First: for each exchange content, a tone of voice
The first element to take into account in any lead generation strategy is your persona , which will define, among other things, the tone of voice you should adopt. This information will be decisive, since the tone of voice – somewhere between academic and colloquial – is one of the main differences between a White Paper and an eBook:
Therefore, if you intend to capture, for example, the interest of IT professionals in your website dedicated to hardware support services, you should probably invest in a more academic tone, typical of a White Paper .
If you offer digital marketing services and want to offer rich content showing the difference in your strategies, the eBook language is a more suitable option.
Conversion-based decision
Another important point to take into consideration is, if you want to generate leads , the strategic phone number list philippines purpose of your exchange material is the exact moment to engage your target audience.
In this context, White Papers work best in strategies that invest in decision-making via B2B , offering quantitative information, with raw data that can be assimilated by experts in the field.
EBooks are more suited to B2C decision-making , less quantitative and more qualitative, with less measurable gains for the reader, but greater symbolic value, with information that enriches their understanding of the market at a level of positioning and trends.
Decision based on stages of the purchasing journey
You should also think about what stage your prospect is at in their buying journey .
White Papers are used to position your brand as an expert on the subject matter of the material and encourage consumers to make an improved purchasing decision based on your credibility. In other words, bottom-of-the-funnel content.
Ebooks are used to initiate the sales process and/or spark customer interest in other products that can complement the experience. In other words, they are located at an earlier stage of the sales funnel.
So, when to use eBook or White Paper?
It's true, it's important to take into account the points in this post, as well as the other materials we've produced on the subject, but in some situations, your context will demand extraordinary measures, and in that case, the creativity and expertise your company has will count.
Analyze the scenario, review your funnel and be strategic. This way, you will know exactly what type of content you should offer to convert your ideal customer.