LinkedIn Influencers: Who They Are and How to Become One

LinkedIn stands out among other social media platforms as it’s mostly focused on business and employment as opposed to entertainment and social networking.

The top LinkedIn influencers include Bill Gates, Richard Branson, Jill Schlesinger, and so on. They have made a well-established name for themselves in their lines of business as well as on LinkedIn.

Since LinkedIn is set in the professional world where people mostly network for business purposes, the influencers there are not seen as entertainers but rather as business leaders. They mostly aim to post content that relates to their industry. They also share some unrelated content now and then, such as inspirational quotes and words of encouragement for the people who aspire to be as successful as them.

How to Become a LinkedIn Influencer

1. Find Your Niche

Firstly, you should define exactly what your niche will be. It should be narrowed down enough so you can make it your own, but not so narrow you can’t connect with your targeted audience. If you do the former, be prepared for a lot more competition and people who are more successful than you and can get steal your spotlight more easily. If you do the latter, you simply won’t be able to find an audience. So, it’s less of an issue if you go a bit broader than if you go too narrow.

2. Optimize Your Profile

Strive to optimize your profile so people can find you, and that goes especially for your targeted audience. So, embellish your profile with images and keywords related to your line of work, and your brand. List your relevant accomplishments and degrees to make your profile more credible. LinkedIn uses resume-like profiles, so think of it that way.

Keep your About section straightforward. Don’t make it too long because chances are most people won’t read all of it. You can always add an outbound link for those more interested in your life story.

3. Post Valuable Content

Let’s be real, social media is not really a place to find content of the highest quality. LinkedIn, on the other hand, is a place where people appreciate that kind of content. To start off, you can always check out the top influencers close to your niche and then see what they are posting, when, and how often. Look at their engagement rates and connect the dots to determine what kind of posts receive the most attention and why.

Of course, this doesn’t mean you should copy their content. Simply study their methods so you can post your own successful and unique content.

4. Create a Solid Network

Creating an intricate network of the people who you would like to hear from, as well as people you think are your targeted audience is not the easiest feat. Here’s a tip, though: however many connections you have, once you have reached the magic number “501”, LinkedIn shows “500+”. Meaning, after you have 501 connections or more, you look well-connected either way. However, try not to connect to just some random people. It won’t do you any good, and they can report your connection requests as spam. Try some LinkedIn automation tools for that instead.

Conclusion

Becoming a successful LinkedIn influencer takes a lot of time and dedication. On LinkedIn, there is no easy way such as “going viral” to get famous by pure luck, either. You have to start somewhere. Remember: focus on your niche, stay true to your brand, and learn from the best.

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