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White papers are precious documents for anyone who sells technical equipment, or complex solutions to challenging problems. Their aim is to both educate and sell. The challenge, though, is to make them visually appealing enough to keep the reader engaged from start to finish.  3 design tips to catch your customers' attention1. Make use of graphics and icons to direct your reader's attention to key points For a white paper to be effective white space and colour can be just as important as the text you choose. Using directional cues such as arrows, bold text and icons to ‘point’ your reader's attention in a specific direction can help time pressed readers to understand your message quickly. 2. Use quotes to highlight key points Using block quotes in a larger font, or a different colour is a simple and effective way to help your message stand out. As well as adding visual variation to your white paper, you can reinforce key takeaway messages you want your reader to remember. 3. Use white space to surround and highlight important points. A well designed white paper should be a pleasure to read. That means making good use of white space to support the selective use of colourful graphics and well placed text. Visual variability is important in a medical white paper, especially when explaining complex technical data. Blending your in-house branding colours into bar charts, infographics and charts can make your paper much easier to understand. Selectively adding white space to your document will also help your key message be remembered. Need some help?
I'm just an email away. White papers are a growing trend when it comes to marketing medical devices and they’re an excellent way of showing potential customers how you can meet their needs and solve some of their most pressing clinical problems. Described as a cross between an academic essay and a sales brochure, it’s an eye-catching document that's full of educational material subtly enticing the reader to want to know more. The challenge, of course, is writing for both medical staff who want to understand the science behind the device, as well as the administrative staff who are focused on the business benefits and who may have the final say over budgets. Blending these two writing styles is the art of white paper writing The aim then is to both educate and subtly sell at the same time, and it’s essential to get the balance right. White papers are particularly useful for companies trying to market a complex technology or service that requires potential customers to do some background research before making a decision.  Here are 5 quick tips to keep your white paper uppermost in your prospective clients’ minds. 1. Know who your intended audience is and write specifically for them. A well written white paper should help your prospective customer make a decision about your product. This makes it essential to know as much about them as possible before the writing process begins. Consider . . .
2. Conduct a thorough literature search. Writing a white paper for a complex medical device begins with conducting a thorough literature search. Without access to up to date, high-quality research, it’s impossible to write a white paper with sufficient academic credibility to be taken seriously. 3. Make good use of colour, font size and graphics Most readers won’t read your white paper from beginning to end on the first sitting. They need to be enticed to read more with well placed colourful graphics, pull quotes, box-outs and bullet points. Do this well, and your reader will be much more likely to give your white paper the time and attention it deserves.  4. Begin with a concise executive summary It’s likely that your reader will be pressed for time. This is why writing a concise summary at the beginning of the paper is good way of helping them understand your key points quickly. A well written executive is an excellent way of encouraging your potential customer to read more. 5. Acknowledge problems and provide solutions. A well written white paper should always begin by acknowledging the clinical challenges that the reader cares about. Only once you have shown that you understand the readers problems, should you go on to talk about the solutions. Last but not least don’t forget a simple call to action right at the end of the paper so your customers know how to contact you. It’s no secret that white papers are amongst the most useful marketing tools you can use to influence purchasing decisions and boost customer engagement. But they need to be carefully thought through. Why? Well, there’s a lot that needs to go into a white paper before the first words are ever written and it’s the planning stage that is most often overlooked. No matter if you are using your in-house writers or hiring a freelance writer, planning is essential when it comes to white paper writing. Without a good plan, or creative brief in place important information can get overlooked.  So what key questions should you be discussing at the planning stage? Questions about teamwork.
 Questions about content and structure.
Compared to other forms of marketing, creating a white paper generally takes more time, involves more people, and requires a greater overall investment, so it’s important to get the groundwork right. Remember, once written a white paper can provide an excellent source of content to re-purpose into slide decks, blog posts and other bite sized content to attract your customers' attention |
Anne Watkins
Hi, I'm Anne, welcome to the Mind Body Ink blog. 
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