LinkedIn Influencers: An Influencer Platform’s Guide to Become One [to Grow Your B2B Business]
By Alexandra Kazakova 14 min READ | Feb 12 2024
Table of contents
LinkedIn influencers have more career development opportunities.
And they can grow your B2B business.
Therefore, becoming one helps you hit two birds with one stone.
This article is the ultimate guide to becoming a solid LinkedIn influencer.
We’ll help you with specific step-by-step plans, free tools, examples, and our insider experience as an influencer marketing platform.
Let’s dive in.
TL;DR:
LinkedIn influencers are key for career development and B2B business growth.
They shape industry trends, share insights, and offer career advice.
Joining LinkedIn's premium influencer program requires 500+ followers and mastering content strategies.
Benefits of becoming a LinkedIn influencer include amplifying your professional network, driving B2B marketing leadership, and changing industry perceptions.
A 7-step plan is outlined: define goals, find your niche, optimize your profile, create high-quality content, network, expand to other social media platforms, and use detailed analytics.
Key points include setting specific objectives, identifying a niche, optimizing your LinkedIn profile, creating engaging content, networking effectively, leveraging other social media platforms, and monitoring analytics for continuous improvement.
What Are LinkedIn Influencers?
LinkedIn Influencers shape industry trends on professional networks.
They’re content experts, engaging business leaders and job seekers alike.
LinkedIn influencers drive tons of engagement with their insightful content. They share personal experiences, discuss trending topics, and offer career advice and growth tips.
Basically, their expertise turns every post into a lesson on relevant topics, from online marketing to business analytics.
Joana Wiebe, the founder of copyhackers.com, exemplifies this directly:
If you achieve notable success, you might join the elite LinkedIn’s premium influencer program, along with experts like Jeff Weiner, Neil Patel, and Liz Ryan.
First, you must gather 500+ followers and master the intricacies of LinkedIn content strategies and engagement.
Insider tip: Our platform’s perspective is that you can reap all the benefits of becoming a digital marketing influencer on LinkedIn, even if you’re not in this select group. We’ve seen it numerous times and will help you get there, too.
That brings us to the next point.
Why Become a LinkedIn Influencer?
Being an influencer on LinkedIn has many personal and professional benefits, whether you’re thinking about your professional growth or boosting your company’s online presence.
Let’s explain.
Professional Network Amplification
Being a social media influencer on LinkedIn solidifies your status as a distinguished content expert.
So, you’re not just showcasing your industry expertise; you’re also proving your mastery in digital marketing and social media strategy.
As a LinkedIn Influencer, you are positioned at the intersection of industry insights and digital strategies.
You will:
Share educational content that establishes you as a foremost thinker and motivational speaker in your field.
Help people achieve their dream careers.
Drive your B2B company’s success through inbound marketing, by attracting clients to your business.
And you’ll do all this while leveraging digital marketing to make your post more visible.
Pro tip: Use LinkedIn Post Boosters strategically to make sure that your awesome content gets mega - viral and reaches the right audience.
B2B Marketing Leadership
Your role as a LinkedIn influencer leads to impactful connections with business leaders, driving tons of engagement through killer content and industry trends insights.
These business leaders can be your company’s potential customers.
This strategy amplifies your influence across different audience segments and stages of the sales funnel.
Pro tip: Remember that all these people are highly educated and interested in your products/services.
That means you can drive more marketing and sales-qualified leads to your company.
Tim Soulo, CMO at Ahrefs, offers a great example here by showing a practical use of Ahrefs, thus creating desire for this SEO tool:
Insider tip: Support your company’s employees to become solid LinkedIn influencers. Our B2B clients noticed a significant boost in visibility after involving their employees in their B2B influencer marketing strategies. And the statistics are on our side, showing that employee-generated content has 8X more engagement than brand-created content.
Changing the Industry
Posting original, insightful content enhances your personal brand, connecting you with industry leaders.
The result is that you can contribute to the discourse on industry trends and insights.
You can change mentalities, inspire career growth, and contribute to adopting technical innovations in your field.
How to Become a LinkedIn Influencer
Becoming a LinkedIn influencer doesn’t happen overnight.
As an influencer platform, we’ve seen plenty of stellar figures fail because they didn’t have plans.
We argue that data and strategy are even more important than being brilliant.
On the other hand, you don’t have to be a social media expert to do it.
You just need to follow our platform’s 7-step plan below:
1. Define Your Goals
As an influencer platform, we know that the most common goals for LinkedIn influencers include enhancing industry knowledge, driving digital marketing innovation, or providing guidance for professional development.
That’s a mistake if you’re planning to grow your B2B business.
They’re even mistakes if you want to develop your career opportunities.
Side note: If growing your career is your goal, the Showcase platform allows you to join as a creator for free so more B2B companies can find you.
From our experience, you need more tangible, specific objectives that fit your business plan template.
Pro tip: Solid goals to grow your B2B company include getting more MQLs, SQLs, or sales. Think of specific percentual increases over a particular duration too.
To practically define your goals as a budding LinkedIn influencer, consider the following steps:
Assess your expertise: Reflect on your areas of knowledge and how they align with your professional experiences or interests.
