LinkedIn is the fourth largest social media site, with over half a billion users. Like other social media sites, influencer marketing is becoming a force to reckon with on the platform. Businesses use influencers to market their products and reach out to potential audiences. But unlike other social media sites, LinkedIn is a professional network.
One of the careers that have risen out of this field is that of a LinkedIn influencer. As the name suggests, these influencers have a large following and an influence over their followers.Therefore, their impact cannot be understated.
The Official LinkedIn Influencer Program
LinkedIn has its influencer program. It’s an invite-only program for professionals in this space who are industry experts with specific knowledge. They create and share high-value organic content with their large following. They are the best in what they do and are considered key industry players. This enables other users to learn from people they would not have met.
The influencers try to influence their followers to be better professionals. They post serious content that helps their followers grow in that industry. However, they may also post motivational quotes and other uplifting messages.
These influencers often have a huge LinkedIn following. The program is only limited to 500 people. Therefore, joining the official LinkedIn program can be hard unless you are famous, like Bill Gates or extremely good at what you do, like Neil Patel. However, you can still become a LinkedIn influencer.
Why Become a LinkedIn Influencer
While it can be hard to become an official LinkedIn influencer, you can still become an unofficial influencer. You will still get similar benefits to those of an official influencer, such as posting sponsored content. Other benefits of becoming a LinkedIn influencer are:
Increase Your Engagement
As a LinkedIn influencer, your content will attract a lot of engagement. Due to your higher influence, you will have an opportunity to get your content featured in trending content.
Improve Conversion
As a LinkedIn influencer, you have an opportunity to get leads and make sales. Since you will have a large following, these people can turn into your customers.
Get Noticed By Industry Influencers
When you regularly post helpful content, you can easily get noticed by people in your niche. This can enhance your marketing opportunity and get professional networking opportunities.
How to Become a LinkedIn Influencer
If you would like to work as a LinkedIn influencer, there are several steps you should follow. These are:
Choose a Niche
The best place to be an Instagram influencer is in a field where you are an expert. When you post on a topic you understand well, people will see your passion and appreciate you. When choosing a niche, avoid picking one that is too broad. It will be too competitive due to the many people discussing the subject matter. Instead, choose one industry.
Optimize Your Profile
Once you have chosen a niche, you must polish your profile to show you are an expert in that niche. Ensure your profile is branded with keywords and images aligned with the industry you want to specialize in. This way, you will make it easier for people interested in this niche to find your profile.
Improve Connections
The number of connections is a key factor that will help you become an influencer. You cannot become an influencer unless people read and share your content. Take time to invite people you meet on social media to LinkedIn. Make sure you have at least 500 connections in your niche.
If you invite people who aren’t in your niche, you may get lots of rejections, and your profile may appear like it’s spamming. Remember that followers(not connections) are the true sign of influence on Linkedin. If you are struggling to get more followers, there are social media promotional services that can help you.
Create Great Content
As noted earlier, LinkedIn influencers often post beneficial content to their followers. Therefore, you must ensure that you regularly create genuine and high-quality content that adds value to your followers. If you are sharing content from other creators, make sure to give them credit.
Posting videos and live streams can help you grow your following. However, do not ignore text, images, and links. The most important thing is for you to demonstrate your ability to analyze industry trends.
In Conclusion
LinkedIn is a great platform for professionals from all over the world to connect and socialize. The fact that it promotes the sharing of professional knowledge makes it a great place to meet other professionals. It also becomes a hub for B2B marketing. If you would like to become or even work with a LinkedIn influencer, following this guide will help you understand what it entails and how to get started in the field.