A Marketer’s job is all about influencing others. And when it comes to measuring influence, you simply can’t ignore Klout – undoubtedly the Internet’s most happening social media influence metric service that measures how many people you influence (“True Reach”), how much you influence them (“Amplification”), and how much they influence others (“Network”).

Though Klout has been around for almost 4 years, it’s been in the news off-late for bringing about large-scale changes – an overhaul to its scoring model with insights to help people understand changes in your influence. Though there are several other social influence measurement services on the Internet, Klout has leaped in popularity thanks largely to sponsored freebies called Klout Perks. Eligibility for a particular Perk is based upon the user’s Klout score, topics of influence, and/or geographic location. Perks include products, services, “experiences” (like invitations to special events and test drives of a new car), and discounts.

If you haven’t heard about Klout, you should perhaps go and check it out first. If you are a marketer and a Klout user, should you worry about your Klout score? Let’s try and dig deeper into the various aspects of your Klout score calculation.

A measure of influence

There’ve been mixed reactions over the way in which Klout calculates the overall score and how it measures your overall influence. While some experts believe that Klout mistakenly uses the number of fans or followers and shares or retweets as being indicative of influence, others believe it’s hard to find a please-all algorithm to calculate a marketer’s measure of influence.

Though Klout doesn’t reveal its algorithm in public, it’s believed that the overall influence score is calculated based on a number of factors including how much a user’s content is “shared” and “commented” on. Further, you are considered to be influential when your actions induce your friends/followers to behave like you, e.g., buying a new product, in choosing a brand over another etc.

Rewards

Though perks are a key part of its ecosystem, Klout is much more than merely being a reward system. A number of companies offer freebies such as iTunes card, Macy’s gift card and other such rewards as Klout Perks primarily to get publicity and potentially new customers. It’s a win-win situation for all parties – companies get attention, marketers get eyeballs, people get free things and Klout takes the credit for putting it all together.

Hiring

Klout is fast emerging as a valuable hiring tool for companies. Employers asking candidates about their Klout score is no longer an unexpected interview question. As a candidate, you can’t be sure if your prospect employer uses Klout or not. Therefore, if possible, you (marketers included) should try and maintain a high Klout score.

A lot of companies even include Klout score as a metric for conducting employee performance reviews, thereby making it a crucial factor which affects people’s livelihoods.

Do you actively monitor your Klout score? Do you think it’s a good metric to evaluate a social marketer’s influence? Please share your opinion by leaving a comment.