White paper and case study topics for information technology training companies

Last week I advised information technology training companies to consider using white papers and case studies in their marketing efforts. Both are great lead generation techniques because IT professionals understand their value. This week I offer some topics that you might consider for your IT training white papers and case studies.

Case studies present an opportunity to highlight a personal success story as it relates to your product or service. Use case studies to profile individuals and organizations that completed training and successfully earned certification. Begin by explaining the challenge(s) faced by the subject. Did the subject previously fail the exam after training with another company or no training at all? Was the exam just weeks away and a job was on the line? Was the subject busy at the office and unable to go offsite for training?

The remainder of your case study should call out your program’s specific benefits as they address the subject’s challenges. Support them with quotes from your subject. I recommend writing two-to-three paragraphs with a subhead on each benefit.

While case studies focus specifically on how your product or service helped a company, a white paper focuses on educating leads on some aspect of your product or service. When I worked as an editor at TechTarget, I received a steady flow of user-submitted questions pertaining to certification exam preparation. Here are some topics that can be addressed with white papers:

• How to study for specific certification exams (Include the name of the exam in the title and make sure to include specific tips and strategies that apply to that exam.)
• Certification paths for specific positions or upper-level certs (Again, be specific in the title and content of your white paper.)
• How to choose an IT training company
• How to choose between computer-based training, instructor-led training, a boot camp, etc.
• How to get the most out of a boot camp/computer-based training/instructor-led training/etc. (Be specific. Each one of these could be a white paper in and of itself.)

This is just a small sampling of topics to get you started. Once you get started with one or two case studies or white papers, the ideas — and leads! — will keep coming. — Crystal Bedell, Freelance Technology Writer and Content Developer