The word “influencer” has gotten a bad rap lately. Plenty of Instagram personalities have deemed the term for themselves but may not be doing much to “influence” the world. The good news is that there is a space to find influencers who share thought leadership and inspiration related to business. Following a LinkedIn influencer can provide a very different experience than following one on other platforms. So, what is the mark of a truly influential social media presence?

A great social media account provides something of value, whether it be education, life tips, recipes, or entertainment. As an influencer, as long as you are providing value to a specific audience on a consistent basis, you are using social media positively. 

The first important step towards becoming an influencer is deciding which platform will best reach your audience. For those who want to build their professional brand for a B2B audience and generate some sales from these efforts, LinkedIn is the place to be. Here are five ways you can build your professional reputation as a LinkedIn influencer.

1. Educate

Every platform serves a different purpose. TikTok users frequently seek entertainment, Instagram users frequently seek visual content, and LinkedIn users frequently go on the platform with goals in mind. These goals are typically career-centered and growth-minded. If you aren’t providing value to your business-minded followers, either on your personal page or your Company Page, your connections don’t have much reason to continue following you. Furthering your brand by sharing your expertise on LinkedIn is one of the most powerful ways to generate both leads and positive relationships in business.

When deciding what to share or post about, think about the most frequently asked questions you encounter from your customers and create posts that answer them. What problems do your customers or colleagues in your field most typically encounter? Posts that provide solutions to common problems will capture the attention of the exact people you want to notice you.

2. Post consistently

Whether it’s once a week or every day, make sure to show up regularly for your audience. If you are running any lead generation campaigns and actively pitching LinkedIn members, having an active social media presence that regularly shows up in people’s feeds helps build trust and complements these efforts very well.

Luckily, LinkedIn makes it easy to share content relevant to your expertise. The Content Suggestions feature allows an admin of a Company Page to discover and share content their community is engaging with.

LinkedIn is a great platform for writers and an excellent opportunity to write a short blog or even share a whitepaper, for which you will be recognized as a published writer.

LinkedIn also allows you to share polls that followers can vote on, which are a great way to gain insights from your followers and ideas for future posts.

3. Know your audience

The great thing about LinkedIn is that you can create very specific audiences and narrow down a list of people who could be considered your ideal customer. LinkedIn Sales Navigator has filtering features that allow you to reach people by job titles, company size, many specific industries, and even topics they post about. From there, you can save these searches and monitor them as new audience members are added to that filtered list. This can be one of the most effective ways to directly seek out potential customers in an online B2B space.

4. Network

After developing your audiences, it’s time to introduce yourself to them. Almost 60% of LinkedIn users are in their career-building ages, between 25 and 34 years old. These are users who want to network. Think of LinkedIn as a networking event on steroids. LinkedIn Sales Navigator, combined with some automation tools, can allow you to systematize and streamline consistent outreach and follow-up with your key audience. 

Just like any in-person networking, making a good first impression is key. You are given 300 characters to write a connection request message that will get the person to accept. Provide a straightforward reason for your interest in connecting with this person.

Another one of LinkedIn’s handy features is the Recommendations section. Offering a recommendation in exchange for one from a colleague is a win-win for you and your colleagues. These recommendations get a dedicated spot on your LinkedIn profile, highlighting your accomplishments and impacts on those you’ve worked with.

5. Provide a specific offer

What action do you want your followers to take? A networking approach is a good place to start when developing your reputation as a LinkedIn influencer. But after a certain amount of time of building trust with your audience, LinkedIn messaging can help you drive specific actions to get you closer to a sale. Consider sharing with your LinkedIn connections a whitepaper or article that provides value and shows them your authority and expertise in your field.

Another idea is to share a free offer, such as a 15 or 30-minute consultation or evaluation. In this type of approach, it is important to share a link that makes it easy for users to schedule a meeting with you. Calendly provides a great solution to this, with one link synced to the influencer’s calendar with an easy way for users to pick a time. The easier it is to put a meeting in the books, the more likely you are to have the opportunity to close a sale.

Contact Cazarin Interactive today to get started developing your brand as a LinkedIn influencer.