Joe Fernandez, Klout: Everyone Has Influence

How do you build your personal brand? Do all those tweets and status updates mean anything tangible? ToJoe Fernandez, founder of Klout, they mean a great deal. And it’s not just him – businesses are willing to leverage your interests and influence to help advertise their products, and aim to make you a willing advocate.

At our PSFK CONFERENCE SAN FRANCISCO, Joe describes to PSFK’s Scott Lachut his belief that everyone–even his mother–who creates content on the social web has influence, because in our digitally connected society a large part of how we interact with others is determined by our online presence. Social influence is the new currency of our networked world.

Some highlights from Joe and Scott’s chat:

• Word of mouth is the most effective form of advertising, and companies who reach out to influencers to talk about their brand have realized that
• In participating in Klout Perks, brands must accept a loss of control over what people say about their product – and be willing to earnestly listen to feedback
• Joe foresees that as more people create more content, social influence will become a big part of our everyday lives in the offline world