We believe that every person who creates content online has influence. Our goal is to understand what they are influential about and who they are influencing. (via Klout)
Many of my Twitter friends have not yet joined Klout, so I thought I would present a case for why those who have not joined the site should do so today.
| Reason #1:
Because 100 million people are all ready on it. Period. If 100 million people jumped off a bridge, would I do it, too? Of course not. But if 100 million people are using a social tool to measure their online influence, so should you. Because that means Klout scores are quickly becoming a standard for measuring your ability to use social media the right way. If you’re a “social media guru,” but you ain’t influencin’ anybody on social media – there’s a problem. Right? There are a lot of “socially savvy” people out there touting all of the right buzzwords like “increasing engagement,” “generating two-way conversation,” etc. But, Klout forces you to put your money where your mouth is and actually show that you have what it takes. |
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| Reason #2:
Because you all ready have a profile whether you sign up for it or not. When you sign up for Twitter, Klout automatically creates a profile for you. So, whether you monitor it or not, you’re out there. |
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| Reason #3:
You can develop a more effective Twitter strategy by finding out which topics you are most influential about. If you’re more influential about blogging, like me, then you should be tweeting more about that. Because that is what people want to hear about from you. |
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| Reason #4:
The legacy achievements help demonstrate social media successes like retweets and unique mentioners. |
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| Reason #5:
You can import your Twitter lists and view the lists of others. This is beneficial on Klout for the same reason it’s beneficial on Twitter. It helps you to become more engaged in your community by establishing new connections, Klout just gives you another platform to use to do it. |
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| Reason #6:
Klout gives you a space to link to most of your social media accounts. Like about.me, the site makes your other social profiles visible, providing you with the opportunity to build a following on other platforms. |
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| Reason #7:
Your Klout style will help you to gage whether you are really engaging or if you need to step up your game. Not only that, it will tell you how you are engaging. |
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| Reason #8:
The +K button will help you to find topical influencers in social media, but it will also help you to gain some cudos from your social media friends, increasing your credibility as an influencer in your field. So you can say: “Not only do I think I’m a good at this, but also these people do, too.” +K‘s can be used as instant recommendations. |
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| Reason #9:
The new topic pages will allow you to see who else is influential in your areas of interest. You can establish new connections and build your blogroll using this feature. Also, once these pages go public, if you are fortunate enough to be included as one of the top influencers within your area of interest, you will receive a greater amount of exposure than you may have received with just your individual profile. |
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| Reason #10:
Last, but not least, Klout is yet another tool to use when marketing yourself to potential employers. If you can prove that you have influence on a certain topic – that you know how to use social media tools effectively – they will be more likely to consider you for a position involving social media. Klout can help you accomplish that. |
So before you make your decision, just remember one thing:
But it’s up to you whether or not you use it.
What does Klout do for you? If you haven’t signed up, do you plan to? Why or why not?
