Did you know LinkedIn is a goldmine for businesses?
LinkedIn boasts over one billion members from over 200 countries, providing an opportunity for you to get your brand before the right audience.
Yet, many businesses overlook its potential for influencer marketing.
Well, we get it. There aren't many resources that teach you how to create successful LinkedIn influencer marketing campaigns. That's why we created this playbook.
In this guide, we explore:
- How to find the right LinkedIn creators for your marketing campaign
- Tips for crafting the perfect pitch (plus done-for-you templates)
- A blueprint for creating compelling campaigns
- How to utilize analytics to measure the success of your campaigns
Ready to dive in?
Let's go!
Why LinkedIn Influencer Marketing is a Game Changer
LinkedIn is quite different from many traditional social media platforms.
Instagram and TikTok, for example, are perfect spots for making new friends and building your social circle. Plus, they are great for B2C influencer campaigns.
LinkedIn, on the other hand, is a platform designed for professionals and businesses.
It’s a professional network where your target audience congregates.
This niche environment provides you with the perfect opportunity to partner with the right creators, putting your business in front of those most likely to convert to customers.
Need proof that LinkedIn influencer marketing works?
Consider Teal and Hootsuite’s success stories.
Teal Case Study
Teal, a career growth platform, leveraged LinkedIn creators to boost its brand. It partnered with 22 creators who are popular for sharing content about marketing, recruiting, HR, and career coaching.
Teal’s goal was simple:
Publicize its resume builder.
So, the brand experimented with different sponsored post formats:
Text-only posts.
Text + carousels.
Text + image.
The results?
Impressive.
Teal revealed that its LinkedIn creator program has earned up to 1.7 million impressions, with an average engagement rate of 1%.
Unsurprisingly, Teal is one of many brands actively leveraging LinkedIn's potential. Hootsuite is also on the train.
Hootsuite Case Study
Hootsuite, a leading social media management platform, also collaborated with LinkedIn creators to enhance its visibility.
One of Hootsuite's campaigns included eight LinkedIn creators who shared personal career stories and debunked misconceptions about social media careers.
Like Teal, Hootsuite also had one goal.
It aimed to publicize its just-released Social Media Career report.
Unlike Teal, however, it focused on one sponsored post format—text + pictures of creators holding up physical signs.
Here’s one of the live posts:
Here’s another:
The result?
- Over 1.2 million impressions
- 5,600 link clicks
- 18,800+ engagements
Oh, and did we mention that “this was HootSuite’s most successful creator campaign to date” (according to Fast Company)?
This kind of success isn’t unique to Teal and Hootsuite.
According to Hootsuite's Social Trends 2024 report, brands are most confident in getting positive ROI from LinkedIn, surpassing even Facebook and Instagram.
This confidence stems from LinkedIn’s unique professional environment, where creator endorsements carry significant weight.
Now, imagine this for your business.
LinkedIn allows you to connect with professionals who are decision-makers.
Creators on this platform are seen as industry experts. Their endorsements carry weight. So beyond marketing, partnering with them earns your brand increased trust and authority.
Ready to tap into this potential?
Let’s proceed!
The Secret Sauce to Discovering the Right Influencers
Finding the right influencers on LinkedIn can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. Thankfully, we’ve put together a handful of tips to help you make the best choice.
Let’s explore them together.
1. Define Your Goals
Before you start, know what you want to achieve.
Are you looking to increase brand awareness, drive traffic, or generate leads?
Clear goals will guide your search.
If your goal is brand awareness, you might look for influencers with a broad reach.
But if you want to generate leads, you’ll need creators who have a strong, engaged following in your niche.
Generally, avoid being one of those brands that tell Creators that the goal of the campaign is “brand awareness” when in reality you are looking for paid conversions.
For example, we recently helped Notion kick off its LinkedIn influencer campaign. The goal was simple: generate signups. So, we collaborated with influencers that often recorded high engagement rates.
2. Identify Your Audience
Who are you trying to reach?
Understand your target audience’s demographics, interests, and behaviors. LinkedIn provides robust tools to help you analyze and identify your audience.
Use this data to find creators who already engage with the people you want to reach.
3. Use Advanced Search Tools
LinkedIn’s advanced search features are your best friend.
Use filters like industry, location, and company size to narrow down your search. Keywords are crucial too. Look for terms related to your industry and niche.
For example, if you're in the tech industry, search for creators who post about technology trends, software development, or digital transformation.
4. Analyze Their Content
Once you have a list of potential influencers, dive into their content.
