I admit I was very hesitant when I first heard about Klout. I thought “Why is the internet judging me and giving me a score that no one else cares about?” Nevertheless I registered myself and didn’t really pay attention to Klout for quite some time. Then all of a sudden I started hearing about people getting “perks” which came in the form of packages in the mail! Real snail mail! With electronic technology being so prevalent, getting something in the mail is such a nice treat.

I started to pay a little more attention to my Klout Score. My perspective was still that since I’ve never had anyone want to work with me because of my Klout score, in fact I’ve never even had a random person ask me what my score was; therefore I can’t justify my score having a strong influence over anything!

Recently, however I started to realize how Klout may be slowly but surely becoming a major player in the “Social Media Game”. They added more networks to their enigmatic algorithm (to this day I still can’t figure it out).  In fact just over a week ago my fellow San Diegan, web/tech friend, aka one of the most innovative, in-the-know ladies in tech, Jenn Van Grove aka @jbruin of Mashable wrote about how Klout Calculates Its 100 Millionth Score. Before I continue with my own insight on the benefits of Klout, I want to take a moment to say THANKS KLOUT for all the perks!

I’m not a big Subway fan, but I also can’t turn away a free sandwich with my $10 Subway card. In fact, it served me well for 2 sandwiches and prompted me to promote for Subway when I normally wouldn’t be talking about them!

Subway Veggie Delight

I received a variety of Metromint water to try. I admit I still haven’t had a chance to enjoy them yet but they look so pretty in the package and it’s just fun to get stuff in the mail!

Is Klout trying to tell me that I stink? They’re sure not keeping it much of a Secret! Either way I’m stocked up on deodorant for the rest of the year, something I would buy anyway!

For the few times a year it sprinkles in San Diego, Klout and the Weather Channel have me covered! This is my favorite Klout Perk so far. As a San Diegan, buying an umbrella isn’t even on my list of things to ever buy so having an awesome umbrella like this is pretty cool!

Once again, thanks Klout for all the fun perks! I’m ever so grateful! I’ll now share a few of my own observations on how Klout is a useful tool.

1. Find Influencers– If you’re looking for new people to follow or want an glimpse of who has a strong voice on topics you’re interested in, simply click on the “Influencers” tab on the left side of your Klout profile. Click on different topics and a list of the top influencers for each topics will populate.

2. Share Influencers– Give back to your community and those who you’re learning from with +K’s! You’re allowed to give 5 +K’s each day. Along with the +K’s you can tweet out to your network “I gave (insert Twitter name) +K about Social Media on @klout….” this is still room here, I highly encourage you to include WHY you’re awarding this +K. Just like I want you to tell me Why should I follow you on #FollowFriday?, I want to know why I should care about the +K you just gave.  This makes your share much more valuable to your followers.

3. Marketing Opportunities for Brands– As evidenced by my Klout Perks, this is an extraordinary opportunity for brands to get their product in the hands of influencers. Not only will brands reach influencers, they’re also tapping into a population they know is extremely active on Social Media. Therefore, people who receive Klout Perks are more likely to share your brand with their network. This creates a great authentic and viral opportunity for your brand.

4. Measurement Opportunities for Marketers– Although measuring Social Media is still something Marketers are challenged with, Klout is one way we can demonstrate a set metric. For example, if I have a client interested in reaching out to people who have a strong voice in the Yoga community, I can search for top influencers on this topic with a Klout score higher than 50 and craft messages directed toward this group.

5. Klout Perks!- Of course I can’t leave this off since the perks inspired me to take a closer look at Klout in the first place. Make sure to periodically check the top right “Perks” tab on your profile to see what Klout Perks are available and which ones you qualify for!

Before I conclude by first blog post on Klout, I do want to say that I wish Klout had a vacation mode! My score drops significantly each weekend. I’m not as active on Social Media then since I’m out enjoying time with people I care about. It also drops when I’m on vacation since I’m not constantly updating! Anyone else want to see this feature? Aside from that, please share with me your own thoughts on Klout. Are there other benefits you’ve seen?