In the past few years a number of start-ups, such as Klout, Peerlndex and Kred, have been offering Web applications that make it possible for companies and organisations to identify the most influential social media users. These analytical tools, based on private algorithms, help to identify those users that are the most active within the social networks, and award them a specific social score, depending on what metrics they use. They gauge these users’ activity and their level of commitment on the main networks (Twitter and Facebook) and work out the influencers’ social capital. The amount of influence exerted within …
read moreRaymond Morin
This monthly Social Media Influence column is contributed by Raymond Morin. Author of the books, “Culture Web à la portée des PME” and “Comment entreprendre le virage 2.0.” Raymond has written for several French magazines over the past 15 years. Raymond is a corporate trainer and is regularly invited to give lectures and training workshops to companies and organizations. In collaboration with Intelegia, and Ian Smith, Raymond is preparing for the release of a new book, “Réussir dans les médias sociaux : La clé de l'influence” which will be translate in English and Spanish, and prefaced by Neal Schaffer.
Raymond Morin's Posts
«Cadillac ATS vs. The World» : A Web-TV series and multi-plateforms campaign Through the Cadillac brand, General Motors has been able to build a name for itself based on unwavering leadership and authority. For over a century, Cadillac has been listed as one of the leading brand manufacturers. For consumers, it’s the symbol of quality. “We don’t just make luxury cars. We make Cadillacs.” Winner of the prestigious, annual “Best Road Vehicle in North America” award from the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in January, the new Cadillac ATS continues to accumulate awards and rewards. In July 2012, General …
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The History of TOP Charts If we can credit the music industry for giving birth to the first popular TOP charts, the phenomenon wasn’t unique to the industry for long. Film’s box office results and literature’s list of best-sellers quickly followed suit. These two cultural sectors ended up being among the most successful ones from the 1940’s and 50’s. A few years later, new mass media such as radio and television entered into the world of charts with the results from BBM (Broadcast Bureau of Measurement) surveys. For each of these new twentieth century industries, influencer’s charts and lists have …
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No one can predict the future; scientists can’t, the Mayans couldn’t (despite having been the ones to invent the language of binary computing.) On the eve of 2013, one thing is certain: our digital lives will continue to accelerate. Fortunately, the holiday season affords us a much needed break and allows us to take stock of the past year and learn some of its lessons in preparation for the year ahead. The pervasiveness of mobile technologies and social media and their increasing impact on all aspect of our lives can certainly be viewed as one of 2012’s highlights. The beginning …
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In recent years, several aspects of society have been transformed by new Internet technologies. Today, mobile and almost unlimited access to information coupled with the tremendous potential of media streaming provides connected consumers with a new power to influence. These new user-consumers benefit from the value of their recommendations and the viral nature of word-of-mouth endorsements to assert a more active role in the sales process. These prosumers, which consist of the new Generation C, now exert a major influence on companies and brands. (Read also : Social Media Influence : Understanding the New Generation C ) From Alvin Toffler …
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In the era of social media and the socialization of organizations, consumers are now more than ever true kings. While access to an economy of abundance and new technologies promotes online consumerism, brands are nevertheless struggling to find innovative ways to establish new, trusting relationships with their customers. They need to learn to exchange ideas and communicate more openly, and increasingly involve consumers in their processes. Because they are frontline users, Generation C’s influence on others represents major stakes for advertising companies. They can end up being the best ambassadors or the worst critics. Companies need to integrate new marketing …
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From Machiavelli to Robert Cialdini, the notion of influence has continued to fascinate the general public and professionals alike. Even thought leaders have analyzed and scrutinized the concept hundreds of times over, its definition is always dependent on the context in which it’s being used. From Manipulation to Influence Very early on, in the 1920’s, the main cultural and media industries started to build and develop on the basis of popularity. Box office films, lists of bestselling books, records on the hit parade as radio and television ratings, were all a part of industries that benefited from the tremendous appeal …
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Social Influence Marketing : A New Science to Develop! Since 2009 and the lightening-speed emergence of Klout, the concept of online influence has evolved a lot. The approach used by early adopters has rapidly evolved from being quantitative analysis (like Klout and other currently available online tools) to more qualitative metrics (based more on achievements). Suddenly, the importance of social scores take up much less room in the debate, and interest has immediately turned to the recommendation of ambassadors who represent a greater value for company name brands (see: Social Media Influencers or Social Media Ambassadors : What Is Their True Value ?) …
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At a time when the biggest social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest) are starting to make a move towards e-commerce, the subject of influence marketing is more than ever a major issue for most companies. Traditional advertising barely has an impact on purchasing and word of mouth and peer recommendations (P2P) have emerged as the new determinants for the connected, Generation C consumers. Brands are realizing that in order to have return customers, they need to change tactics and adopt a more “social” approach before promoting their products and services. Marketing agencies now recognize the impact of social media …
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CORNERSTONE OR STUMBLING BLOCK? In my first article for Windmill Networking, I wrote that new Web technologies made it possible for anyone to become an influencer within their network. I mentioned the case of Canadian guitarist David Carroll and his dispute with United Airlines and his “United Breaks Guitars” viral video that turned him into a celebrity. (Read: Social Media Influence: How a Nobody Can Become a Somebody). Inversely, there is no shortage of examples of professionals who have had their careers destroyed by an online reputation gone wrong. Many companies, even some of the bigger ones, have lost a …
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Generation C and User Influence To understand what’s at stake when considering the influence of social media, companies and organizations must first try to understand user motivation. In the era of social networks and mobile communications, new Internet users are taking the reins of a new economic power; this power belongs to Generation C. This new generation isn’t delineated by age or demographic evolution. Rather, as Trendwatching magazine (who launched the concept of Generation C in 2004) defines it, it’s a new generation of social network and mobile technology users – connected consumers – who benefit from on-line tools in …
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HOW A NOBODY CAN BECOME A SOMEBODY Social media’s tremendous power now rests in the hands of those using it. We’ve seen this over the past year with Tahrir Square and the Arab Spring as well as with the Occupy Wall Street movement that escalated to global proportions. Social media users have become major players in social change. In 2009, through the use of YouTube and other social networks, Canadian guitarist David Carroll publicly took United Airlines to task for breaking his instrument : United Breaks Guitars (His book “The Power of One Voice in the Age of Social Media” …
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