Identify your audience: Understand who you want to reach on LinkedIn. Are they industry professionals, job seekers, or peers in your field? Knowing your audience will help you tailor your content.
Research industry needs: Look into your industry’s current discussions, challenges, and gaps. This can reveal opportunities for you to contribute valuable insights or solutions.
Set specific objectives: Define what success looks like for you. It could be gaining a certain number of followers, driving engagement on your posts, or establishing connections with a specific number of industry leaders.
Determine your content focus: Decide on the type of content you will create, but remember that your content should reflect your goals and audience needs. Then, determine the unique insights or value you plan to bring to your network, such as advancing employee productivity or sharing motivational insights.
Set KPIs: Set up metrics to track your progress towards your goals. Engagement rates, follower growth, and professional network quality can be good indicators of your influence building. MQLs, SQLs, and sales are great indicators of conversion rates, so don’t neglect them.
2. Find Your Niche
Identifying your niche is crucial because you can focus on a specific area where you can offer unique value and become a go-to expert.
Whether you want to become the face of your B2B influencer marketing strategy or simply grow your career, this part is essential.
Here’s how to find your niche step-by-step:
Evaluate your interests and skills: Start by assessing what you’re passionate about and where your strengths lie. Your niche should intersect between what you love and what you excel at. Reflect on your professional journey and achievements. Often, your niche can be rooted in your unique experiences and the challenges you’ve overcome.
Analyze market demand: Research the topics within your field that garner attention and discussion. Use LinkedIn’s search function and groups to see what people are talking about and what questions they’re asking. Also, stay updated with the latest trends in your industry to enhance your relevance.
Spot the gaps: Look for underserved areas within your industry that lack quality content. Your niche might be found in addressing these gaps with your unique perspective or expertise.
Define your unique value proposition: Clearly articulate what makes your perspective or expertise different. This could be your approach, your experience, or how you simplify complex topics.
Test your ideas: Share some initial content around the topics you’re considering to gauge interest and engagement from your network. Feedback and interaction can help refine your focus.
Luke Matthews is a good example here, having found his niche very precisely at the intersection of AI, writing, and personal branding:
LinkedIn profile optimization helps you establish credibility and attract your target audience.
Here are the key components to focus on:
Profile Picture: Choose a professional, high-quality headshot that conveys approachability and professionalism.
Banner image: Select a banner that reflects your professional identity, niche, or personal brand.
Headline: Craft a compelling headline that succinctly states your professional designation, your niche, and what you offer. Make it clear and attention-grabbing.
Summary: The summary section is your opportunity to tell your story. Highlight your expertise, achievements, and what sets you apart. Use the first person and keep it engaging.
Experience: List your current and past professional roles. Include detailed descriptions of your responsibilities and achievements in each position, focusing on outcomes and how they relate to your niche.
Education: Add your educational background, including any relevant degrees, certifications, or continued education that supports your professional standing.
Skills & endorsements: Include a comprehensive list of skills related to your niche. Encourage colleagues and connections to endorse your skills, which adds credibility.
Recommendations: Seek recommendations from colleagues, clients, or industry peers. Authentic testimonials can significantly boost your profile’s trustworthiness.
Accomplishments: Don’t overlook adding sections for publications, awards, certifications, projects, and languages if they enhance your professional story.
Customized URL: Customize your LinkedIn URL to make your profile more accessible and to reinforce your professional brand.
Irina Maltseva offers a solid example, whether you’re analyzing her profile picture, banner image, or contact info:
Pro tip: Arguably, the best thing about her profile is that Irina offers specific links for contact and work opportunities.
But ensuring credibility is more than just a good-looking profile.
Here are the things to consider:
Consistency: Ensure all information is current, consistent, and aligns with your professional identity across other platforms.
Proofreading: Check for spelling and grammatical errors, which can undermine your professionalism.
Authenticity: Be genuine in your descriptions and stories. Authenticity resonates more than buzzwords.
Engagement: Regularly update your profile with new achievements, publications, or projects. Engage with your network through posts, comments, and shares to maintain visibility and credibility.
4. Create High-Quality Content
High-quality content on LinkedIn is characterized by its relevance, value, and ability to engage and inform your professional network.
It goes beyond mere filler material to provide insightful content that educates, inspires, or solves specific problems for your audience.
Insider tip: Here’s the number one mistake we’ve noticed by working with many B2B influencers (and even B2C influencers): fluff, or superficial content, fails to add value and can diminish your credibility and the perceived expertise you’ve worked hard to build.
So, stay insightful and relevant.
Try to bring value to your target audience because you genuinely get more as you give more.
Here’s what counts as high-quality content from our platform’s perspective:
Insightful Content: Share unique perspectives, industry trends, or analyses that spark thought-provoking discussions.
Educational content: Help your audience learn something new, whether it’s a skill, concept, or industry insight. Remember that you need well-researched content backed by data or case studies to validate the information provided.
Engaging and interactive content: Make visually appealing posts using images, videos, or infographics to complement and enhance the textual content. Encourage your audience to comment, share, and engage with the content.
