White Paper Results: Can You Get Them Through Social Media?

Written By Gregg Medaglia

There’s no doubt that white papers offer tremendous opportunities to showcase products or services while providing much needed detail to corporate decision-makers.

But what happens after a white paper is published? How do you identify solid leads? And how do you know that your material is resonating with the audience? In a world that demands ROI from content marketing, clear, meaningful reporting is more important than ever.

For those still mired in the world of traditional PDFs, white paper results reporting remains a tremendous challenge. Other than the email distribution list used to circulate the paper and the lackluster analytical tools available to identify who viewed the PDF through the corporate website, there really aren’t many reporting options available for tracking a white paper. At least, not one produced as a PDF.

Social white papers, however, are designed specifically with reporting in mind. Because they are produced and distributed using a cloud-based platform, they are able to more effectively capture information about the individuals who view them. They go beyond merely indicating who received the paper, and instead are able to identify an overall pattern of sharing. Some of the standard metrics could include:

• Who regularly shares the papers, and with whom
• Which papers are shared most frequently
• Which social media channels are used for sharing/distribution

Report data like this paints a clear picture of who’s interested and which leads warrant a follow-up.

The white paper results reporting associated with social white papers also provides other meaningful information that can be used to enhance future marketing efforts. For example, when you can readily determine the specific pages that are the most popular (i.e., most viewed and visited), you will be able to identify the content that is the most intriguing to your customers. Armed with that knowledge, you can create online marketing content to match your audience’s interests — and build connections that will grow into future sales.

Meaningful white paper results reporting makes it possible to understand where the leads are and where they may be in the future. Will a PDF-based white paper get you where you want to be? Not so much.

To learn more about how easy it is to start delivering your white papers in the cloud, click here to contact us.