A white paperis a combination between a magazine article and a brochure. The magazine part of the white paper has an educational influence on the reader and the brochure part has a persuasive effect on the reader. This marketing material sells the product or service indirectly.

A brochure is a direct selling marketing material that tries to persuade the reader right from the beginning without making an attempt to educate them. The brochure generally starts off with the benefits of using the service and convinces the reader to try out the product or service.

Both of them are quite powerful marketing tools which can be used for different audiences and to sell different products. But the white paper will always come out on top because it’s a brochure plus magazine article. It possesses both the persuasive quality of a brochure and the educative part of the magazine article.

Using its problems and solutions structure, it explains how the problem that is effecting the reader at the moment is troubling them, how this problem can be countered using the right solution and how the product or service offered by the company provides the required solution.

The brochure on the other hand provides little or no education at all. It just directly mentions the main problem and goes on to explain the benefits of using the product or service. No time is spent to create a rapport and relationship with the reader. This is where the brochure loses to the white paper.

The white paper spends sometime with the reader and builds a rapport with them. This lets the reader know that the problem is really affecting them and the solution provided by your product is the perfect solution, while a brochure doesn’t. A brochure just coaxes the reader to try out the product.

If you had a choice what would you prefer reading an educative white paper which will help you or a brochure that is going to directly persuade you to make a decision?

To learn how to write powerful white papers read our free white paper “Understand and Write White Papers”.

Published On: January 12th, 2012 / Categories: Blogging, Marketing Automation /

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