Chicago’s Home Run Inn Takes to Klout
Social Media has always been about forming connections, whether you’re representing a company, you’re a member of the press, or you’re just a social media minded individual. Now there is a new tool for gauging and expanding your social media influence: Klout. Users can connect their various networks (including FourSquare, LinkedIn, Google+, Facebook, Twitter, WordPress, and Flickr to name a few) to come up with a number between 1-100 that evaluates their level of engagement and influence in the social media sphere.
Not only does Klout help to give a concrete number (which is highly addictive might I add, and a great way to remind oneself to put in a little time and effort to their networks--the average score is 20), but it helps to connect influential social(media)ites with companies.
Home Run Inn Pizza is one of the companies on the site that uses it to expand their social media reach by participating in the Klout “perks” program, which allows for people to earn exclusive products and offers based on their influence. One of the partners at SocialTechPop and Kambio Group, Jess Loren, recently received a concise, clear, and visually appealing media packet as a perk from the pizza company; Included was a free pizza cutter, coupons to try the pizza, background on the company and their ingredients, as well as tips to cook the best pizza. It was a great way to increase interest in Home Run Inn, as well as offer an easy way to try out the product. Klout Perks helps to unify the social media influence of the company with the actual product, by allowing them to reach out and identify people that may not otherwise connect.
So, while I get addicted to yet another site, I’m voting for those perks (aka some pizza) to make their way into the office.
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Kristen Micek (@KristenMicek) holds a BA in English with a minor in Digital Cinema from DePaul University, where she is currently pursuing a MA in Media and Cinema Studies. She is a Digital Media Strategist at Kambio Group and Senior Editor at SocialTechPop. She's been published in NewCity and contributes film reviews to CrimeSpree Magazine. Kristen is always trying to learn about the newest technology trends, as well as spending an inordinate amount of time watching movies and reading.