Nice piece from ABC4 in Salt Lake City about online influence scores – full story at lc.tl/kredabc4
Shows that online influence is now capturing the attention of mainstream media. Transparency in influence scores will be the next story I predict.
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) – Could tweeting stop you from getting a job, a mortgage, or a date?
It could, if you have a bad social media score…
It’s much like a credit score and the higher your score, the more perks you get.
You could get free use of a luxury car for the weekend or a resort offering you a room absolutely free.
That’s exactly what happened to mom blogger Leah Segedie. And it’s all because of her high social media score.
“They came to me which is really cool ’cause, you know, I wasn’t looking for it. They just found me,” said Segedie.
Your online popularity is being ranked by websites like Klout and Kred and given a number.
The higher your number, the more appealing you are to marketers.
“They believe these real world people can get the message out to their community and help amplify the message,” said CEO of Kred Andrew Grill.
Over the last two years, more than three hundred brands offered perks high ranking people, including Disney, Microsoft, and American Express.
“Free upgrades on flights to movie tickets, product trials. The perks run the gamut and the higher your score, probably the better the perk is going to be,” said social media expert Zena Weist.
But it’s not only perks. Dating services use scores to match potential partners. Banks use it for loan approval, and even some recruiters are checking out the scores of job applicants.
“The score can be a benchmark if the job has something to do with social media. If you’re connecting with people on the web, if you need to be influential,” said Weist.
So how can you raise your current score? Experts suggest you share your interests on Facebook and Twitter. The more re-tweets and shares you get, the higher your score will rise.
“Be more useful, be more relevant. Talk to your community,” said Grill.
Weist also recommends seeking out and following like-minded people online.
“That way they’re going to share the information you put out and you can share the information they put out and all boats rise,” said Weist.
The experts also suggest to always be genuine with what you share.
“If you’re the person who’s all about the score, I mean, good luck. Good luck to you. It’s never going to happen. So it’s like, what needs to happen first, you need to be that real person first. And the score will come. It will follow you,” said Segedie.
As for Segedie and her family, they love the perks and are always on the lookout for more.
“If a contractor would call me and say, ‘hey I’d love to remodel your house for free.’ you know, that would be fantastic too,” said Segedie.
Experts say it’s important not to get too obsessed with your score, which could go up and down daily.