« White Papers: Key to Insurance Content Marketing »
Trish Fischer
Commercial lines property and casualty insurance companies stand to gain a lot from content marketing in the form of white papers. These are not the printed and bound text-heavy, encyclopedic white papers of yesteryear. We’re talking streamlined, digitally-distributed white papers with easy-to-read text and helpful full-color visuals.
White Papers Built for Speed
Modern white papers are distributed as PDF downloads via the Internet. They are promoted on websites, in blog posts, as tweets and Facebook updates, through Slideshare presentations, podcasts and Youtube videos. And let’s not forget promoting them through online newsletters, online press releases and even signature lines on email messages.
Soft Sell with White Papers
Today’s white papers focus on a single issue, trend or industry solution and present that topic in an objective, thorough and compelling fashion. They do not overtly sell. Instead, they educate prospective clients in a nonvendor-specific way. Content marketing through white papers is perfect for commercial insurers who pursue accounts with sizeable premium and complex risk exposure that require a longer more “educational” sales process. The better you can help potential commercial policyholders understand the risks they face, and the newest and best practices to mitigate those risks, the more likely your company is to eventually get the sale.
Why White Papers Work
Eccolo Media, a marketing firm that conducts ongoing research on the use of collateral marketing materials for the technology industry, has helped me understand why white papers are so important in today’s marketing mix. I believe their findings translate to commercial lines insurers who are pursuing large accounts with complex risk exposures. I encourage you to visit the Eccolo Media publications page for further reading on the value of white papers. Here’s a breakdown of what their ongoing research supports:
- White papers impact purchasing decisions
- White papers get shared (both digitally and as print outs)
- Decision-makers read white papers
- Decision-makers at larger businesses rely on white papers more so than their counterparts at smaller companies
- White papers prove most effective early in the sales cycle
- Decision-makers value well-written white papers
