For Credibility’s Sake, Cite Your Sources

Potential customers frequently look to vendor white papers and thought-leadership pieces as they research new B2B solutions. But these buyers are smart and skeptical. Vendors who hope to influence them need to ensure that that their pieces are credible.  

One of the key ways I establish the legitimacy of an issue or trend I’m discussing in a white paper is by citing independent research. My research often takes me to competitors’ white papers, and I peruse dozens of papers each month.

I’ve observed that while most vendors like to include facts and figures from independent researchers, very few fully cite their sources. More often than not, they say something vague like: “According to a Gartner report.” Many times, the same research is cited repeatedly in different articles and white papers, all without a clear description of the original source.

This cavalier attitude towards citations undercuts the credibility of the white paper or thought-leadership piece, making it less likely to influence potential customers. As a result, vendors unwittingly reduce their return on their (often high) investment in producing their marketing material.   

So how can you maximize the credibility you achieve by citing outside sources and thereby optimize the ROI of your white paper?

Here are a few tips:

• Cite the entire source so that a reader can easily find the complete original document. For example, either include a link to the original document, or include a full description with the title, name of publisher, author, and date, as you would when you create a footnote in a term paper.
• Use recent sources. The definition of recent may vary slightly depending on the speed of change in your industry. However, it’s rarely a good idea to use sources that are more than a year or two old. For example, I concentrate on finding resources from 2011 and 2010 and sprinkle in material from 2009 on those occasions when I’m working on a niche topic with few resources available.  
• Cite independent sources. Look at who’s publishing the report. Often, vendors will sponsor research or even perform it themselves. Decide how close a competitor they are before citing any of their research—otherwise stick to independent analysts, such as IDC or Gartner.

Using independent research is a clear credibility booster for your white papers. But if you want to win over smart and skeptical B2B buyers, make sure you use recent, independent sources and cite them fully.

How do you cite your sources?  

Comments

[Stephanie Tilton]

Cheryl,
You raise an important point and make great suggestions for citing third parties. The same holds true for references on websites and in other content -- not citing the full reference undermines any attempts to demonstrate how in tune the company is with industry trends.

To your point about including a link to the original document -- it can be easy to think you're citing a third party when in fact you're citing another person/company's reference to a third party. As you say, make sure you follow the path all the way back to the original source so your readers don't feel misled or confused.

Best,
Stephanie