Michelle Ross – Klout
As attendees sat back to listen to Michelle Ross of Klout at Social Media Action Camp yesterday, they were treated to a more in-depth look at the company behind the social influence tool. Michelle explained that although around 85% of their employee-base at Klout is on the engineering side continually developing and updating Klout’s algorithm, that that have begun to dig far deeper into marketing than previously before. By now, most of us have probably seen a Klout perk, or even been the recipient of one.
On the marketing side, Michelle says they have discovered while working on the Brand Partnerships team that brands are very hungry for connections with influencers who are not the most traditional famous journalists or celebrities. She shares that Klout has been a disruption for the more traditional PR industries because Klout can do that same PR job in connecting users to other exactly like-minded users across the globe in a matter of seconds. because of their dedication to that intricate algorithm that has made Klout a successful measure of influence of social presence.
You can follow the entire conversation of this expert panel representing the social influence industry and its relativity to marketing.
Social Influence Panel
Is the Famous Klout Algorithm Off?
A question posed to Michelle Ross during the panel was one that others may have noted in the past as well. How can Klout determine that I am influential on a topic if I have never mentioned it on any social network? Why does Klout decide that because I mentioned an instance once or twice, that I am now an influence, even knowledgably about this subject?
Michelle wants to ensure Klout users that it is never ‘random.’ She explains that at some point there has been a conversation on a social format that Klout has picked up on. However, Klout’s algorithm certainly cannot account for all context, at least not yet. However, Michelle also explains that this is one of the reasons Klout has enabled users to go into their account settings and remove any topics that they feel they should not be influential in. Ross also encourages users to give +K’s that can help to concrete a users influential topics on those more relevant to their industry.
I’m Influential about What??
I have to agree with Michelle. At one point I noticed on my Klout page that I had become influential in serial killers. I was pretty appalled by that and went into a deep search of my social networks, trying to find if I had perhaps shared a comment made on CNN or another news site in relation to a serial killing. I was fairly unhappy with being considered an influencer on that topic. For all of my searching that day, I never found it. A month or more later as I was browsing and updating my own ‘Likes,’ I found that the Showtime Hit, Dexter; A miniseries about a serial killer on the ‘right’ side of the law, was one of my likes. My questionable trust in Klout’s algorithm disappeared on the spot, and once I began giving users those +K’s, I began to notice a distinct shift in my own Klout, as well as an increase.
New at Klout in 2012
Klout has continued to search for those who are experts influencers in their industries so that Klout users can continue to benefit from their own social influence and expertise. Klout averages that each influencer involved in a Perk will generate an average of thirty pieces of content as well as millions of possible impressions.
c/o Klout
Blockboard
It looks like Klout is going local with their recent acquisition of Blockboard, a San Francisco based start up with a distinct dedication to helping neighbors to re-connect. Not only does this bring Klout into the local game, but to the mobile one as well. Blockboard is an iPhone app, currently only available for those San Francisco neighborhoods, but that is very soon to change.
Blockboard encourages and enables neighborhood residents to connect and communicate over the things most important to them. Blockboard hopes to be a source of building stronger community with technology on topics from lost pets to a neighbors recent break in. The founders of Blockboard found their experiences with social media led them to an understanding of how that can be meaningfully and helpfully blended into the very fabric of our local community.
Badgevilleh as also leveraged Klout to help enhance brand loyalty. Klout will be partnering with Badgeville to help brands to locate and reward their communities most valuable advocates.
In addition, Simply Measured now also offers influence analytics using your Klout account. Users can get up to four new reports with helpful insights about their engagement and audiences.
Watch out for more posts coming to DBMEI about Social Media Action Camp #SMWsmac
Author:
Joy Lynskey is the owner of JRL Solutions, a copywriting and content management company based in Bedford, Virginia. JRL Solutions hosts a Freelance Writers Education Blog that is managed by direct and guest posting. Joy is the Content Manager and Editor for Puglisi Consulting Group at Digital Brand Marketing Education. Joy regularly works in SMM via freelance consulting private clients with their social media campaigns.
Sources:
- Klout Acquires Blockboard to Take on Local
- Simply Measured Leverages Klout to Offer In-Depth Influencer Analytics for Brands
- Social Media Action Camp
- Klout – One of Ten Top Advertising Companies for 2012
- How Cool are You? Check Your Klout!
- Klout Flexes it’s Influence with Acquisition of Blockboard
- Klout + Gamification = Extra Perks for Influencers?
Joy,
I am relieved to hear that you are not a serial killer. But it might add a new twist to DBME. What category would you fit into? That category is not terribly endearing of KLOUT to put you in.
Craig (another DBME author) was listed under some strange categories too. I think one was weddings. I wondered if he was a wedding planner besides a redeemed attorney. But alas, he too had simply mentioned once about going to a wedding or a few weddings and that did it.
I really better watch every step I take and everything I do. But so far, I have not had to delete any KLOUT categories, I am still bringing KLOUT up-to-speed on who I am and what I do. But then again, I have three brands, as they say on twitter @AlisonDGilbert, just me, @MktngBytesMaven, the Marketing Bytes Maven and @AlisonsArt, the designer, artist and lover of creativity.
Yeah, I think it does go to show that Klout’s algorithm is actually working, it may be working too good for some of us since it seems to remember us mentioning things that even we do not!
This is refreshing news! Being new to Klout, I was doing a little research and Wiki had some negative criticism, that I didn’t really understand, but that you sort out in your article. I’m a little uncomfortable giving SO MUCH information to one vendor, but I also find it highly intriguing, and look forward to being able to show who I am in the cyber community we all share.