Question

Topic: Other

Incentives To Get People To Write White Papers?

Posted by Anonymous on 9/6/2005 at 2:50 PM ET 125 Points
In the past, I have known companies to develop incentive programs to get their technical experts to write white papers and other documentation that make great marketing tools. Does anyone out there have any experience with this? If so, what type of incentives were used? Was it more effective than just getting an outside writer to do it?


The challenge is to get the internal product and technology staff to write or contribute to these kinds of materials when it's not necessarily in their job descriptions or falls low, waaaaay low, on their lists of priorities.

Any feedback is welcomed!
To continue reading this question and the solution, sign up ... it's free!
SUBSCRIBE
Or, SIGN IN

RESPONSES

  • Posted by michael on 9/6/2005 at 3:20 PM Member
    You may be better off personalizing the incentive. Whether it's travel, stored value cards or a cash payment based on percentage or sales, talk to them first. Keep in mind that they are your INTERNAL customer and will not "buy" what you sell without you understanding what motivates them.

    Michael
  • Posted on 9/6/2005 at 7:31 PM Member
    I've been hired to write several different articles and white papers that subtly merchandise a client's products/services. Money is a great incentive!

    If it's the internal audience you want, try setting up a bonus program. IBM has one for its technical staff, and they seem to have found the right payment level to get the articles and white papers they need. (I think they even have an escalating program, so a person gets more for the 6th, 7th and 8th articles than for the 1st and 2nd.)

    You can try issuing points that are convertible into gifts, but those don't seem to get people as excited as the equivalent in cash.
  • Posted on 9/7/2005 at 9:14 AM Accepted
    To my way of thinking, Lindam, you have a bit of a bigger problem -- that is, they don't see this as part of their job description. While incentives are one method to get the job done, I can think of several others that could change the mindset and viewpoint of a few people.

    First, the job description issue. This is a bigger issue than just you -- ususally at the director or VP level. The need to share information and SELL the product should be a concern of everyone in the org -- including those pesky (I use this knowingly and affectionately) engineers or TEs (tech experts). I would suggest first, before any incentives are offered, that you work to get the support of the the department head -- even get the mktg VP involved with the his/her peer engineering VP to change the system and perspective.

    Second, the process. The process of writing white papers can be made less painful for the engineer. First, there is a need to define what kind of white paper you want -- here are several ideas:
    Planning Guide. Presents guidelines for implementing a service, product, or technology.
    Issues Analysis. Describes situational or operational issues and offers the company’s viewpoint and recommendations.
    Application Digest. Reviews potential applications for a service, product, or technology.
    Technology Briefing. Explains a new or underlying technology that is incorporated into your products.
    Strategy Discussion. Describes strategies planned by your company that are recommended to customers.
    Industry Trend Overview. Analyzes current market, operational, or technological trends.

    Next, determine the expertise of your tech experts
    Next, write the abstract (the thesis and goal)
    Next, an outline of what can be covered
    Next, get the TE to write as much as they can to cover the topic and meet the goal (Another way is to get a professional tech writer to interview and write it, using the TE as reviewer.)
    Finally, get a good tech editor to do the editing and polishing. Don't expect your TEs and engineers to be stellar writers. Handle this yourself (hiring an editor/writer)

    OK, FINALLY, incentives. As with children, I have an issue with rewarding people for doing expected requirements. THat's why they get an allowance -- er, salary, and a bonus. But if you want to be exceptionally generous, and if you have moved forward with the other two items above (because incentives STILL won't work if you don't have upper support and a good process), then a $50 to $100 dinner gift card or AmEx gift check should be sufficient, IMO.

    Good luck! :-)
  • Posted on 9/7/2005 at 9:39 PM Member
    A comment on Cynthia's excellent post:

    Sometime management doesn't really want the technical people to divert their attention from their fundamental [technical] focus. Writing white papers is seen as a marketing function, not a technical requirement.

    While it would be nice if everyone in an organization understood they are in marketing, that may not be realistic -- especially in organizations where marketing is an afterthought altogether.

    That's why many companies -- including IBM -- reward technical people for making the extra effort of writing white papers and articles. It's more motivating than telling them the reward is, "You get to keep your job." Besides, there are some people who may be really valuable to the company who have no skills or interest in writing.

    Just another perspective. I actually like your solution better, but I'd be concerned that it wouldn't work in many organizations ... and it could be a turn-off to some.
  • Posted on 9/7/2005 at 10:24 PM Member
    Excellent example and points! -- good perspective.
  • Posted by steven.alker on 9/8/2005 at 8:47 AM Member
    Hi Lindam

    My own experiences of getting technical people to contribute to marketing activities have largely been successful, but I hit on some problems which, whilst not unexpected, were difficult to overcome whilst keeping people's feelings, motivations and senses of worth intact.

    Firstly, like Michael, Cynthia’s provisos apart, I think that incentivisation can play a part and that money is a fine reward – especially to an engineer who might feel excluded from the apparently huge bonus incentives everyone in sales and marketing seem to get just for showing up for work (!)

    A hidden incentive to the engineer is the desire to see their name in print. If it’s in a widely read publication rather than the more arcane technical press, it will do wonders for their self esteem, if not for their careers.

    The problems with white papers and articles I successfully got our engineers to write was that initially they were either not readable or that they gave away the crown jewels. Our first examples of engineering driven PR were either incomprehensible to the general reader or more effective than sleeping pills. My efforts to cut through these issues resulted in some very readable texts – especially if you were a competitor, trying to get an angle on what we were working towards long term.

    By firmly establishing the engineering director as part of the marketing team, rather than as an outsider to it, he and his staff came to an understanding that worked to our benefit in many different ways. One was an ability to pen something that our potential customers might want to read. Another was to see things from the customer’s point of view and to come up with some startling innovations to improve products for their (and our) benefit.

    All in all, it was a hard slog, because like you, we were instigating sizeable cultural changes, but the benefits were manifold.

    One problem I never resolved though was the presentation of white papers at a sales conference. Our brilliant engineering director, so good at stating his case in company meetings, dissolved into a bit of a wreck when faced with an audience of 100 distributors and a selection of the nations press.

    Steve Alker
    Unimax Solutions
BACK TO TOP

Post a Comment

Related Discussions

Community Info

Top 25 Experts
(Other)