The Web has devalued business information. A technical manager who needs a brochure on the latest CRM technology, or a white paper on managing intranet content, knows that the literature he or she needs (and more) is only a few clicks away.

This new reality poses a challenge for business-to-business direct marketers who rely on information offers for lead generation. These days, it takes more than a product brochure and a white paper to make a business prospect sit up and take notice. Why? Because the Web has made it easy, too easy, to get that same information quickly and anonymously.

Is your offer something that the reader will perceive as easily accessible via the Web? If so, regardless of whether the information actually IS available on your Web site, your response rate will suffer because the reader won't feel motivated to respond in the way that you want him to.

Here are a few ways to make your offer more attractive:

• Raise the production value. The more appealing the physical document, the less the reader will go looking for a PDF file to download. Consider giving your white paper a heavy-weight cover on recycled stock. Or create a custom fulfillment box or envelope.

• Add multimedia components. Interactive CD-ROMs are highly effective, but they're expensive. As a cost-effective alternative, consider video (ex: customer testimonials) or even audio (ex: your chief executive addressing an industry function)

• Have some fun. Add a premium or specialty item to your offer that's only available by responding to the campaign (not via your Web site). Sure, you'll get some tire-kickers as a result, but you'll also pick up qualified leads that might have gone Web surfing otherwise.