What kind of posts do they make?
Are they consistent?
Do they get high engagement?
Look for creators who provide value, have a unique voice, and align with your brand’s message.
5. Check Their Engagement
Followers are important, but engagement is key.
A creator with 10,000 engaged followers is more valuable than one with 100,000 passive followers.
Look at the likes, comments, and shares on their posts.
Are their followers interacting and engaging in meaningful ways?
Here’s what meaningful engagement might look like, from a beehiiv sponsored post:
Our tool goes even further, allowing you to dive into individual post stats and compare each post’s performance against the creator’s average results.
6. Evaluate Their Professional Fit
Professional alignment matters on LinkedIn.
Ensure the creators you choose have a professional image that matches your brand.
Their LinkedIn profiles should be well-crafted, with relevant experience and endorsements.
For example, here’s a snapshot of AJ Eckstein’s LinkedIn profile, highlighting his expertise:
How to Craft the Perfect Pitch and Win Influencers Over
Crafting the perfect pitch is crucial, and can make or break your influencer marketing campaign. Here’s how to win creators over and ensure they’re excited to work with your brand.
1. Do Your Homework
Before reaching out, learn everything you can about the influencer.
What are their interests?
What kind of content do they create?
How do they engage with their audience?
For example, if you're targeting a tech influencer who frequently discusses cybersecurity, mention specific posts they've made and how they align with your brand’s values.
2. Personalize Your Pitch
Generic pitches get ignored.
Address the influencer by name. Reference their work. Show them you’ve done your homework.
Personalization shows respect and genuine interest.
Example:
“Hi [Influencer’s Name], I loved your recent post about the importance of data privacy. Your insights on cybersecurity are always on point. At [Your Company], we share your commitment to data protection…”
3. Highlight Mutual Benefits
Creators want to know what’s in it for them.
Explain how partnering with your brand will benefit them.
Will they get exposure to a new audience? Access to your product or service? Financial compensation?
Highlight it all in your pitch.
Example:
“We believe a collaboration could bring value to both our audiences. You’ll gain access to our 50,000+ followers and receive [specific benefits]...”
4. Be Clear and Concise
Keep your pitch short and to the point.
Explain who you are, why you’re reaching out, and what you’re offering.
Avoid jargon and long-winded explanations.
Example:
“At [Your Company], we’re launching a new cybersecurity tool. We’d love for you to be part of our campaign. Here’s what we’re proposing…”
5. Offer Creative Freedom
Creators value their creativity.
Give them the freedom to present your brand in their own unique way. This leads to more authentic and engaging content.
Example:
“We trust your creative vision and would love to see how you’d incorporate our tool into your content. Feel free to suggest any ideas you think would resonate with your audience…”
6. Follow Up Professionally
If you don’t hear back, don’t panic.
Follow up politely. Reiterate your interest and ask if they need more information.
Example:
“Hi [Influencer’s Name], I wanted to follow up on my previous message. We’re really excited about the potential collaboration and would love to hear your thoughts…”
Blueprint for Creating Compelling Campaigns
Here's how you can design LinkedIn influencer campaigns that captivate your audience and drive results.
1. Define Clear Objectives
Start with clear goals.
What do you want to achieve? Brand awareness? Lead generation? Sales? Clear objectives guide your campaign strategy and help you measure success.
For instance, if your goal is lead generation, you might focus on driving traffic to a landing page where users can sign up for a free trial.
2. Choose the Right Influencers
Select creators who align with your brand and objectives.
Look for influencers who share your values and have a following that matches your target audience. Their content should resonate with the message you want to convey.
For example, a tech company might partner with a LinkedIn creator who frequently posts about the latest in AI and machine learning, attracting an audience of tech enthusiasts and professionals.
3. Develop a Creative Brief
Provide influencers with a detailed brief.
Outline your campaign goals, key messages, and any specific requirements. But also give them creative freedom to express your brand in their unique voice.
Your brief could look like this:
“Here’s our campaign goal: Raise awareness about our new AI tool. Key messages: Innovative, user-friendly, cost-effective… Feel free to share how you’d use this tool in your daily work.”
4. Create Engaging Content
Work with influencers to create engaging, valuable content that captures attention.
This could be articles, videos, infographics, or even LinkedIn Live sessions.
For example, we recently kicked off an influencer marketing campaign for Beehiiv. Since the goal was to generate signups, we crafted a sponsored post with a mix of well-formatted text and a product walkthrough video.
