Here’s a simple (and free) way to monitor what kind of impact you, or your business, or your brand has online. Read on to find out what kind of ‘Klout’ or ‘Kred’ you have
Before you ask it’s not a typo…
‘Klout’ and ‘Kred’ are tools that let you measure your reach, power, your overall WOW factor using Social Media.
They’re instant barometers of your online presence. Who takes note of what you say, who shares it with others and how wide and far reaching your audience is.
You may have several thousand fans on Twitter or on Facebook (for example) but if none of them ever act on what you do or say online, you might as well be whispering into a desert. With your hand over your mouth. While crying into a mirage.
Why on earth would I want to know all this stuff?
Are you a follower, or someone who influences and leads others? Maybe you’re a bit of both. Maybe you’d like to have greater control of your online presence.
You’d be surprised at what you can learn from this.
It’s all about having an awareness of you, or your brand, and what kind of coverage and impact it’s having.
You can see, for example, which of your posts or tweets or photos (if you use Instagram) have got people talking the most. Knowing which content is popular and getting the most coverage can help you shape future articles, posts and Tweets.
If you’re not getting enough follows, retweets, or likes maybe it’s time to rethink your approach OR try to attract a more relevant audience.
Klout and Kred are great tools for helping you keep on top of everything.
There’s also another perk – quite literally.
Powerful or influential users can qualify for certain ‘perks’ on Klout or Kred. Some companies, in an endless bid to get their products endorsed by key online players will send you free stuff in the hope that you’ll spread the word about their product or brand.
For example American Airlines offered Klout users with a score of 55 or above the chance to use their first class lounges.
How to get set up on ‘Klout’ or ‘Kred’ in 2 minutes
It’s actually extremely straightforward, so much so that I can explain it in a couple of sentences.
For Klout go here:
You’ll be asked to login with either your Twitter or Facebook account. Once you’ve ‘authorised’ it (which normally means logging in and/or pressing a couple of confirmation buttons) you’re in. There’s nothing more to it.
Your login is your social media account (whichever you choose).
Here’s what it looks like once you’re inside:
(Don’t worry about the ‘business’ bit that’s showing on mine. They changed mine from a personal to a business account a few days ago when my ‘score’ improved. It still shows all the same things – and it’s still free).
For Kred go here:
Once again you can login with either Facebook or Twitter.
Here’s what Kred looks like inside:
In both cases you’ll want to connect as many of your social media accounts as possible. You only have to do this once (it remembers them) and as well as Facebook and Twitter you can link up your Google + account, your LinkedIn, your Instagram etc.
How do you link up your other social media accounts?
You’ll see where to add these on Klout under ‘networks’.
They’re a little more hidden on Kred and you’ll find them under ‘settings’ à ‘manage identities’ (the settings button is the silver cog).
7 tips to help you increase your online influence using Twitter
Sophie and I are learning this along with you (I think everyone is with social media) but after a bit of research, and some hard fought experience, we’ve learnt quite a bit.
1. Tweet more often (don’t be shy!)
People have busy Twitter feeds filled with musings from friends, their favourite brands and celebrities and more.
Make sure you’re getting heard! If you only Tweet once a month – no matter how good you are – your followers probably won’t see you. Your lonely Tweet will get swallowed up in an ocean of noise.
Don’t be afraid to Tweet 5, 10 or 15 times a day. If it’s good, relevant content people don’t tend to get annoyed and more regular contact and exposure will help get you recognised.
2. Try to make your posts, Tweets and updates a) useful or b) funny
It’s great to keep your followers in the loop and giving them details about what you’re up to will make them feel that they’ve got a special connection with you.
BUT…
If you’re trying to build your brand or business you’ll want to try and post updates that are either a) useful or b) funny/entertaining.
Seen a great article on Social Media branding? Share it.
Tripped over a baguette and tumbled headfirst into a vat of jelly (and ruined your favourite leotard)? Share it.
Try to avoid giving people too much of a second by second account of what you’re up to during the day. You know the sort of thing:
“Just having a cup of tea LOL”
(I actually wince when I see LOL being used out of context. It’s supposed to mean ‘laugh out loud’ so attaching it to a mundane statement make the author look borderline insane).
3. Start ‘Trending’ to get out there to a wider audience
If you write about ‘Trending Topics’ on a network like Twitter you can reach a much wider audience.
Why? Because people who aren’t already followers often scour Twitter for news on the subject they’re looking for – and this is where you can catch their attention…
To write about a trending topic use a hashtag, which is this symbol: #
You also need to add the relevant topic.
So for instance back when the London riots where on people where writing Tweets and including the topic: #londonriots
This meant when people did a search for #londonriots they found everyone’s Tweets on the subject.
4. If you’re writing about someone, include them in the Tweet!
Say you’ve written a review about a product you like. Instead of just Tweeting “check out my review here” include the Twitter name of the company you’re Tweeting about.
You can do this by finding their Twitter name (which is the name below the username proceeded by an @ sign) and adding it to a Tweet.
So the Twitter name for Insider’s Edge is @insiders_edge
For example you might Tweet “Saw a great article on Insider’s Edge here @insiders_edge”
What that does is tell the other person that you’ve Tweeted about them (something they might not see otherwise). This can create a dialogue and expose both of you to each other’s followers. If some of those followers like what they see on your page they may in turn follow you – and so your fan base grows.
It’s also this kind of dialogue that can really help improve your Klout and Kred scores.
5. Follow other people/businesses/brands in your niche
Often if you follow someone on Twitter they’ll follow you back, which over time increases your following.
When you’re doing this it’s important to choose relevant people/businesses. If you start randomly following people who have absolutely no connection with what you do you’re likely to a) not get a follow back and b) have a news feed filled with junk.
#followfriday is a something that many people do on Friday’s to try and increase their following.
You Tweet as normal and just add the hashtag #followfriday at the end. Anyone who’s looking for new people to follow should have a good chance of finding you.
If you’ve got any Twitter (or Facebook) tips please leave a comment below, it would great to compile everyone’s experiences.