What are your thoughts on Klout?  Is it worth the time?

My fellow tweep (endearment) @_DebbieRussell from DebbieRussell.me Social Media Marketing was curious about my answer to that question just this morning. I’ve actually had a few people ask me that question in the past week.

In the offline world, having Clout means you have influence (sometimes based on your experience, expertise, on who you’re married to or how much money you have), whether it be with the IRS, the mayor or at your favorite coffee shop. You have an extra bit of pull with these people that can get you something, that others readily can’t. You have influence with these people, to have them follow you, support you or just listen to you.

In the online world, having Klout is no different. It means that based on your expertise on a subject, you influence your peers to make decisions, whether it be to click on a link you suggest, retweet your thought of the moment or try a product you promote.

You know better than anyone what kind of clout/klout you have. You know you can influence Blogger X to promote your site, you know you can get Tweep X to retweet your tweet, you know you can get Reader X to click on an affiliate link. Does knowing your Klout score and nurturing it do anything for you personally? Actually yes it does. There are perks that come with having a Klout score, from free lunches to the best resort suites.

Will that score help you as a blogger? Depends on your goals. If you blog just to share your story, then screw the Klout score, it doesn’t matter. But if you’re blogging with business in mind, then yes, knowing that score and nurturing it, is a great asset to your marketing plan.

Klout for Blogger Business

There are a number of ways you may use your blog for business.

For example, my blog, is where I empty my head about blogging. It’s also an example of my skills of making a website marketable and my social media savvy. Have you seen my Hubspot Website grade? It’s 99. My traffic is pretty good for someone who blogs once or twice a week. Having a high Klout score shows my potential clients that I’m pretty good at utilizing social media for my website. There are tweeps out there who actually care about what i have to say. When pitching to potential clients, it’s a number game and they’ll always trust a 3rd party’s assessment of your skills over your resume. I actually had a potential client ask me for my Klout, PeerIndex, and Hubspot Blog Score.

Whether you’re using your blog for offline purposes or looking to be spokesperson, write sponsored posts or sell ad space, you may find having a high Klout score helps to tip the scales in your favor with a PR Firm.

Where #Klout may #Fail for Blogger Business

For the past week I’ve been enjoying the heck out of sharing +Klout love. Why? Because I’ve know many wonderful bloggers who KNOW their topic and surely have given me reason to return to their blog and retweet their tweets, that deserved the recognition. I don’t hand out that score easily. I’m not sharing it out to my best buddies. Well, why the hell not? You’ve got Klout power in your hands. Cause frankly, I believe handing it out to bloggers who haven’t produced or shared quality content that influences me (whether it be a post or a tweet), reduces the quality of the score which will reduce its effectiveness with PR firms. The bar will be raised. A Klout score of 55 will mean nothing.

So hand out those +K scores to those who have influenced you. Share the +K love with Integrity.

What are your thoughts on Klout?

I’d love to hear your thoughts. so please share it in the comments section or tweet it to me or let me know if you write a post about it. And please tweet, like or share whichever way you choose so others can share their thoughts with me too.

p.s. the sponsored post of my fotolia.com review and contest rules will be later this week, promise!

PhotoCredit:

© mangostock – Fotolia
© Michael Pettigrew – Fotolia

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