Why your Klout score matters

Your Klout score matters for the same reason your bank account balance matters or, for that matter, the level of your car’s gas gauge. Klout is a measure of how far you’ve come in social media and more importantly how far you can go. I’m not one of those people who thinks we should all just get ribbons for participation. The real world grades on a curve and that’s what Klout is all about.

News Flash 1: It’s not all about having a high numeric score

Klout might be suffering from a perception problem that it’s all about your numeric score. It’s not. Drill down into the details of your profile and your score. For example, Klout labels me a “specialist” and when you read their definition of that label it’s spot on.

You may not be a celebrity, but within your area of expertise your opinion is second to none. Your content is likely focused around a specific topic or industry with a focused, highly-engaged audience.

So, while I may not like the label, I can’t argue with it’s accuracy. Social media is still a relatively new tool and most of us are still learning the ins and outs of the technology. Klout is even newer and, in the year or so I’ve been watching them, they’ve done nothing but grow and improve with few – if any – missteps.

News Flash 2: Klout is far from perfect, but way better than nothing

Of course, Klout is not perfect. They don’t follow me around and know me like I know myself. That’s not their role or mission. Their goal is to give others some idea of how you utilize social media and how effective that utilization is.

If you’re my friend, I could care less. If you are someone I am thinking about doing business with, what I learn about you on Klout will probably matter more; especially if I’m hiring you to manage my public relations and social media.

Think about it this way: When you hire a person, do you look at just their resume or college transcripts? No, you look at those things and take the time to interview the individual and maybe even reach out to those with whom they have previously worked. There is no single silver bullet to judge a person. Klout is just one tool in your arsenal.

News Flash 3: You can game your Klout score

I’m not going to share the details, but it’s pretty darn easy. Funny thing is that it takes just as much effort as being yourself and being active on a daily basis in the social media space. If all you want is a high numeric Klout score, just google for information on gaming the system. Have fun with that. I’m just going to stick to being me and see where I end up.

Wrapping it up

Your Klout score matters because it’s a fairly objective look at how you utilize social media and to what degree that utilization is effective. Sometimes I want to know how I look to others in the social space and Klout helps me see that. It also let’s me take a fairly objective look at you.