Jan 13
2
In today’s world, influence is at an all-time high, it used to be companies needed celebrity types to mention their brands or for startups to gain any traction they needed someone within the Entertainment Industry to help spread their existence, which would cost a pretty penny if you caught their attention at all.
This no longer exists now that Social Media dominates and influencers are the peers of others who have faithfully earned the trust of their friends and followers to believe in their online reputation and shared information to be deemed reliable, this use to be the job of news sources, when today peer-to-peer recommendation has risen far enough in growth that it now helps others make judgement calls on businesses new and old.
There are a variety of Social Influencing sites that aids in helping companies share their brands to the masses such as the social influencing sites like Klout, Kred and Empire Avenue. However, these sites mostly measure the social influence of a user on their social activities and in some instances will reward with perks or investable scores that will keep their overall influencing score high. There has yet to be a social influencing site that not only recognizes the influence of the individual but uses that insight to match them with startups and brands that are selected based on the influencer’s interests.
Introducing Wahooly, a site that is built of social influencers whom they match with brands that could use some reliable peer influence to be shared to gain some traction, whether they are a new startup or an established brand, Wahooly highlights the brands and allows the influencer to learn about new and exciting apps, websites and businesses. Since Wahooly matches the influencer through their current interests, finding a brand worth sharing amongst peers is not hard to find, and with the shares comes their own perks.
When an influencer sees a brand they are able to learn more about them and if they like what they see they can then simply make an action such as a tweet or Facebook share (much like missions on Empire Avenue) and then gain points for their action that will then allow the user to choose from various items (some relatable to the brand) to use their points towards acquiring (much like a perk on Klout or Kred). The difference is, you do not have to wait to gain a perk for all of your social influencing, instead you choose which brand you want to share, gain rewards and then choose the merchandise you want to use your earned points to go towards.
Allowing the influencer to be in the driver’s seat while helping companies get the word out through social promotion. This is not only great for users, but a superb format for startups and brands to help with their online reputation, in building communities and spreading the word about their business or product.
Wahooly fills the void for brands to extend their reach and for social influencers to be able to choose who is worthy of their shared influence. Wahooly also tracks the reactions that an influencer receives from sharing and points will be earned based on the ripple effect Social Media has become so well-known for, so while you rack up the points you then can choose from perks, rewards to even using your points to invest in your favorite discovered company.
As an influencer you can add companies to “Your Companies” (much like favoriting them) so you can easily access them to share when you choose as well as be able to see their recent campaigns, updates and the influencers who like the startup or business as well, giving businesses and influencers a relatable topic to begin connecting and networking which can help build social communities on Facebook and Twitter.
This site definitely has a lot of potential but since their new platform there are some glitches I have come to find, with that aside it certainly looks promising for those who love to discover and share and introduce quality brands and products to their online audience and for startups to get a head start in spreading their brand online and through trusted peer-to-peer sources.
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Connect with Erin Ryan
+Erin Ryan is a writer for various Social Media & Tech blogs and currently works within the Social Media Industry. Erin has a keen understanding of the power of Social Media for business and fervently stays up-to-date. Creator and head editor of Socialeyezer, a social media news, cyberculture and geek guide She enjoys finding the latest in social media, tech and geek culture. Erin often expresses her thoughts and opinions on TheErinRyan A Personal Approach to Social Media. Connect further on Erin Ryan's Social Networks through her About.me Profile.
