White papers are important. When done well, they’re in-depth marketing documents that add depth to your brand, engage with issues that are important to your clients and customers, and provide a great tool for sales.
They’re technical and detailed, and can be a brilliant way to show off how your company can “own” a sector.
But how do you spell it? Is it one word or two? Google data shows that many more people search for “white paper” rather than “whitepaper” but could that merely be because they are looking to buy printer paper?
Well, the term white paper originated with the British government, with historians believing that Winston Churchill delivered the first document under that name in 1922. Though diplomat Getrude Bell also has a claim as the inventor for her 149 page report, snappily titled “Review of the Civil Administration of Mesopotamia” and was presented to Parliament in 1920.
They were called “white papers” simply because of the colour of the cover.
And so if we’re going for the correct spelling for the document, it makes sense to go back to the original. And we found that while many businesses in the US have adopted “whitepaper” for marketing documents, the UK government still calls them “white papers”.
Also wikipedia reroutes any search from “whitepaper” to the “white paper” page, so it’s the most common usage.
However you spell it, if you want help creating one – please get in touch with us at info@perspectusglobal.com