Klout: What Is It and How Does It Work?

How would I describe Klout? In my opinion, Klout is comparable to a credit score. Credit scores increase if you’re on time with paying a credit card bill and decrease if you missed a mortgage payment. Klout is the social media version of this system, per se. Klout monitors your engagement, posts and other metrics to determine a score. The higher the score, the more influence you have in the social world. The more you interact, post and engage others on different social media platforms, the higher your Klout score will be. Business professionals have begun looking at this ranking system for hiring social media managers. Is it the perfect way to gauge your social media expertise? Probably not, but it can give good insight into how much you interact with others, and if your content gets shared around the web. That may be a good indicator of how well you will manage their social media campaign.

But digging deeper into Klout, we will look at the different metrics, what they mean and possible ways to increase your overall Klout score.

Social Media Spotlight: Get-A-Game

This Wednesday, we are happy to inform our readers on how app developers can build awareness for their new product by using social media marketing.  Get-A-Game is a free app that connects people looking for pickup games and sport play. Whether it’s basketball in Brooklyn, soccer in Salem, or wiffle ball in White Plains, the mobile app gives you all the tools you need to live an active lifestyle. We had the pleasure of speaking with Dan Tashman about the new app, and here’s what he had to say…

Social Media Spotlight: Charlie Scott Design

This week on the Social Media Spotlight, we are pleased to introduce a company that prides itself on perfection, not only for their clients, but for their own business. Charlie Scott Design is a company that utilizes cutting edge technologies to provide their clientele with creative branding. We had the pleasure of speaking with the CEO of Charlie Scott Design, Charlie Scott himself, about their social media strategies. Here is what he had to say:

What social media platforms do you currently use?

Why You Need a LinkedIn Company Page: New Status Updates

If you are a business professional who is not currently using LinkedIn, it’s time to create an account. This social media powerhouse currently has 120 million members worldwide, which includes executives from every 500 Fortune Company.  LinkedIn is a great tool to connect and build relationships with business professionals inside and outside of your industry. Once you begin using LinkedIn as a networking tool, you can expect to see an increase in productivity and success for your company.

Social Media Spotlight: TMCnet.com

PMC’s Social Media Spotlight is proud to introduce TMCnet.com! Technology Marketing Corporation (TMC) is a global, integrated media company helping clients build communities in print, in person, and online. TMC publishes Customer Interaction Solutions, INTERNET TELEPHONY, Next Gen Mobility and InfoTECH Spotlight magazines.  TMCnet.com, which is read by two million unique visitors each month, is the leading source of news and articles for the communications and technology industries. Additionally, TMC is the producer of ITEXPO, the world’s largest and best-attended IP Communications event. ITEXPO West 2010 was ranked #3 on Trade Show Executive’s Fastest 50 Award List. PMC was fortunate enough to have TMC’s marketing team give us some insight to their social media marketing strategy. Here’s what they had to say…

Our Top Ten Social Media Tips

Here at Progressive Media Concepts, not only do we like to explain to our readers why social media is important and why businesses should be using it in their marketing plan, but we like to give advice on HOW to use it. Every Tuesday and Thursday we are posting new social media tips and tricks for our fans. Today, I am selecting our top ten tips and tricks, and sharing them with you. These are shortcuts and strategies we have learned along our own social media journey. Enjoy!

How to Plan a Solid Social Media Campaign in Just a Few Minutes

Okay, so the title was a little fabrication to grab your attention. It worked, just like how a properly designed social media campaign should entice your consumer to engage with your brand. Although there is no easy way to design a social media marketing campaign, we will cover some of the steps needed to be taken when considering what you will need for such an initiative. Planning a campaign takes time, patience and a true understanding of where you want to take your brand.

The first step towards designing a social media plan of attack is understanding your target market. Since your company is already up and running, your target market should already be established. If for some reason a target market has not been decided, it is best that you do that now. Right now. Pause reading this, and come back after you have targeted a demographic.

Social Media Spotlight: The Intelligist Group

Today’s social media spotlight proudly presents The Intelligist Group. The Intelligist Group is a team of innovative strategists that helps companies get through blockages and find new opportunities for growth. The Intelligist Group differs from typical management consulting firms in that the strategies they implement for businesses are not template-driven. Instead, they help businesses find a unique value proposition and tell them how to leverage it. The Intelligist Group has worked within all different types of industries, including entertainment, Financial Services, NGO, non-profit, energy, manufacturing, and publishing. Alan Berkson, founder of the Intelligist Group, informed us that he likes to work with new businesses because he loves learning about new industries. Here’s what Alan had to say about how he uses social media for marketing his company…

Social Media Spotlight: America’s LinkedIn Lady

Today’s Social Media Spotlight proudly presents Carol McManus, America’s LinkedIn Lady. Carol is a marketing and social media consultant for businesses, who offers executive coaching and social media consulting. After leaving an executive corporate position, Carol decided she wanted to start her own business. She started using social media as a way to get known, and after much experimentation with multiple sites, invested her time in LinkedIn. By building relationships and adding value to the conversations in LinkedIn groups, Carol was able to gain significant recognition, and began to hold speaking engagements about her LinkedIn success. Initially, her speaking events were casual, but after noticing that there was a huge ignorance and fear factor associated with using social media platforms, Carol began offering consulting services.

Carol coined the name America’s LinkedIn Lady because her speaking events became weighted towards LinkedIn, so people would refer to her by that name. She decided to brand herself around the LinkedIn platform in order to correlate with her B2B marketing strategy and professional target audience. Although she works with all social media platforms, LinkedIn has greatly helped to differentiate herself from the other social media “experts.” She has even launched her very own product, the LinkedIn System for Success! Here’s an inside look at what Carol has to say about social media for businesses…

Social Media Responsibility and Accountability

If you belong to a social media network and are currently employed, then there is no denying that at some point you have logged on to check or post an update. Whether you are viewing social media sites using your mobile phone or your computer, staying connected has never been easier. The accessibility of our personal social sites may be a godsend for some, it can also lead to the end of something great – your job.

More and more stories are hitting the web about people being fired or asked to leave a job because of content posted on their social media profiles. Whether it is Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube or a blog site one writes in their free time, the Internet is a global tool. With the proper knowledge of search engines and enough time, you can find almost anything you set out to, including employee profile pages or comments. This new uproar is no surprise; more and more businesses are joining in on the social media bandwagon to better their brand’s image and name.