White Papers – A Must Have

According to Investopedia a white paper is defined as “an informational document issued by a company to promote or highlight the features of a solution, product or service. White papers are designed to be used as a marketing tool before a sale.” In other words, white papers should educate on a topic relevant to the author’s line of business. White papers are not meant to sell a product, but rather, provide a useful tool as a courtesy in hopes of creating or strengthening a business relationship.

In a highly competitive industry such as the direct investment (DI) space, sponsors hunt for ways to differentiate themselves from their peers while strengthening relationships with their broker dealer partners and the financial advisors who sell their products. Another hurdle sponsors must often overcome is the complex nature of their offerings.

Direct Investments, intended for accredited investors, typically only account for 3 to 20% of a portfolio with the balance invested in many other investments. Sponsors are not only competing with one another in the DI space, but they also compete with other products when it comes to an advisor’s time and attention. 

White papers provide an opportunity to stand out and educate advisors on the nuances of DI offerings. In other markets such as mutual funds or 401k plans, most firms offer several white papers on various topics. 

For DI sponsors, white papers educate broker dealers and advisors, while strengthening those relationships. They also provide DI wholesalers a fighting chance as they compete against the hundreds of annuity, mutual fund, etf, 401k, and other product wholesalers.

Does your firm offer white papers? Tell us about it by emailing news@thediwire.com.