Got Klout? Megan Berry Talks about Klout at Social Media Camp
Megan Berry, the Marketing Manager of Klout.com, a San Francisco based social media start-up, was engaging, well spoken and scored a perfect 10 for brand representation. Her charm and brand message was so well received that session participants actually state their Klout scores during the live Q&A. Give-aways, such as the UnMarketing book, were handed out based on Klout Score trivia all the while competition between panelists ignited based on who had the most “Klout”. In case you are wondering it was keynote speaker Scott Stratten (@unmarketing) who came out ahead, with a whopping Klout score of 80 out of a possible 100.
So what exactly is a Klout score? Basically, a Klout score is a measurement that determines the influence you have on Twitter. The score is not aligned to the number of followers or fans you have, but rather the “true reach” or number of people who engage with you in addition to the “amplification”, or the likelihood, that your message will be shared with other networks. Klout.com not only shows how influential you are, but for what topic: as detailed as “Prada shoes.” The average Klout score by the way is 11.
Now take a moment, open a new browser tab and go check your Klout score to see how you measure up.
Klout Score is rapidly becoming the measuring stick, and an industry standard analytics tool, to determine influence and engaged followings across the web. Hotels such as the Palms in Vegas, and Virgin America, have partnered with Klout.com to offer free trips and hotel upgrades based on key influencers with high Klout Score. But be weary if you plan to give away freebies to your bloggers and social media experts as the FTC is cracking down on brands trying to “buy influence” across the web. This is why Klout.com ensures that each of their freebie receiving “influencers” has the freedom to say what they want. They must also declare that they have been given the merchandize for free in their Tweets or blog posts.
Megan Berry was one of the most “mentioned” on the conference Twitter feed (#smvc10); but, with all due respect for Ms. Berry I have a sneaking suspicion that people were secretly hoping to boost their Klout scores through mentions by Megan. Nice try #smvc10, Megan clearly stated that no free points would be awarded.