The publishing of effective white papers may result in the creation and tracking of social media. Social media is information (voice, data or video) that is stored or transmitted among related users within a social network. Social media content can be measured by the number of mentions (such as company or product names) on social media sites and the number of comments those mentions generate, as well as the types of comments (positive or negative).

White Paper Mentions - The number of mentions is the quantity of web pages or social media postings that contain names or text that reference specific companies, products or services. Some of the tools that can be used to track the posting of social media containing brand names or other text include www.google.com/alerts, www.trackur.com, and www.reputationdefender.com.

Number of Comments - The number of comments is the quantity of responses generated by a media post. The number of comments can indicate a level of interest in a specific topic or issue.

Post to Comment Ratio - A post to comment ratio is the relationship between the numbers of social media comments and original posts on social media web sites. The post to comment ratio can indicate a level of reader engagement.

Positive to Negative Comment Ratio - A positive to negative comment ratio is the relationship between the numbers of positive and negative social media comments. The positive to negative comment ratio can indicate the perspective or sentiment that readers have towards a company, product or service.

Social Reach - Social reach is the number people who may read or be exposed to social messages and their associated comments. Social reach can indicate user or industry awareness of a company, product or service.

This figure shows some of the measurements for social media in relation to white paper marketing. The number of mentions in blog posts indicates the awareness of readers to the sponsor. The number of comments indicates reader engagement. The social reach indicates how many readers and platforms are aware of the brand.