January 23, 2024
LinkedIn, the pioneering social media platform established in 2003, has emerged as an unexpected but potent arena for influencer marketing.
Surpassing the combined user base of Snapchat and Twitter with its 1 billion users, LinkedIn is no longer just a corporate networking site. It's an influencer marketing goldmine, ripe with opportunities for brands and creators alike.
Why is Linkedin ripe for influencer marketing?
Several factors have converged to make Linkedin the ideal influencer marketing ecosystem, including:
Gone are the days of 'broetry' and faux inspiration.
In 2023, LinkedIn revamped its algorithm to prioritize content that fosters closer connections and is relevant to one's industry. The focus shifted to authority, relevance, and practical insights, steering clear of the mass appeal that other platforms typically chase.
This significant change aligns with the ethos where, as we like to put it:
"LinkedIn leads with values; it's not about who shouts the loudest, but who speaks with substance."
LinkedIn's strategic investments in the creator ecosystem as well as content creation tools, such as newsletters and live-streaming, have paid off.
Last year the platform witnessed a 24% year-over-year increase in public content shared. With over 139,000 newsletters launched and more than 472 million newsletter subscriptions, it's evident that LinkedIn users are engaging deeply with content. This environment, where 40% of visitors engage with a Page organically every week, speaks to the growing influence of creators on the platform.
Quietly yet effectively, LinkedIn has introduced features like Brand Partnerships Tagging and Thought Leader Ads to streamline creator-brand collaborations.
These tools have yielded promising results, with Thought Leader Ads showing 1.7x higher click-through rates and 1.6x higher engagement rates than standard image ads. This under-the-radar development has been crucial in facilitating successful influencer marketing campaigns.
In a landscape where platforms like X, Meta, and YouTube have faced controversies, LinkedIn stands out for its brand safety.
It has avoided the controversies, or boycotts that have plagued other social platforms. This makes it an increasingly attractive platform for marketers.
“LinkedIn ranks first for the fifth year for the most valuable social currency – trust”
It’s not just advertisers trusting the platform. Emarketer has consistently found Linkedin to be the most trusted platform amongst consumers for 5+ years.
LinkedIn's audience is not just large; it's affluent and diverse.
With approximately 1.36 times more affluent users than Facebook, LinkedIn presents an attractive audience for brands. The platform's regional membership statistics as of October 2023, including 233 million users in North America and 257 million in Europe, demonstrate its global reach and the diversity of its user base.
LinkedIn influencer marketing is an untapped, and valuable, arena for brands.
It's not just about the numbers; it's about the quality of engagement and the depth of connections. On LinkedIn, it's the depth of connections that defines real influence.
The platform's unique environment offers tremendous potential for brands to engage in more meaningful and impactful influencer marketing.
At Creator Authority, we understand the nuances of this evolving platform.
We blend data-driven insights with our deep understanding of LinkedIn's unique environment to create influencer marketing strategies that resonate. Our approach goes beyond the typical B2B campaign, exploring diverse avenues from lifestyle to fashion, leveraging LinkedIn's rich storytelling features.
As we pioneer this field, we're guided by the vision that the future of influencer marketing lies in platforms that value substance over noise, depth over breadth.
LinkedIn, with its focus on professional networking and meaningful content, is perfectly poised to lead this change. For brands ready to explore this untapped potential, the journey with LinkedIn influencer marketing is just beginning.
