Two new companies are mapping out the social web to find its most influential users. London-based Peer Index and Klout in San Francisco have developed algorithms that allow them to find the most influential social media users for any subject
New firms help identify social media super-users
Two new companies are mapping out the social web to find its most influential users. London-based Peer Index and Klout in San Francisco have developed algorithms that allow them to find the most influential social media users for any subject.
That means they can help companies find and engage important contacts without exceeding their social media budgets.
Megan Berry, marketing manager for Klout said: “For the first time in history, A good number of our interactions are actually public and measureable. So, the goal of Klout is not only to find influential people but find the topics they are influential on. We not only give people a Klout Score, we find their influential topics.”
Determining a person’s Klout Score or, for Peer Index, their social capital, is about more than just numbers of flowers. Both companies analyse information from Twitter Facebook and Linkedin.
They measure factors such as retweets to determine which users have the most effect on their friends. Once this is done, Klout and Peer Index work as intermediaries between a company and its most influential users. This prevents companies from “spamming” users while still providing a communications channel.
Simon Cast, head of products at Peer Index said: “We see big brands wanting to find the people they need to engage with. They want to know who they should talk to about their new product or their business.
“We also get small businesses wanting to know who are the people following them on Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin. It is all very well to see a name but who are these people, what do they like and why are they following me?”
By knowing the answer to these questions, companies are able to provide their social community with the content they want and reach out to potential customers. Cast said the social media ranking service is a win win for consumers and businesses.
