Want to know how much pull you have on social media? Enter Klout, a tool to measure a person’s online influence and social media credibility: the more influential you are, the higher your score. While Google’s search engine ranks the relevance of web pages, Klout’s mission is to rank the influence of every person online, from 0-100. How is this done, you ask? Here, we’ve mapped out how Klout works and how you can increase your score.
How are you scored?
According to Klout, “We use more than 400 signals from eight different networks to update your Klout Score every day.” There seems to be a complicated algorithm involving the ratio of reactions compared to the content you share, so it’s not a numbers game necessarily, it’s how much your posts create engagement with your audience. Beginners usually end up with a score of about 10-15. Average users typically rank around 20-30. Heavy involvement in social media will push you above the 50 mark, but the higher your score becomes, the tougher it is to increase.
Why does your score matter?
Klout’s system attempts to create a currency out of your social media presence.
Higher score = More power.
There’s an undeniable link between business opportunity and personal influence. Brands are no longer spending millions on television ads, but they’re inviting influencers with strong social media engagement to post pictures and talk about their products. Justin Bieber and Barack Obama rank among the top Klout scores, scoring in the nineties, but with Klout’s scoring system, Joe Schmo now has the opportunity to become a social media high roller.
Connect with targeted influencers with the Twitter Master program.
Ways to increase your Klout score today
So I’ve convinced you that your Klout score may actually mean something. Now let’s explore a few essentials to boost your rating.
You MUST remain active on social media, especially Twitter. Consistency is key. If you stop posting to social media channels for even a few days, your Klout score drops.
If you want to make sure you have timely, relevant tweets going out all day every day, Ghost Tweeting’s Social Essentials program will do that for you.
Create content worth sharing. Whether you are curating content or generating your own, make sure it’s content that people want to read, share, and like. Quotes make for short and sweet snippets that people are more apt to share. Photos, especially humorous ones, are more likely to get retweeted and shared. But remember to stay on brand.
Engage with people who already have high Klout scores. When engaging with influencers that respond to you, this validates your power and position in the social media sphere. Klout high scorers have the potential to extend your reach to a whole new world of people with just one retweet. Keep this in mind when choosing whom to engage with.
Don’t spread yourself too thin. Hone in on a niche, and stick to that topic with all of your tweets and posts to social media. Ask questions, spark conversation and try to keep your tweets light and positive.
In a world of credit scores and insurance ratings, your Klout score is just one of the numbers to define you, but it may be the most important when it comes to your network. This is yet another reason to roll up your sleeves and get acquainted with your social media audience by posting engaging content and building new relationships. In no time, you could be a Klout King.
