LinkedIn influencing is staying put, here’s how to get it right in B2B

A lot of millennials share a similar (although ultimately less lucrative) experience. A generation of former wannabe child stars, they were no stranger to hitting record and even less shy of the ‘Upload’ button. After all, those iconic Vines had to come from somewhere.

In 2023, the average influencer has progressed slightly, with many forging careers by not only posting online but also promoting goods and services. With Twitter teetering on the brink of its demise, we thought it would be a good idea to take a look at how brands can capitalize on LinkedIn’s recent surge in popularity.

The corporate-fication of the influencer?

YouTubers walked so LinkedIn influencers could run. We’ve come a long way since the dark ages of the internet, and influencing is no longer just a string for the bows of everyday folk – it’s for the business people, too.

But while the LinkedIn leaders of today look a little different from the Vine stars of days gone by, the end goal is the same: rack up those engagement metrics.

No matter what your profession, you’ll likely see the same few accounts pop up right at the top of your LinkedIn feed as soon as you log in. Their posts tend to include at least three of the following: the classic cutoff headline, a bulleted checklist, some sort of gif, a request for thoughts, and a link to their blog or website.

At worst, it’s template content that doesn’t say much about anything. At best, it simply does what it’s supposed to. It gets people liking, sharing and commenting. Why? Well, because it’s no task to digest, and it’s even easier to share.

Finding the missing link

Evidence suggests that people will go to LinkedIn for trustworthy content related to their industry, or organizations they’re interested in. As well as this, 94% of marketers believe influencer marketing is a successful strategy for B2B businesses. Yet, only 24% of businesses include this type of marketing in their business plan.

It seems that there’s a disconnect between what marketers know to be true about LinkedIn influencing, and putting that insight into action when it comes to their own campaigns.

There are aspects of B2B influencer marketing that some would like to see improvements in, such as being able to better measure ROI, more accurately vetting prospective ambassadors and more easily managing influencers.

But with a platform like LinkedIn, users gain access to behind-the-scenes post-engagement metrics that can prove useful in demonstrating value added.

How does influencing on LinkedIn work?

LinkedIn allows you to track several valuable metrics, including lead, follower, visitor and competitor analytics. The most important (and interesting) analytics for LinkedIn influencers to track is the post-engagement rate.

Brand ambassadors and influencers typically use their profiles to publish posts, articles and updates about a given service or product. So, knowing how well this is being received by the audience is critical to understanding what the program is contributing to the success of the overall campaign.

The LinkedIn analytics dashboard shows users how much engagement they’re getting on their posts. This covers just about everything from clicks and new followers to impressions and social actions.

Users can also explore the performance of individual posts, able to see who is interacting with content from different industries and companies.

Getting started – the right way

Influencer marketing isn’t suitable for every B2B campaign, so you need to know how and when is best to pitch an ambassador program.

Some top tips for getting it right:

1. Ensure this tactic is right for your campaign – this type of marketing is best suited to projects that aim to tackle brand building and raising awareness.

2. It’s not always about the size of a profile’s audience, but rather the suitability. Always pay attention to who is connected to your influencer, rather than how many people.

3. Focus more on the engagement rate than the follower count. After all, an influencer program is all about getting your brand seen, not your influencer followed.

By partnering with the right people and getting the right content out there at the right time, businesses can be well on their way to building some serious awareness and brand authority.

The future of B2B influencer marketing

Of course, influencer marketing for B2B businesses isn’t limited to the confines of LinkedIn. With more and more businesses getting comfortable with platforms like Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, there’s no telling how far businesses will run with it. Plus, there’s no doubt that the rise of AI and virtual influencers will surely have a part to play in shaping the future of B2B marketing.