With a user base of over 610 million and 40 million decision-making professionals, LinkedIn presents a prime opportunity for businesses to connect with their target audience.
Leverage this reach by incorporating influencer marketing into your LinkedIn marketing strategy. This powerful approach involves leveraging the reach of influencers to promote your products or services effectively.
In this article, we’ll look at:
• Why Influencer Marketing on LinkedIn Matters
• Tips for Launching a LinkedIn Influencer Marketing Campaign
• How To Find Influencers on LinkedIn and Connect With Them
• Types of Influencers on LinkedIn to Consider
• Leverage Powerful Connections Through Influencer Marketing on LinkedIn
Now, let’s find out why LinkedIn influencer marketing should be on your radar if you want to gain further traction in the digital space.
Why Influencer Marketing on LinkedIn Matters
Influencer marketing on LinkedIn involves identifying influencers within your industry or niche who can build credibility for your brand and reach a large number of potential customers. These so-called influencers could be:
• Industry Experts
• Opinion Leaders
• Well-Known Professionals
• Prominent Brands
• Celebrities and Thought Leaders
After identifying these influencers, you can collaborate with them to create content that promotes your brand or links back to your website. This could be sponsored posts, guest blogging, interviews and Q&As.
Through strategic relations with the right influencers, you can access a vast network of potential customers and increase your brand’s visibility on LinkedIn.
Additionally, influencer marketing helps build trust in your brand as well as create positive word-of-mouth that generates leads and drives sales.
Tips for Launching a LinkedIn Influencer Marketing Campaign
Creating a successful LinkedIn influencer campaign is easier said than done: It requires careful planning, thoughtful outreach and a clear understanding of the target audience.
Maximize the impact of your LinkedIn influencer program with these expert tips:
Know Your Audience Inside Out
Every successful social media campaign begins with understanding your target audience. What is their profession? What topics do they engage in? Where are they located, and how can you reach them most effectively? Researching and understanding the needs of your potential customers will help you create more effective LinkedIn marketing strategies that lead to meaningful results.
Identify Your Goals
Before you launch your LinkedIn influencer program, establish clear goals and objectives you want to achieve. Whether driving more website traffic or increasing brand awareness, having a target in mind helps make creating content much smoother.
Choose Suitable Influencers
Look for individuals who are passionate about your brand and have a large, engaged following. Contact them directly with an offer tailored to their interests, and don’t be afraid to negotiate – LinkedIn influencers want to maximize their profits from the project just like you do.
Develop Engaging Content
When it comes to content, quality reigns supreme. Developing helpful, informative and exciting content for your target audience is what will set you apart from competitors. Shareable stories, videos and images are much more likely to be picked up by the media and shared around social platforms than a generic corporate message.
These content types are great ideas when collaborating with influencers on LinkedIn:
• Video interviews: Create short, snappy Q&A style videos featuring influencers on LinkedIn and thought leaders in your industry.
• Longform blog posts: Allow audiences to dive deep into a topic with thoughtful written content from an expert perspective.
• Infographics: Graphics can be compelling in storytelling and quickly convey complex information. Get creative with your design and content to make it shareable.
• Podcasts: These are becoming increasingly popular with consumers, so why not take the opportunity to collaborate with LinkedIn influencers for a podcast?
Measure Your Results
Data is crucial in defining the success of your LinkedIn marketing strategies. Monitor metrics such as website visits, clicks and conversions to understand what works and doesn’t.
Adjust your LinkedIn influencer program accordingly so you can benefit from best practices, maximize your returns and ensure every dollar spent on marketing brings value to the table.
How To Find Influencers on LinkedIn and Connect With Them
Influencer marketing rule number one: it is advised not to depend solely on lists of top LinkedIn influencers like Bill Gates, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. This is because their often high prices and limited availability can make them challenging to work with.
Here’s how to find influencers on LinkedIn and connect with them:
1. Identify Your Niche and Positioning
When finding influencers on LinkedIn, start by clearly defining your niche and establishing your position within the industry. A thorough understanding of your value is crucial for effective self-promotion.
Identify your unique selling proposition (USP) to gain a competitive advantage and strategically position yourself when engaging with influencers on LinkedIn.
2. Conduct a Keyword-Based Manual Search
Performing a manual search using relevant keywords is another way to find top influencers on LinkedIn. Create a list of industry-specific keywords using tools like Google Keyword Planner.
Then, search for these keywords on LinkedIn to discover users who have looked for these words. This method will help you identify potential influencers in your field.
Once you have a good list of influencers, check their profiles to understand their work. Look at their articles, platform activity, followers and engagement to gauge their reach and impact.
Connect with top LinkedIn influencers you’re interested in, explaining why you’re contacting them and sharing details about your influencer marketing campaign. Remember to highlight the benefits of partnering with you.
