White Papers and Finance

Investment firms use the phrase “white paper” to cover a huge swath of resources, and rightfully so. White papers cover an expanse of topics and purposes and have no definitive length, meaning they can be more or less whatever you want them to be. However, we all know that doing something is not the same as doing it well, and white papers are generally fall into the former category.

To clarify, it is not that most finance-related white papers are poorly written or lacking purpose; it is that most investment firms do not leverage white papers to their full potential. Investopedia does a great job of discussing what white papers in finance are and what they could be, but we covered and expanded upon a few of the highlights below:

• White papers promote products, services, or methodology in a factual manner, and often are used for business-to-business purposes. Most finance white papers fall into one of three camps: context-provision; lists; or issue and solution discussion.
• Investment firms lean on white papers for information provision, using data cautiously and approaching content in a manner that runs away from influence or persuasion. This is to avoid SEC marketing rules and be defensive, but it also means the content often comes off as bland and nondescript.
• Well-composed white papers can still steer clear of SEC marketing rules while also being business-to-customer or business-to-investor and establishes expertise. The effort involved in these white papers is higher, as it requires more tact and precision, but the result could be better marketshare or better brand equity without running a compliance risk.

In conclusion, white papers are marketing tools that do not have to be limited to business-to-business or high-level information distribution. In fact, white papers should be used to help establish your position in the industry and help safely convince others to establish communication with you of their own accord. It is time for everyone in finance to stop seeing white papers as “safe content” or “for professional-use only” and instead use them as a means to thought leadership and value for stakeholders, prospects, and the general public.

Fifth Rock will cover white papers further in subsequent parts of this White Papers and Finance series.

Read Part II, Using white papers for public relations >>