Have you got Klout?

It’s no secret that influencers are rewarded more than the Average Joe in society. Just look at celebrities and the amount of free clothes, vacations, and meals they get simply for being famous. Whether they actually ever use any of the swag is another question; oftentimes leaving companies wishing for a coveted paparazzi shot of said celeb clutching their product.

But it’s only in recent years that online personalities have emerged as a new class of elite influencers. The metrics for judgment are brand new: Twitter followers, blog subscribers, Facebook friends, website hits. The new elite is led by bloggers like Robert Scoble and Chris Brogan; new media personalities like Pete Cashmore and Michael Arrington; and web celebs like iJustine. Gary Vaynerchuk’s bio even promotes the fact that he was one of the first people to reach Facebook’s 5,000 friend limit.

Marketers haven’t been immune to the steady growth of online communities. I’ve seen several creative promotions come through my Twitter stream, including Chevy giving cars to tech-savvy SXSW attendees so they could roadtrip there in style. Whatever the tactic, and whatever the target demographic, these campaigns usually have some similar traits: They target online “influencers” who are tech-savvy and have large communities; they usually involve free stuff; and they’re designed to get people talking about the product or brand.

I’ve been fortunate enough to be on the receiving end of some of these campaigns – I received a free Tassimo coffee machine last year (one of my favourite social media campaigns to date – read why); I went on a Post Shredded Wheat blogger getaway that involved a stay in a luxury hotel and pampering at a 5-star spa; I attended a Toronto Maple Leafs game in the press box which was heaven because I’m a huge sports fan; and I sat in centre orchestra seats at a Jersey Boys show. All of these promotions led me to Tweet, Facebook, and blog my thoughts and gratitude – often about products I hadn’t tried or exceptional experiences.

This week I learned about a new promotion on behalf of Klout and Virgin America. Klout, a company that measures online influence, rewarded local online influencers with free flights this summer to experience Virgin America’s new route. Users had to be a registered member of Klout – other than that the selection process was shrouded in mystery. While some of the choices were obvious (Scott Stratten has a high Klout score of 77 and naturally received one), others were not. After all according to Klout my score is only 34 – not nearly as high as Scott’s, and yet here I am traveling to San Francisco on their dime. And while there are criticisms about the campaign overall it has definitely been effective in building awareness about both Klout and Virgin.

It has also made me wonder whether I deserve the title of “influencer.” My answer is not necessarily. I certainly have people in my community online, but that doesn’t mean they listen to anything I have to say. People are quick to equate numbers with influence, but they don’t always correlate (hello Twitter spambots!). And I certainly don’t have communities as large as some local influencers like Amber MacArthur and Erica Ehm. Sure, companies can judge influence based on a couple of numbers. And I personally hope they keep running campaigns like the ones mentioned above – after all everyone loves getting free stuff, and it’s nice to see people rewarded who aren’t A-list celebrities. I guess the bottom line is that if you want to be one of the lucky online influencers, you’d better have the Klout to back it up.