Last month, new(ish) social media giant Klout (klout.com) announced that it had added content aggregation into the site – and the world of online marketing went a little mad with glee. If you’re not familiar with Klout, you can read more about it in our previous blog post.

Basically, #NewKlout allows users to create content and increase their Klout score in the process. Even if you’re not a Klout user, this is important information because it goes to show that what we’ve been saying all this time – CONTENT IS KING! – really is true! Of course, we already knew that, but now there’s proof. If you’re a marketer, or someone who just wants to learn to market their business better, then it’s time to sit up and take notice.

5 reasons why #NewKlout matters

1.  Content is king

Prior to the unveiling of the new Klout, its main use was to measure your online social influence. There were a few other bells and whistles but that’s basically what it came down to. Klout has now started to transition into being a centre for content curation, with a big focus on marketing.

2.  You have more power

The new Klout lets you not only see what your online ‘influence’ score is, but also gives you the tools to increase your score by creating and sharing content. This puts the power (or at least the illusion of it) back into your hands.

3.  Klout searches for you

Part of the social media strategy for your business probably consists of searching through your social media channels for content that might resonate with your audience. Klout pulls relevant content from RSS feeds and social media channels so that you don’t have to.

4.  Personalised content suggestions

Klout uses analytics about your network or ‘audience’ to recommend content that they will be interested in. This lets you connect more effectively with your fans and followers without having to think about what they’ll actually like. Bonus!

5.  Content scheduling

Scheduling is the holy grail of content marketing. Scheduling means you can have an all-day presence for your audience while only actually investing a few hours a week. Of course there are already a few platforms that let you schedule content, like Buffer, Hearis and Hootsuite, but if you combine the ability to schedule content, with the personalised content suggestions mentioned above, then Klout puts itself far ahead of the competition.

At the end of the day the #NewKlout is going to be a great tool for content marketers and businesses wanting to gain more influence through their social media channels. But it’s not going to be a replacement for a solid content marketing strategy. As much as it pains us to tell you – there are no quick fixes!

4 tips for creating a stellar content marketing strategy

1.  Create a content calendar

Plan in advance and create a content schedule that includes the topics you’re going to write about on each day. Keep a list handy and add to it every time you have a topic idea – even if you’re totally inspired and finding creating content a breeze right now, you’ll soon find the novelty wears off – and that’s when the calendar pays dividends.

2.  Analyse everything

Who’s reading your content? Where are they coming from? Every piece of information, no matter how small and seemingly insignificant, will help you understand your audience and give you insight into how you can better cater to them. Watch your data to find out what works, as well as what bombs!

3.  Make the most of your platforms

Share, share, share. Talk about your posts on Twitter and link content on LinkedIn. Tell everyone about it. There’s no point creating content if no-one knows it’s there!

4.  Mix it up

Keep your audience on its toes by incorporating different forms of content. Instead of written blog posts, try a YouTube clip or podcast. Host a webinar or get your staff to put on a skit while wearing Disney princess costumes (or something else that gets people talking). You get the picture – broaden your horizons!

For now, the #NewKlout, is just that – new! This means we can’t be sure just yet what impact it’s going to have on the business world. But you never know – combining a strong content marketing strategy with Klout’s new features might just be the perfect marriage to catapult your business to the next level.