Klout Matters: How to Engage Customers, Boost Your Digital Influence--and Raise Your Klout Score for Success

by Gina Carr, Terry L. Brock, Jeffrey W. Hayzlett (Foreword)

Strong influence translates to more business--and nothing measures influence like Klout, which has scored more than 100 million people and companies. A high Klout score has become one of the most important business assets today. It can mean the difference between business success and failure. It can affect your job prospects, how your customer service complaints are handled, and whether you’re recognized as an expert in your industry. In Klout Matters , two of today's top social media gurus show you how to raise your Klout score and use it to your advantage. Klout Matters offers simple strategies you can begin using right away. It provides step-by-step guidance that will help you rise above the online noise to stand out, build trust, and grow your business. "Terry Brock and Gina Carr show you how to engage with customers in this fast-paced, ever-changing field. Use their proven principles to make your Klout score rise to the top." -- Harvey Mackay, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Swim with the Sharks without Being Eaten Alive "Everyone wants more impact, influence, and recognition. Buy this book and implement the ideas and strategies, so that you go from Klout to significance." -- Jeffrey Gitomer, New York Times bestselling author of The Little Red Book of Selling and 21.5 Unbreakable Laws of Selling

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Marty Wolff · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to learn how to improve your social media inflence and by the way increase your KLOUT score this book is for you. People are being hired with their KLOUT score being part of the evaluation! All business owners should read and apply the lessons.

I did an interview with Terry Brock - the co-author. You will enjoy this talk with Terry, Here's the link: http://businessbuildersglobal.com/ter...

[Lex · Rating 5 out of 5]

By the end of this book, you'll look at the word "engage" differently.

[Bianca Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Klout Matters (Gina Carr and Terry Brock) is as close as you can get to a book-sized advertisement for Klout, without it being written by Klout.

If you're wanting to know how to game your Klout score, then this is the book for you. Yes, I went there. Despite how many times the authors claim you can't and they're not instructing how to game Klout, this is a book how to game your Klout score.

The authors want this book to be a fair, definitive guide to Klout. There's even an entire chapter on Klout's shortcomings. It's towards the back and positioned as their wishlist for development. Despite my personal dislike of Klout, I'm trying to be fair in this review. Author bias aside, there's one major flaw with this book, the editing. I'm not sure any was done. My copy was a pre-release from NetGalley, a few days before its official release, so I can excuse the switching between podcast and pod-cast. I can't excuse the inconsistent claims and weak narrative.

With some editing, this could be great. I'm afraid many would put it down before getting to chapter four and discovering why a Klout score is important or relevant. Also, mid-way through we're told we must be content creators, but later we're told to be expert content curators. Which is it? Personally, I think a mix. I'm also not sure who the book is targeting. It's 90% at individuals for personal branding, but then a random corporate reference appears.

The marketing concepts are also a tad dated. Audiences and targeting are rarely mentioned, even within the tips on using social media to increase your Klout score. Chapter ten is definitely the most useful. It discusses getting to know your key influencers, putting value first, and, amusingly, that it's not all about your Klout score.

Who is Klout Matters for?

This is tough. Probably people who are wanting a numeric score as a trophy, and are trying for freebies from companies. Not marketers who are wanting to see if Klout is relevant for their brands.

If there's a second edition, with some strong editing, Klout Matters can be a useful book. Assuming Klout still has clout.

This preview was originally posted on TapDancingSpiders.com

[Jenn Haskins · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I think this is great for any recent marketing grad to read, I didn't find anything particularly useful in here. I think most people who are active on social media know its about genuine communication and content that wins you klout "points". This book reinforces that and helps you figure out some other ways to "game" the system. All in all a fine read, but nothing particularly revolutionary here.