This post offers strategic solutions to HR people who might face a specific problem.
Side note: There are no fancy visuals here, but notice that something as simple as using paragraphs, short sentences, and bullet points can streamline your entire text.
Besides, the question at the end and the controversial topic can elicit discussions, thus making the post more visible.
But you must also pick the right type of LinkedIn content for the matter you’re discussing:
LinkedIn Posts:
Ideal for sharing quick insights, industry news, or short tips.
Use to engage your network with questions or polls, fostering interaction.
LinkedIn Ads:
Ideal for growing your presence in a targeted, strategic way.
Use for personal storytelling, sharing experiences, or demonstrating products/processes.
Ideal for creating a personal connection with your audience through dynamic content.
Infographics and Images:
Great for summarizing information, data visualization, or highlighting key points from articles/posts.
Enhance readability and engagement, making your content more shareable.
5. Network
Networking on LinkedIn is about building and nurturing mutually beneficial professional relationships.
It goes beyond merely adding connections to engaging with others in a way that adds value and fosters genuine connections.
Here’s how you do it:
Comment and share: Regularly engage with your connections’ content by commenting thoughtfully and sharing posts that align with your interests or expertise. This shows your support and increases your visibility in your network.
Personalized messages: Customize your DMs when connecting with new professionals or contacting your network. Mention details that show genuine interest or common ground to make your interactions more meaningful.
Find relevant groups: Join LinkedIn groups relevant to your industry or interests. These can be valuable spaces for sharing knowledge, asking questions, and connecting with like-minded professionals. Contribute to discussions, share relevant content, and offer expertise within these groups. Active participation can position you as a knowledgeable and helpful community member.
Leverage LinkedIn features for networking: Attend or host LinkedIn Events related to your field. These can be excellent opportunities for networking and learning from industry leaders. Also, use LinkedIn recommendations to exchange recommendations with colleagues and connections. This tactic strengthens your profile and builds trust within your network.
Share opportunities: If you encounter job openings or opportunities that might benefit someone in your network, share them. Helping others succeed can foster goodwill and strengthen your professional relationships. You can also offer mentorship or advice to those who might be earlier in their career journey. Being a resource for others can lead to deeper, more meaningful connections.
Engage with industry leaders: Follow and engage with thought leaders and influencers in your field. Commenting on their posts and sharing your insights can increase your visibility and open up opportunities for interaction.
6. Expand on Other Social Media Platforms
Create a content curation strategy and repurposing to make the most of your content on other social media channels.
Basically, you can transform your existing LinkedIn content into different formats to extend its reach and lifespan on other social channels.
Imagine you created a highly technical piece of content for LinkedIn.
Content repurposing means transforming that LinkedIn video into a TikTok clip.
Explaining industry language in layman’s terms in this type of video gives you access to a more diverse audience that isn’t active on LinkedIn.
Alternatively, you can enhance your brand visibility with different types of posts.
90% of people in the US, 83.6% in Northern Europe, and 83.3% in Western Europe use social media platforms.
Chances are your potential clients, and business connections are also devouring some social content.
That means you get the chance to connect with them there to enhance your brand visibility.
Pro tips:
Use a social media management platform to streamline your content strategy across channels: This ensures consistent messaging while allowing for platform-specific adjustments to maximize engagement.
Leverage platform strengths: Different platforms offer unique features and strengths. For example, Instagram is great for visual storytelling, while Twitter is ideal for real-time updates and conversations. Tailoring your content to each platform’s strengths can enhance your engagement.
Backlinko’s Brian Dean recently started growing his presence on Instagram, too. Notice the bite-sized videos and attention-grabbing thumbnails:
7. Use Detailed Analytics to Monitor and Adjust Your Digital Strategies
Leveraging detailed analytics is crucial in refining your approach as a LinkedIn influencer and across other social media platforms.
It allows you to understand the impact of your content, engagement, and networking efforts, guiding you to make data-driven decisions for future strategies.
Here’s how to do it:
Track the engagement metrics you established at point 1: Monitor likes, comments, shares, and views on your posts to gauge audience engagement. High engagement rates indicate resonant content that speaks to your audience’s interests and needs.
Analyze audience demographics: Understanding who your content is reaching, including their professional backgrounds, locations, and industries, can help tailor your future content to better align with your audience’s preferences.
Evaluate content performance: Identify which types of content (articles, posts, videos, carousels) perform best on your profile. This insight can inform your content creation strategy, helping you produce more of what your audience values.
Pro tip: LinkedIn provides built-in analytics for individual posts and overall profile engagement.
For deeper insights, this free toolkit gives you plenty of solid calculators.
For example, you can track your social media engagement rates on platforms like Instagram and TikTok, analyze your followers’ quality, or calculate your posts’ click-through rates.
Wrapping Up
If you read so far, you now know why it’s a good idea to become a LinkedIn influencer and how to do it.
Whether you’re trying to get more career opportunities or move your business forward, becoming an influencer on this social media platform will help you reach your goals faster.
Remember our platform’s insider tips, the examples we reviewed, and the free tools you can use along the way.
All this will help you complete your LinkedIn profile to grow your B2B business.
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