White papers can be designed to promote direct sales, direct people to online stores or to increase consumption of a product or service.

Direct Sales - Direct sales are the values that are received (usually in sales dollars) as a direct result of a marketing effort which is setup and can be controlled by a person or company. A salesperson may provide white papers to existing or prospective customers to help them understand how the product or service can solve their problem or satisfy their needs.

Online Purchases - Online purchases are sales orders for products or services that are processed through the Internet. While the amount of promotional information contained within white papers is limited, helpful tips and subtle promotions may be included. When providing a helpful promotional offer, a simple link can be provided which includes a discount code (electronic coupon) that can entice the reader to take immediate action. The use of a unique discount code allows for the tracking of marketing success (conversion rates) for a white paper marketing program.

Increased Consumption - White papers may be used to define solutions to problems that require the reader to use or consume additional products or services. For example, a white paper on email marketing may explain how to setup email marketing campaigns for new types of customers. This would require the company to pay for additional email broadcast services.

Purchase Validation - Purchase validation is the process of reviewing the actions and results of product or service purchases to confirm they were the best choice. If the purchase validation results in finding better or lower cost alternative choices, the purchaser may return the product or cancel the service. White papers can be used to help re-enforce the purchase decision for the customer.

This figure shows how white papers may include sales offers as a reward to readers. This example shows a white paper that offers a discount on Internet Marketing books to readers who have downloaded a white paper. These books are closely related to the topic of the white paper (Internet Marketing) and there is an added incentive (discount code) which provides higher motivation (value), and can be used to track marketing effectiveness.