When it comes to content, the way you use it is just as important as the care you put into creating it.

Whitepapers and case studies are two popular types of content that companies can use to showcase their expertise and thought leadership, and to highlight client successes. They provide a deep dive into critical business issues and offer supportive examples with quantifiable results that demonstrate the value of a product or service.

  • Whitepapers are in-depth reports on a specific – often advanced – topic that presents a problem and a solution. They are often created to showcase a company’s expertise or innovation on a certain topic or new trend. Whitepapers take a traditional blog post to the next level, drilling down to nitty gritty concepts, often relying on academic, association or government research for source material.
  • Case Studies are offer detailed accounts of how a product or service helped solve a problem for a client. They clearly state a problem, scenario, solution and quantifiable results. Case studies can be an invaluable resource to establish proof of your product’s or service’s validity.

To generates sales leads from these pieces, consider the following:

Create an Email Incentive

Want to grow your email list? Offer a free whitepaper download for those who enter their information. By making this content available exclusively to email subscribers, you can increase your company’s thought leadership while building a list of relevant contacts whom you can nurture through a marketing funnel.

Publish on Your Website

A whitepaper or case study can help you explain a complex topic and educate potential customers who visit your website. Consider creating a dedicated landing page so you can tailor sales messages, track visitors and collect data. Use strategic “calls-to-action” to encourage visitors to download the documents and inquire for more information about your services or products.

Thoughtfully building a library of high quality content can also boost your website’s search engine rankings for key industry terms and topics. As you continue to build your library of content, focus on various educational topics that resonate with different segments of your audience to further augment SEO.

Provide Your Sales Team with Valuable Tools

A case study or whitepaper can be a valuable resource that your sales force can use in direct outreach to potential customers. These resources can serve as leave-behinds that showcase quantifiable results and provide more context to help guide the decision-making process.

High-level information and statistics from these documents can also be repurposed into a sales presentation to further drive home the expertise and value your company provides.

Incorporate Content into Your PR Strategy

Don’t forget about whitepapers and case studies when creating PR plans. These pieces are often attractive to trade publications due to their in-depth analyses and stories of innovation and success in your industry

Some publications may use your content as-is, or a reporter may interview a spokesperson on the topic. Providing high quality, relevant information in the form of whitepapers or case studies will show reporters that they can rely on your company for commentary on the latest trends.

Sponsor Content on Social Media

Sponsoring posts helps expand the reach of your content to a targeted audience. Strategically boosting posts about your whitepaper or case study – and linking to a landing page with an email incentive – can help you develop a marketing funnel and increase brand awareness.

Provide Content as a Webinar Gift

If you host webinars, provide relevant whitepapers or case studies to participants after the session as a free gift. Doing so will reinforce key points discussed in the webinar and establish your company’s position as a thought leader.

Investing in the time to create and effectively promote whitepapers and case studies will benefit multiple facets of your marketing, PR and sales strategies. Your audience will come to know your company for providing insightful information and remaining on top of key trends.