What Really Happens When Influence Increases?

Crowd of InfluencersJoe Fernandez of Klout recently said Klout’s goal is to help every person maximize their individual influence.

It is no secret, as a marketer you want to influence purchases. You use advertising, content marketing, PR, and the influencer programs Klout wants to sell, to change perceptions and purchasing behavior.

But what would happen if Klout achieved this goal and every person became more influential? How would it impact you as an individual and as a B2B marketer? [Read more…]

No!! LinkedIn Just Went Klout On Us!

If you have viewed a LinkedIn profile in the last couple days, chances are you have seen a new box at the top of the page prompting you to endorse the individuals skills.

Here is a screenshot of the endorse box on one of my connection’s profile page:

With one click, I can endorse Lauren’s skills in these five areas simply because we are connected. But wait, there’s more! Scroll down the page and there is a prominent call, again, to endorse Lauren!

Is this really a good idea? [Read more…]

How to Market to the New Mass of Influencers

If cable and online video fragmented TV audiences, then audiences are shattered when everyone produces their own channel or subscribes to a handpicked list of channels produced by their friends, influencers, entertainers and chosen brands.

Once upon a time (approximately 1,500 days ago) companies could reach out to influencers individually. They could brief them and spend time with them. Today, there is a new mass of influencers, too numerous to connect with individually and not influential enough to warrant the expense of one-to-one outreach.

Now everyone has a soapbox and a small audience. As a marketer, if you can figure out how to engage enough individuals and have them share your cause, you can turn this mass of influencers into a marketing channel that delivers scale.

The challenge is: How. How do you reach the mass of influencers cost effectively? [Read more…]

Klout’s Best Move: Making You Not Care About Your Score

KloutWere you upset by Klout’s recent algorithm change? Do you pay less attention to Klout than you did before the algorithm changes? If so, you may be doing exactly what Klout wants you to do.

If you care about grades in school, you study for your exam. The algorithm is clear (test results, possibly quizzes, attendance or participation) and you work to influence the result. [Read more…]

Beyond Lists: Use Filters to Manage Twitter

We each build our own communication channel on Twitter, choosing who to follow and list. However, based on a number of recent conversations I have had on Twitter and Google+, many Twitter users are overlooking a significant tool to customize their channel and reduce noise: filters.

If your Twitter stream clogs up every evening with color commentary on a TV show, filters can remove it, without unfollowing people you otherwise appreciate. If auto-post applications are filling your stream with drivel, filters can cut through it.

Filters change the list/follow/unfollow decision, giving you more control over the tweets you see from each person. The difference in the stream of a single person may be minor, but across even 50 people, filters can be the difference between a stream of noise and a source of content and conversation. [Read more…]

Is Free Costing You Your Social Media Reputation?

Advertised Price: Free. Real Price: Your Reputation and Influence.

How much will you pay for a service that saves you time in social media? Judging by the $1 to $10 per month price tags for a number of tools, outside of business accounts, it isn’t very much. However, increasingly companies are asking us to pay by promoting their products and services to our connections.

A number of tools and services are available for the cost of social promotion. I can imagine the mindset of those creating these tools:

  • Create word of mouth support for our offering.
  • Drive traffic and increase our advertising revenue.
  • Expand our user base and increase opportunity for a big cash out.

The challenge is, required sharing does not create credible word of mouth. Paper.li and TrueTwit are both illustrations of the problems that arise when companies require promotion to your connections. [Read more…]