Consider the White Paper -- it lasts more than a moment in time

Consider the white paper -- more content than a tweet or blog post. White papers have long been viewed as content marketing vehicles, intended to showcase a product or concept relevant to the firm’s customers and prospects. According to Jonathan Kantor, a 15-year white paper marketing veteran, "white papers can be used to generate sales leads, establish thought leadership, make a business case, or inform and persuade." Experts note that even in the age of Twitter and social media, white papers still matter; they can be fulfilled from website registrations, tweeted, or emailed to prospects. They can also take up long-term residence on a a firm's website. White papers may offer content that educates (not sells), expanding on an idea or a point of view as well as a product or service. Here are summaries of five researched white papers that were published in 2017, with the newest first, plus links back to the sponsoring company:

• CDW: The Amazon Effect on Products and Services in Senior Living, December, 2017. "Senior living finds itself in a challenging position in 2018 due to delayed retirements of prospective residents, lower occupancy rates and a sustained worker shortage. However, organizations can use 2018 to ramp up their service offerings to market themselves ahead of the competition by disrupting the old way of doing business and examining how the Amazon-style approach can enhance organizational thinking for owners and operators." (CDW Healthcare)

• iN2L: Bringing Technology-enabled Personalization into Focus, October, 2017. "Following their success with the group setting use of iN2L, the company has recently launched a tablet-based version with content for personalized use and a user experience specially designed for use in a resident’s room, or for use in home settings, or in 1-1 interaction for care providers and individuals – for example, in independent living, home health care or home care." (iN2L)

• GreatCall: Connecting the Lonely, July, 2017. "The whitepaper identifies health risks associated with loneliness and social isolation, including depression and decline in cognitive abilities. Research shows that lacking social interaction can be just as damaging to health as smoking 15 cigarettes per day. The report also offers solutions to mitigate these risks though technology and community efforts." (GreatCall)

• Vaporstream: Creating a Circle of Caring Text, May, 2017.  "In today’s digital age, patients and their families want to have greater engagement with their care providers in a way that better closes the communication gap. When individuals are dealing with health care needs that are communicated through various channels, there are often large gaps between healthcare professionals, patients and their families. A gap in communication can not only harm the health and care services of the patient, but can also result in stress and frustration for their family and care providers." (Vaporstream)

• Livpact: Powering Care Families With Livpact's Care Engagement Platform, March, 2017.  "The Care Engagement Platform is a structured system that is designed to help keep the Care Family, that is the care recipients, care providers, and care professionals informed and actively engaged in the care process. It is used by the Care Family to actively coordinate care, stay informed of the complete health status of the care receiver and to activate the roles of patients and families." (Livpact)