Ready to link in

You know it. You’re on it. LinkedIn is the largest social network designed for professionals to connect and share thought leadership, insightful commentary, best practices and more. Over the years, industry leaders have crossed the line into influencer territory.

LinkedIn is what we’d call a low-maturity influencer platform. Though it’s not in its infancy overall, their influencer marketing sophistication is; it compares in a less robust way to the likes of Instagram and TikTok. “Influencers” are primarily defined by three things: their industry, their career influence and their professional success. A professional must secure an invite to the premium LinkedIn Influencer Program, which a list of the top 500 industry leaders on the network, to be defined as an influencer. Or, as we call them: mega-influencers. 

Fewer followers, bigger reach

For micro- and nano-influencers, growing audiences with great content is key to being seen as a leader within their smaller audience – but breaking through on LinkedIn has its own unique challenges. For example, LinkedIn’s organic reach comprises less than 10% of a user’s follower count. However, like on other social networks, user reach improves when comments, likes and shares come into play, thus impacting a post’s engagement level.

Engaging posts may be featured as one of LinkedIn’s trending topics, which generates exposure outside of a user’s immediate network. Algorithms impact LinkedIn content just as much as any other platform – and knowing how to play the game, particularly boosting engagement with posts that encourage comments and shares, will help users grow their connections and followers.

Tracking toward human

We’ve seen how micro- and nano-influencers on other platforms are a great way to harness a niche audience. This is especially true on LinkedIn (even if they’re not in the LinkedIn Influencer Program), where a creator’s authenticity and relatability hold a lot of weight with their peers – especially those in the same industry, or even the same role. Brands who want to work with LinkedIn creators will likely see a better response as a result – especially brands that are more inclined to the B2B space, which is inherent to LinkedIn’s platform. 

This is because creators are more connected to the buyer’s journey. But the reality of the B2B creator space is that the lines between B2B and B2C creators are becoming more and more blurred. Even though a small amount of B2Bs run an influencer program presently, it’s poised to change as influencer marketing becomes a stronger, more viable and more personal slice of the marketing pie. Human-to-human interaction is becoming more important to the purchaser, whether they are a consumer or a business.

Finding your micro-influencer

Plenty of brands, especially those in niche and tech-focused industries, can benefit from collaborating with LinkedIn creators. The problem is finding them. We mentioned that LinkedIn maintains a top influencer list but their mega-star power with the likes of Arianna Huffington and Richard Branson may not be what brands are looking for. To find unofficial micro-influencers and nano-influencers in a niche space, the best tool is the trusty search bar along with targeted keywords. Check out the search results and dig deeper into the content they produce to see if they’re right for your voice and strategy. 

Joining popular industry-relevant groups on LinkedIn is another method to find a creator that would be great for your brand. For a more streamlined approach, you can also utilize a third-party platform like Mavrck to stay organized and reduce the time you spend browsing. 

Key points: 

      • LinkedIn is an untapped source of influencer power – but finding them is a challenge
      • LinkedIn’s inherent B2B-based structure creates a need for B2B influencers – though the lines between them and B2C are blurring as influencer marketing grows
      • You can use a platform like Mavrck to find LinkedIn creators and activate them in your campaigns
      • For more about LinkedIn, check out our LinkedIn Influencer Marketing Guide