When you think about digital influence, it is only natural that you would think about the measurement of that influence. That is where Joe Fernandez and his team at Klout come in. Klout has been the leader of measurement in digital influence pretty much since its initial launch in 2008. In the years since, Klout has continuously evolved as our world becomes more and more tied together both online and #IRL (in real life). Klout has been featured in publications such as Fortune, AdWeek, Techcruch, WIRED and much more. Joe himself has been featured, over the years, in everything from Vanity Fair to Fox News Latino. Who would have thought that such an influential idea (See what I did there?) would come while sitting in a hospital bed after jaw surgery?
Today, Klout has scored over 400 million users, processes over 200 TBs of information a day and has given away well over 1 million Perks. While users are signing up every day, businesses are signing up for Klout as well. Klout has provided a unique platform for letting brands connect with influential users of all sizes who are influential about specific types of content. To date, over 200,000 businesses are using Klout. That number will only grow as Klout launched Klout for Business earlier this year.
I contacted Joe Fernandez to see if he would answer a few questions about influence and Klout for Confluence Conference. This is what he had to say.
As our influence outlets grow, both online and offline, how do you think an ‘influencer’ should go about looking after their reputation and/or measurable influence?
Think about how you can provide relevant information and participate in conversations with your networks. Pay special attention to the platforms where people are really listening.
Where do you see the future of online influence and influencer identification going?
As social media makes the world a more connected place, the value of a person’s online reputation and understanding how you’re impacting people’s decisions online will become increasingly important.
Obviously, Klout has broadened its base with partnerships with companies like Bing to bring social answers to search queries. How else do you see individual influence branching out into services like search and shopping in the near future?
We’ll see trends of more people investing time in online research before making purchases. Due to the trust that comes from recommendations from friends and family, earned media is already proving to be very effective. The value that comes from your network’s recommendations will become an important trend.
You mentioned in previous interviews that there were pockets of Klout scores where brands can find the hidden gems of online influence. (I believe that it was the 50’s in 60’s) What else do you think brands should look at when seeking to engage in an influencer outreach campaign?
With Klout for Business, you can dig deeper than a broad level of influence and understand the specific topics that people are influential and engaged in. It’s important to know what your audience’s interests are, what topics they are most influential about as well as where they are most engaged. That’s why Klout for Business helps brands see where their audience is engaging as well as to identify online influence not only by Klout Score, but also by Topics. Making it easy for brands to connect with and engage their audiences to generate authentic earned media.
What do you think the most important thing to remember is when someone is trying to build their influence online?
Focus on consistently creating content. Then, study how your network responds to your content and what you can do to keep that momentum going in a positive direction.
