderful person and a very good copywriter. But I don't like this book. It seems to go all over the place and yet no place. It really doesn't educate you on writing a white paper. Doesn't get into format or much else.
You can find much more by doing a search.
I know I'll get a lot of "not helpful" clicks. But that's okay. I gotta' tell it the way I see it. And, of course, it's only my opinion.
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18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Highly Instructive and Eminently Practical, September 26, 2006
This review is from: The White Paper Marketing Handbook (Hardcover)
For those who are interested in understanding the potential value of white papers to business development and customer relationships, this book and Michael Stelzner's Writing White Papers are the most valuable resources on the subject that I have as yet encountered. I strongly recommend both. Opinions vary as to the origin of the genre. Both Bly and Stelzner seem to agree that white papers can be traced back at least to early in the 20th century when what was then referred to as a "white book" consisted of informatiuon published by a national government. Perhaps the most famous is the "British White Paper of 1922" (also known as the "Churchill White Paper") in which the political conflict in Palestine is discussed. Interest in the commercial potentialities of white papers has increased rapidly and substantially in recent years and my own opinion is that exploration and fulfillment of those potentialities has only begun.
In this volume, Robert Bly explains with rigor and eloquence "how to generate more leads and sales with white papers, special reports, booklets, and CDs." As he notes, some of the most common white paper types include technology briefings, buyer's guides, planning and implementation guides, application guides, ROI guides, case studies, business implication discussions, strategy discussions, industry trend overviews, and issues analyses.
Here's a key point which both Bly and Stelzner stress repeatedly: A white paper must never be -- or be perceived to be -- an "infomercial" in print form. Yes, Bly observes in the Introduction that the white paper "serves the same sales purpose as a brochure...to sell or help sell a product or service...but reads and looks liker an article or other important piece of authoratative, objective information...But make no mistake, both the brochure and the white paper have the same ultimate objective: to sell or help sell your company's product or service."Nonetheless, the emphasis throughout his book is on selecting, producing, and distributing content which will be of interest and value to those who receive it. It may well "sell or help sell" but it never "sells"; rather, it makes a favorable impression on the recipient...even better, it can create a sense of gratitude to the provider.
When explaining "Your White Paper Marketing Plan" in Chapter 3, Bly suggests a ten-step process:
1. Determine Your Target Market
2. Problem Identification
3. Solution Identification
4. Content
5. Media
6. Tactics
7. Schedule
8. Budget
9. Objectives
10. Measurement
Keep in mind that Bly has written what he describes as a "marketing handbook." His focus is always on the ten-step process of creating or increasing demand for (whatever) by effective use of the white paper. His book, therefore, is an operations manual which provides cohesive, comprehensive, and cost-effective explanations and suggestions as to HOW to do that.
My own rather extensive experience with white papers (loosely defined) is that they are most effective, indeed essential to the cultivation rather than the solicitation process. But to repeat, the content must have inherent value and be directly responsive to whatever problem, question, or interest the recipient has identified...or is at least likely to have. That is why it is so important to determine the appropriate target market. When hand-presented and especially when mailed, the given item must attract immediate interest and then sustain it with information which is perceived to be (by the recipient) not only relevant but valuable.
Here's an acid test for use of white papers as a hand-out at a tradeshow booth: How many are kept by recipients and taken with them rather than tossed into a wastebasket, probably in a hotel room?
Of special interest to me were the ten case studies in Chapter 10, "Measuring and Improving Your Results." Each demonstrates several of the core principles which Bly had explained earlier in his book. Practical applications in real-world situations are always instructive. Readers will also appreciate the provision of "Resources" in Appendix A and "Model Documents" in Appendix B.
Initially, I said that I highly recommend both this book and Michael Stelzner's Writing White Papers. That's true. I also strongly suggest that both be purchased and then carefully read. True, Bly and Stelzner cover much of the same ground but there are significant differences between their two books and that is highly beneficial because, as Bly's ten-step process correctly indicates, there are important issues to consider. Absorbing and digesting the material in both books will assist substantially the process by which important decisions are made.
Robert Bly encourages those who read this book to check out a wealth of resources available at http://www.bly.com/newsite/home.html.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bly Strikes Again!, March 9, 2006
This review is from: The White Paper Marketing Handbook (Hardcover)
Bob Bly - copywriting master extraordinaire - has done it again in The White Paper Marketing Handbook.
A few years back people were saying White Papers were dead, but in my market (B2G), they never went totally away, and over the past year or two have made a strong comeback.
People can learn a ton from this book. With the cost of leads continaully rising, the ability to use White Papers to generate qualified leads should add to all B2B bottom lines.
A book long overdue from one of the few capable of producing a use-able book on the topic.
Not that I have an opinion.
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