In recent years, LinkedIn has emerged as an important platform for personal branding and thought leadership, especially among business professionals. However, there is an open debate around whether it is an appropriate place for social media influencers to have a presence.
On one hand, LinkedIn offers access to a massive audience of working professionals who represent a highly valuable target demographic for many brands. On the other hand, some argue that influencer marketing goes against the career-focused purpose of the platform. Here is an in-depth look at the key considerations around influencers using LinkedIn.
The potential benefits of influencers using LinkedIn
There are several compelling reasons why LinkedIn could be a strategic addition to an influencer’s social media mix.
Reach a massive professional audience
With over 575 million members, LinkedIn gives access to the world’s largest professional network on social media. This presents a huge opportunity for influencers to expand their reach and authority among working professionals, business owners, and executives – an audience that is often hard to engage on other platforms.
Many influencers already have strong followings on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and other sites. Adding LinkedIn to their strategy allows them to connect with millions of additional relevant users who spend time networking, learning and staying up-to-date on LinkedIn.
Position as an industry expert
While other social platforms focus on an influencer’s personal lifestyle and brand, LinkedIn provides a platform to establish thought leadership and subject matter expertise. Sharing insights, experiences and best practices allows influencers to showcase knowledge and position themselves as trusted experts in their field.
This can be especially powerful for influencers in business, technology, career development and other verticals aligned with LinkedIn’s professional audience.
Partner with B2B brands
Influencer marketing originated with consumer brands focused on entertainment, fashion, beauty and lifestyle content. However, an increasing number of B2B companies are also leveraging influencers as part of their marketing strategy.
LinkedIn provides access to leading B2B brands across all major industries, from software to financial services. For influencers, it opens up partnership opportunities with these brands to create sponsored content and other branded campaigns targeting professionals.
Diversify revenue streams
For full-time influencers, it is important to diversify opportunities for monetization across multiple platforms. While Instagram and YouTube advertising provide the bulk of influencer earnings today, these sources can be unpredictable.
Expanding onto LinkedIn unlocks additional partnership, sponsorship and affiliate marketing opportunities. It also reduces over-reliance on any single platform for income.
The potential challenges of influencers using LinkedIn
While the benefits are compelling, there are also a few potential challenges for influencers to consider before establishing a presence on LinkedIn.
Maintaining a professional brand
LinkedIn users expect a high level of professional conduct aligned with business etiquette. This requires influencers to consider their personal brand and content strategy carefully when approaching the platform.
Photos, videos, captions and other content that are entertaining but seem unprofessional could undermine an influencer’s credibility with LinkedIn’s audience. Maintaining a polished but approachable brand tone is key.
Avoiding the “social selling” association
“Social selling” has adopted some tactics similar to influencer marketing but focuses solely on driving product sales. While common on LinkedIn, social selling has developed a negative association of aggressive self-promotion.
Influencers need to carefully walk the line between promoting their own personal brand vs. looking like another social seller. Focusing on value-added content and thought leadership is key to avoiding this perception.
Measuring ROI and impact
LinkedIn’s algorithm and feed surfacing differ substantially from other social platforms. While vanity metrics like followers and likes are easy to measure, it can be challenging to quantify genuine impact and ROI.
Influencers should look beyond surface-level stats and track tangible business objectives like lead generation, content downloads and sales referrals to justify the investment required to establish a presence and engage actively with LinkedIn’s audience.
Tips for successfully using LinkedIn as an influencer
If you decide LinkedIn is a fit, here are some best practices to get started effectively:
Tips for Influencers Using LinkedIn |
– Optimize your profile for professionalism and keywords |
– Curate a regular content mix of articles, insights, Q&As, etc. |
– Engage actively with your niche’s LinkedIn Groups |
– Partner selectively with a few relevant B2B brands |
– Promote thought leadership over products/services |
– Measure impact beyond just vanity metrics |
Update your profile and settings
Take advantage of all of LinkedIn’s profile optimization features to craft a profile tailored to your professional personal brand – not just an online resume. Build out sections like your summary, experience, skills and accomplishments.
Also be sure to set your notifications and privacy settings appropriately to control the messaging and information sharing you prefer.
Focus on your niche’s Groups
LinkedIn Groups focused on special interests and industries are very active communities on the platform. Join and participate in Groups related to your niche to connect with your target audience and share relevant content and commentary.
Publish a consistent cadence of content
Posting regularly in the LinkedIn feed and on your profile is essential to stay top of mind. Share a mix of long-form articles, quick tips, Q&As, slide decks, videos and other formats providing value.
Monitor analytics for organic content
LinkedIn provides extensive analytics on your posts’ organic reach, engagement, clicks, follows and more. Study these metrics regularly to optimize content and timing for your audience.
Avoid overt self-promotion
While Instagram lends itself to flashy lifestyle content, LinkedIn users respond better to subtler thought leadership that positions you as an industry expert. Only sprinkling in occasional promos for products, services or brand partnerships.
The verdict on influencers using LinkedIn
While not a fit for all influencer content and personal brands, using LinkedIn strategically provides significant upside through expanded professional audience reach, B2B partnership opportunities and diversified monetization.
However, succeeding requires adapting content and engagement style to the platform’s career-focused ecosystem. With the right strategic approach tailored to LinkedIn users, it can become a valuable channel for qualifying influencers.