Does Klout Matter?

If you have not heard or checked out Klout.com, it is essentially an easy way to measure your online influence. Each person has a Klout score provided they are involved with social media in some way. Even users that do not participate are assigned a Klout score based on their interaction with the social world. To keep it simple, the more people you can reach and the more people that interact with your content and more importantly amplify your content, the higher Klout score you will have. For more details, check out their frequently asked questions section.

Personal Use

Of course there are reasons that your Klout matters on personal level...most people want to have some sort of influence. Also, the more influential you are, the more Klout Perks will be available to you. You can get Klout perks by achieving a certain score or by being influential about a specific topic. Though the idea behind the perks is pretty good, I have not found them to be all that interesting. Though I think Klout is interesting, in the long run it doesn't really matter all that much on a personal level.

From a Business Perspective...

Klout definitely matters if you are a business owner...especially a brick and mortar business. Here's why. People using social media are not scared to mention a brand. They will talk about their experiences, both good and bad, through social media. Influential people can have much more of an impact of what actually happens when they talk about it.

While you should treat all of your customers the same, you really want to treat your influential customers well. Wouldn't you want to know when someone influential walks through your doors? With the power of Klout and check-in services, you will be able to do such a thing. Imagine your host/hostess getting a notification when someone with a Klout score of 65 checks in to your restaurant via foursquare...not only that, but they are influential about the topic of food. You can then take the next step based on your business to make sure that person is treated right...or at least not poorly. Understanding when influential people are arriving at your business is HUGE.

I have already read about a few start-ups tackling this type of application, and I can only imagine that we will see many more. Klout has already teamed up with Postling to notify an owner when someone influential is following them. Good information...but not nearly as powerful to a brick-and-mortar establishment. I like Klout and am quite interested to see how it progresses in the near future. Have you checked your Klout score?