Article

Influencers on LinkedIn - Selfie Takers or Value Givers?

15 May 2021

Ricky Cookson

When someone says the word “influencer,” it conjures up images of angled selfies, product sponsorships, and shameless self-promotions.

However, when we use the word influencer on LinkedIn, the connotation is less about buy, buy, buy, and more about give, give, give.

The INFLUENCE sessions at our Unmute conference concentrated on this idea of influencing on LinkedIn and building your personal or professional reputation.

Our Influence session speakers outlined what influencing meant to them, how they built their own following, and the impact of valuable content.

From posting once a year to every day, these LinkedIn influencers defined sure-fire paths to building a brand and presence on LinkedIn:

Kevin “KD” Dorsey, VP of Inside Sales at PatientPop, Inc.
Steven Schmidt, CEO and President at TIDAL
Kim Kaupe, Founder at Bright Ideas Only
Jared Robin, Co-Founder at RevGenius
Chris Walker, CEO at Refine Labs

In sharing their experiences, lessons learned, and tactics gained, they drew a picture of what it means to be an influencer on LinkedIn and how to do it.

Defining an Influencer on LinkedIn

Everyone has a different idea of what an “influencer” is and many shy away from labeling themselves as a LinkedIn influencer. They carry the connotation mentioned above, while others simply consider an influencer to be anyone who can impact people’s opinions and ideas.

When we refer to an influencer in this article and to our expert speakers, we’re referring to the latter definition and someone who is trying to build a brand to reach a specific goal. For example, to be a thought leader in their space, to generate leads, grow a business, etc.

The Connotations of Influencer

During the session, “How Anyone Can Build a Brand & Find Success on LinkedIn,” our speakers dissected what “influencer” meant to them.

(The Connotation of Influencer)

In other words, the term has been applied to the wrong personas. While trying to create the digital equivalent of brand reps, “influencer” has been allotted to the people inundating our feeds with product promotions. But, they’re not truly influencers. They’re digital brand reps advertising the products they’re paid to advertise. Conversely, a real influencer is someone who inspires their audience, drives them to think differently, and employs a new way of doing things. They influence people’s minds, not merely their buying decisions.

(The LinkedIn Influencer)

So now we have this more encompassing, more rich and durable idea of what an influencer is. (They bring new ideas to the table, engage with people on deeper levels, and they create brand awareness through discussion rather than promotion.) It comes back to the concept of giving value to people with the equal intention for building your brand and being a guide in your professional arena.

Becoming an Influencer on LinkedIn

In defining the true qualities of influencers on LinkedIn, our other Influence sessions were geared toward what these influencers do. How they build a brand on the platform, what kind of content they post, and how they create a community of engagement. A central takeaway from Kevin Dorsey’s session was that the key to influencing is not just building a brand but being able to build a brand consistently.

Building Brand as a Skill

(BBass)

Yet again, we find a stark difference between the brand rep and influencer: influencers have a toolkit of skills to build a brand. They can consistently create familiarity and awareness regardless of industry or company. That familiarity and understanding creates more sales opportunities and brings your brand to the forefront of feeds. It creates an endless cycle to continue growing your digital presence while fortifying your brand as a pillar of knowledge in the industry. As Chris highlights in his session, your content’s influence has goes beyond making connections and closing deals.

(Content Creates Awareness)

As the old saying goes, content is king. It reverberates across the entire influencer sphere: your content will be the catalyst for influencing your audience. Whether it comes in the form of text-only posts, videos, podcasts, etc. If you build strong content, you’ll build up your brand and influence your industry.

Be an Expert with Perspective

Creating content is often a point of contention with people striving to be an influencer in their industry. Either they don’t know what to post, how to post, or they have trouble with confidence.

In both Kevin and Chris’s sessions, they offer a great piece of advice:

10% Expert Rule
Be an expert, but an expert with a unique perspective.

(The Ten Percent Rule)

(The Mindset of Content)

These two “influencers,” thought-leaders, and game-changers had so much more to share on becoming an influencer on LinkedIn. Their roads to millions of views and dollars are littered with triumph and haters, but ultimately, they were both able to push past the good and the bad and build incredible brands by developing brand as a skill and developing their unique perspective.

The Top Five Tips for Becoming an Influencer on LinkedIn

INFLUENCE: How Anyone Can Build a Brand & Find Success on LinkedIn

Kim, Jared, and Steve’s session really dug into this idea of influencer on LinkedIn, but they also wrapped up with three pieces of actionable advice.

Follow influencers to become influencers.
Structure your posts with strategy.
Focus on yourself (be authentic and post what feels right).

(Panel Advice)

INFLUENCE: My Journey to Millions of Views

In addition to having the right balance of content, Kevin emphasizes a tactical approach to posting on LinkedIn. Stay up-to-date on trends, diversify your posts, understand the algorithm, and track your metrics. Take what you learn and apply it every day.

(The Right Mix, EIE)

INFLUENCE: My LinkedIn Journey

Chris’s advice is to keep the value in front of your audience at all times. The common perception is to lead people away from the platform to your site, but keeping the value in their feed keeps you top of mind.

(Assume People Won’t Click)

Be an Influencer

Whether you’re trying to change the way people understand a particular technology or share innovative ideas on tactical strategies, this is what being an influencer is on LinkedIn. It’s a matter of defining what expertise you want to be known for and how you build your brand from there.

If you now have a better understanding of what it means to be an influencer on LinkedIn and are looking to start developing a LinkedIn strategy for building a digital brand and presence, check out this article next.