Some influencers may respond positively, while others may decline or not reply – feel free to follow up once or twice with those who don’t respond after a few days.
3. Perform Advanced Search Using Software
Using LinkedIn influencer marketing software is an effective method to discover top influencers on LinkedIn. These tools typically use advanced algorithms and data analytics to search for influencers based on specific criteria such as industry, location, follower count and engagement rate.
They also provide features to manage influencer relationships, track campaign performance and measure the impact of influencer collaborations.
Some LinkedIn influencer marketing software you can check out include Grin, Creator.co, Brandwatch, Upfluence and Impact.com.
4. Explore Authors
LinkedIn is not just a networking platform but also a great place for publishing content. Use the search feature and select “Content” to find articles and popular posts related to your keywords. Pay attention to the authors of these posts as they can be valuable influencers to connect with.
5. Measure Individual Influence Through Post-Engagement
Once you find popular authors in your niche, check out their profiles. There, you’ll see all the posts they’ve written on LinkedIn, along with the publishing date and number of views. It’s important to focus on their reach and engagement rather than just regular posting.
If they post often but no one sees their posts, collaborating with them won’t be beneficial. Focus on finding influencers with higher view counts and more likes, as they will likely be influential in their niches. Likes indicate high engagement and views show a wider reach.
6. Use LinkedIn Groups for Finding Influencers
To do this, select “Groups” from the dropdown menu next to the search bar and search for relevant keywords.
While most groups may be private, there are also public ones available. Private groups require moderator approval to join and are marked with a lock symbol. Groups are sorted by activity and membership size, so consider joining the top groups in your industry and niche.
Once you join a group, you can identify top contributors who frequently post content. Check the “Popular” tab to discover highly engaged individuals and popular posts in the group. These are most likely the ideal influencers on LinkedIn you should collaborate with.
7. Craft Persuasive and Compelling Outreach Messages
One of the most crucial steps to LinkedIn influencer marketing is crafting persuasive and compelling outreach messages. You could have the perfect influencers lined up, but if you don’t have a message that stands out and resonates with them, all your efforts will be wasted.
When contacting influencers, keep in mind that the overall goal is to not only pique the influencer’s interest but also draw them into wanting to learn more about your product, brand and campaign.
Here are some tips for creating persuasive outreach messages when contacting influencers:
• Keep it short and succinct. LinkedIn influencers receive dozens of emails daily from brands and don’t have time to read through lengthy messages. Keep your message concise yet still packed with valuable information.
• Personalize the message. It is important to personalize the message to the LinkedIn influencers, expressing why you think they are a perfect fit for your campaign and what value they can bring.
• Highlight benefits. Let the influencer know how participating in your campaign will benefit them. This could include monetary compensation, product samples, or anything else that might interest them.
• Provide all relevant information. Include all the details they need about your campaigns, such as timing, objectives and compensation structure.
• Include Your Contact Information. Let the influencers know how to contact you if they have any questions or need additional information.
Types of Influencers on LinkedIn To Consider
Depending on the size of your business, budget and target audience, there are several types of influencers that you should consider working with:
• Mega Influencers (1 million+ followers) – top influencers on LinkedIn
with a massive reach, often exceeding one million people. However, their engagement rates may not always match the size of their following.
• Macro-influencers (100,000+ followers) – types of influencers with experience in multiple topics, allowing them to reach a broader audience.
• Micro-influencers (1,000 to 100,000) – typically receive the highest genuine engagement. Interestingly, the number of interactions under the posts of these top LinkedIn influencers is not significantly lower than the statistics of macro-influencers.
Choose between macro- and micro-influencers based on your campaign goals. Macro-influencers are great for expanding reach and enhancing brand image, while micro-influencers excel at lead generation and sales-oriented campaigns.
Leverage Powerful Connections Through Influencer Marketing on LinkedIn
Influencer marketing on LinkedIn is a great way to connect with powerful people in your industry and reach potential customers. By following the tips outlined above, you can identify the right influencers, build relationships and benefit from their connections and influence.
Remember – start small, narrow your list of potential influencers, and work from there. Test the waters with just a few select influencers and focus on building relationships before you expand your reach. With the right strategy, influencer marketing can be a great asset to your business.
Consider getting professional LinkedIn marketing services to get the most out of your influencer marketing efforts. A top LinkedIn marketing agency can provide you with a comprehensive strategy tailored to your business objectives, as well as ongoing support to ensure successful execution.
Partner With an Industry-Leading LinkedIn Marketing Agency
Thrive, a full-service digital marketing agency, offers comprehensive LinkedIn marketing services. Our social media experts can help you connect with key influencers to enhance your business profile and online visibility.
We also offer other digital marketing solutions like social media brand management, search engine optimization, web design and content marketing to help you reach a wider audience.
Contact us today to see how a top LinkedIn marketing agency can elevate your brand and scale your business.
