Quick Pitch: Kred assigns influence scores to Twitter users.
Genius Idea: Transparency.
Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga are influential on Twitter, but unless you're willing to pay them a lot of money, they're probably not going to tweet about your product. There are, however, probably many less mainstream influencers who would happily tweet about your product if you engaged them.
Kred's business model is built on finding these Twitter users, who Kred creator Jodee Rich call "local rockstars."
The product, which was launched by social analytics company PeopleBrowser, assigns scores to Twitter users based on their influence and outreach. It then identifies the communities that each user influences.
Scoring social media is a concept that Klout started, and the two services are similar. The biggest difference between your Kred score and your Klout score is a quality of mystery. Kred details exactly how user scores are tabulated.
Furthermore, Kred lets users add "real world" accomplishments such as employment or being involved in charity work.
The companies that tabulate each score also use them in different ways. Klout promises never to identify influencers to advertisers and instead sells brands the opportunity to give specific types of influencers "Klout Perks" or exclusive access to certain products or experiences.
Kred targets its paying clients differently. When a brand wants to, for instance, influence fashion bloggers in London, Kred can whip up a list of Twitter users who can help.
Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, OrangeDukeProductions
Series Supported by Microsoft BizSpark
