METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DETERMINING A USER'S BRAND INFLUENCE

• US 20130018893A1
• Filed: 04/04/2012
• Published: 01/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: NELSON, Marcus, MCCONNELL, Jager, PETER, Ciara
• Granted Patent: US 8,954,449 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/748
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

A method for identifying an influencer of a brand is disclosed. The method embodiment includes scanning social media objects published by at least one social networking entity to identify a first social media object posted by a first user and relating to a brand associated with a product, an enterprise, a service, a person, a concept, and/or a trackable object. The social media objects include messages, video and audio clips, and/or image files posted by a plurality of users. The method also includes calculating a brand influence score for the first user based on a plurality of influence factors. The brand influence score for the first user is compared to a threshold influence score, and the first user is identified as a brand influencer when the first user'"'"'s brand influence score is greater than the threshold influence score.

Claims

1. A method for identifying an influencer of a brand, the method comprising:

scanning, by a server, a plurality of social media objects published by at least one social networking entity to identify a first social media object posted by a first user and relating to a brand associated with at least one of a product, an enterprise, a service, a person, a concept, and a trackable object, wherein the plurality of social media objects includes at least one of messages, video and audio clips, and image files posted by a plurality of users;

calculating, by the server, a brand influence score for the first user, wherein the brand influence score is based on a plurality of influence factors;

comparing, by the server, the brand influence score for the first user to a threshold influence score; and

identifying, by the server, the first user as a brand influencer when the first user'"'"'s brand influence score is greater than the threshold influence score.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the brand influencer influences how other users at least one of relate to and think about the brand.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of influence factors is related to at least one of a number of following users following the first user, a status/attribute of a following user, a status/attribute of a second user followed by the first user, a number of times the first social media object is reposted by at least the number of following users, a number of other social media objects relating to the brand and posted by the first user, and reactions and comments relating to the first social media object.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein calculating the brand influence score for the first user comprises:

determining, by the server, for each of the plurality of influence factors a raw score based on at least one of real-time social networking data, and data relating to the first user stored in a customer relationship management (CRM) system; and

accumulating, by the server, the raw score of each influence factor to generate a sum of the raw scores, wherein the brand influence score for the first user is the sum of the raw scores.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein calculating the brand influence score for the first user further includes normalizing the raw score of at least one of the plurality of influence factors.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the CRM system includes a multi-tenant on-demand database system.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising weighting each of the plurality of influence factors by a weighting factor to reflect each influence factor'"'"'s importance relative to other influence factors.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein a first influence factor of the plurality of influence factors is directed to attributes of the first user, and wherein the weighting factor of the first influence factor is based on at least one of an identity of the first user, an occupation of the first user, a company with which the first user is affiliated, a title of the first user with respect to the company, and whether the company is one of an existing or prospective customer of the brand.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein a first influence factor of the plurality of influence factors is directed to attributes of a following user following the first user, and wherein the weighting factor of the first influence factor is based on at least one of an identity of the following user, a relationship between the following user and the first user, an occupation of the following user, a company with which the following user is affiliated, a title of the following user with respect to the company, and whether the company is one of an existing or prospective customer of the brand.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein a first influence factor of the plurality of influence factors is directed to attributes of a leading user followed by the first user, and wherein the weighting factor of the first influence factor is based on at least one of an identity of the leading user, a relationship between the leading user and the first user, an occupation of the leading user, a company with which the leading user is affiliated, a title of the leading user with respect to the company, and whether the company is one of an existing or prospective customer of the brand.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein calculating the brand influence score for the first user comprises:

determining for each of the influence factors a raw score based on at least one of real-time social networking data provided by the at least one social networking entity, and data relating to the first user stored in a customer relationship management (CRM) system;

multiplying the raw score by the weighting factor of the influence factor to generate a weighted raw score; and

accumulating the weighted raw score of each influence factor to generate a sum of the weighted raw scores, wherein the brand influence score for the first user is the sum of the weighted raw scores.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising recalculating the first user'"'"'s brand influence score when at least one of a predetermined time period between the posting of the first social media object and the posting of a second social media object relating to the brand posted by the first user has elapsed, an attribute of the first user is updated, and an influence factor is updated.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

generating automatically an alert notification message identifying the first user as a brand influencer; and

transmitting the alert notification message to at least one interested user.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising including in the alert notification message a recommendation to follow the first user.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising creating, by the server, at least one record associated with at least one of the brand and the first user, and storing the first user'"'"'s brand influence score in the at least one record.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the record is stored in a customer relationship management (CRM) system that includes a multi-tenant on-demand database system, and wherein the brand is related to a tenant of the multi-tenant on-demand database system.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

receiving, by the server, a subscription request from an interested user requesting notifications relating to the brand;

subscribing, by the server, the interested user to the record associated with the brand;

generating automatically, by the server, an alert notification message identifying the first user as a brand influencer; and

transmitting, by the server, the alert notification message to the interested user pursuant to the subscription.

18. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

receiving, by the server, a command message identifying at least one interested user and including a command to subscribe the at least one identified interested user to notifications relating to the brand;

subscribing, by the server, the at least one interested user to the record associated with the brand;

generating automatically, by the server, an alert notification message identifying the first user as a brand influencer; and

transmitting, by the server, the alert notification message to the at least one interested user pursuant to a the subscription.

19. A machine-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions for identifying an influencer of a brand, which instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to carry out the steps of:

scanning a plurality of social media objects published by at least one social networking entity to identify a first social media object posted by a first user and relating to a brand associated with at least one of a product, an enterprise, a service, a person, a concept and a trackable object, wherein the plurality of social media objects includes at least one if messages, video and audio clips, and image files posted by a plurality of users;

calculating a brand influence score for the first user, wherein the brand influence score is based on a plurality of influence factors;

comparing the brand influence score for the first user to a threshold influence score; and

identifying the first user as a brand influencer when the first user'"'"'s brand influence score is greater than the threshold influence score.

20. An apparatus for identifying an influencer of a brand, the apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

one or more stored sequences of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to carry out the steps of;

scanning a plurality of social media objects published by at least one social networking entity to identify a first social media object posted by a first user and relating to a brand associated with at least one of a product, an enterprise, a service, a person, a concept and a trackable object, wherein the plurality of social media objects includes at least one if messages, video and audio clips, and image files posted by a plurality of users;

calculating a brand influence score for the first user, wherein the brand influence score is based on a plurality of influence factors;

comparing the brand influence score for the first user to a threshold influence score; and

identifying the first user as a brand influencer when the first user'"'"'s brand influence score is greater than the threshold influence score.