A whitepaper is any report on a particular topic that is authoritative and persuasive. It carefully analyses a problem and provides solutions to it, while providing real-world examples.

A whitepaper would typically introduce the problem with a possible history and causes. At this stage, general research by industry leaders would be included as supporting evidence and to demonstrate that everyone is in the same boat. It then provides a step-by-step guide to address that problem.

Whitepapers have proven to be one of the best ways for law firms to capture leads. It is a form of marketing that persuades clients, promotes your services, and garners Google hits.

The primary purpose of a whitepaper is to help readers, users, and clients understand a particular issue better. When a business creates a whitepaper, it positions its audience to come

to the conclusion that the particular solution proposed within the whitepaper offers the best possible outcome.

Other reasons for developing a whitepaper include:

• To influence the decision-making process of customers – current and prospective.
• To address your client’s pain points.
• To increase the perceived value of your services.
• To provide clarity on a seemingly complex issue.
• To promote a particular service.
• To rank higher on Google for a particular search phrase.

Whitepapers have become a preferred tools for law firm marketing departments. They are incredibly effective at capturing leads for potential clients, while also outlining your USP and delivering value.

To reap the benefits of whitepapers for business growth, it should be comprehensive practical, and directed towards one particular topic. Additionally, whitepapers are most effective when they:

• Form part of your law firm’s overall content marketing strategy.
• Are well-written, well-researched, and relatively free of jargon.
• Address a topic your readers are interested in.
• Are research-backed and rely on credible sources.
• Are thoughtfully designed and branded.

Whitepapers and eBooks are both longer form pieces of content that form part of a more advanced content marketing strategy. While there are similarities between these two, the most obvious one being length, they differ in several ways:

• Whitepapers target a specific niche within your audience while eBooks target a more general audience.
• Whitepapers are typically more formal and include more academic references than eBooks.
• Whitepapers identify a specific problem and provide a practical solution while eBooks include general information about a topic.

The primary purpose of content creation for law firms is to increase brand awareness and to generate new leads. Whitepapers and reports are two good ways to go about this. While these two share some similarities, there are differences. Understanding these differences will help you determine which content best suits your law firm’s objectives.

• Whitepapers are opinion pieces that are backed by technical insights from credible sources. Reports, on the other hand, tend to rely on theoretical research.
• Whitepapers identify a problem and provide a solution in an effort to persuade customers to engage your law firm. Reports tend to outline the current state of affairs.
• Whitepapers provide practical solutions to the problem outlined in the paper. Meanwhile, reports pose options for further research or outline an array of potential solutions.