Klout’s new “Brand Squads”
As is the trend with social networks, Klout is launching brand-specific pages to more prominently features companies. The social measurement tool Klout measures social influence across the major social networks like Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Foursquare, LinkedIn and more, now offering companies a way to engage with influencers of their brand.
The first brand to pilot is Red Bull as pictured above, whereas the traditional method for discovering influencers of a brand is to change the URL “https://klout.com/topic/red-bull” by deleting “red-bull” and adding the brand or topic you’re searching for. For example, here is the iPhone’s Klout page, but it is not yet equipped as a “Brand Squad.”
The “Brand Squad” is “Klout’s way of giving influencers a place to be recognized and have a direct impact on the brands they care about most,” according to Klout Product Manager, David Temple. Now, the brand has more control and a way to promote their influencers, as brands and fans can see a dynamic list of who the top influencers are and can see the conversations about that brand across social networks, featured within the “Brand Squad” page.
A “more reasonable use for Klout”
Brand fans can view recent news about the company and earn extra perks which are typically exclusive offers or experiences based on a user’s Klout score, which although not new, is a more controlled way for brands to reward influencers or to encourage individuals to become influencers.
David Svet, founder of Spur Communications, a 25 year marketing industry veteran said, “I think it’s interesting and a potentially more reasonable use for Klout. In a time where useless sports statistics are worshiped, this is a way to treat brand social teams as competitors in a sports sense. I don’t know if it will matter or change anything, but it could be an interesting opportunity for some brands to play on it as a sport.”