5. Leverage Different Formats
Don’t stick to just one format.
Use a mix of posts, articles, videos, and interactive content to keep your audience engaged. Different formats can reach different segments of your audience and keep the campaign fresh.
For example, a fitness brand might use a mix of short workout videos, detailed articles on nutrition, and interactive polls to engage different parts of their audience.
6. Encourage Authentic Storytelling
Authenticity resonates.
Encourage influencers to share personal stories and experiences related to your brand. Authentic content builds trust and connection with the audience.
For example, we collaborated with creators with unique mental health stories to get BetterHelp’s offerings to the right audience.
7. Monitor and Adjust in Real-Time
Stay flexible.
Monitor the campaign’s performance and be ready to make adjustments. If something isn’t working, tweak your strategy. Continuous improvement leads to better results.
For example, if a particular type of post isn’t getting the expected engagement, try different content or a new approach based on the feedback and data.
How to Measure Success and Optimize Your Campaigns
Measuring the success of your LinkedIn influencer campaigns is essential. It helps you understand what works and what doesn’t, enabling you to optimize future efforts.
Here’s how you can effectively measure and optimize your campaigns.
1. Set Clear KPIs
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are your roadmap.
Define what success looks like. Common KPIs include engagement rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, and ROI. Align these with your campaign objectives.
If your goal is brand awareness, focus on KPIs like reach, impressions, and engagement rates. For lead generation, track click-through rates and conversions.
2. Monitor Influencer Metrics
Influencer-specific metrics are crucial.
Track the performance of individual influencer posts. Look at likes, comments, shares, and engagement rates.
Compare these against their usual metrics to gauge the impact of your campaign.
For example, if an influencer typically gets 100 likes per post but receives 500 likes for a campaign-related post, this indicates strong performance and relevance.
3. Collect Feedback
Feedback is invaluable.
Ask influencers and your audience for feedback. Understand what they liked, what didn’t work, and how you can improve. This feedback loop is critical for refining your approach.
You could send a short survey to influencers asking about their experience and any challenges they faced.
Similarly, gather audience feedback through comments and direct messages.
4. Analyze Conversion Data
Track conversions to measure ROI.
Use tools like Google Analytics to track conversions from LinkedIn. Identify which posts and influencers drive the most traffic and conversions.
Pro Tip: If an influencer’s post leads to a significant spike in free trial sign-ups, analyze what made that post effective. Was it the content, timing, or call to action?
5. Compare Against Benchmarks
Benchmarking helps you understand performance.
Compare your campaign metrics against industry standards and previous campaigns. This provides context and helps you set realistic expectations.
For example, if industry benchmarks show an average engagement rate of 2% for influencer posts, and your campaign achieves 3%, you know you’re performing above average.
How We Streamline LinkedIn Influencer Marketing for Top Brands like Notion, HubSpot, and BetterHelp
At Creator Match, we understand that managing LinkedIn influencer marketing campaigns can be challenging and time-consuming. That’s why we’ve developed a seamless, end-to-end solution to streamline every aspect of your campaign.
Here’s how we operate:
1. Discovery and Selection
Our process begins with a deep dive into your brand’s goals and target audience.
We use advanced algorithms and human insights to identify the perfect creators who align with your brand values and campaign objectives.
For example, for a brand like Adobe, we would seek out creators who excel in content related to design, technology, and innovation.
This careful selection process ensures we pick creators with an engaged audience that fits Adobe’s target market.
2. Campaign Planning and Content Creation
We work closely with creators to develop compelling content that aligns with your brand’s message and goals.
Whether it’s posts, articles, videos, or live sessions, we ensure the content is engaging and resonates with the target audience.
For example, we collaborated with mental health advocates for BetterHelp’s campaign to create authentic and sensitive content about the importance of online therapy.
3. Real-Time Performance Tracking
Our intuitive dashboard provides real-time analytics and comprehensive reports of your campaign’s performance.
You no longer need to chase down creators for spreadsheets of data.
Our dashboard offers a clear, consolidated view of key metrics, such as reach, engagement, and conversions.
4. Optimization and Feedback
We continuously monitor campaign performance and provide actionable insights for optimization.
Based on real-time data, we suggest adjustments to enhance results and maximize ROI.
If certain types of content are performing better, we pivot the strategy to focus more on those formats, ensuring the best possible outcomes.
Are you ready to take your LinkedIn influencer marketing to the next level with Creator Match? Click here to get started.
Market Your Business to the Right Audience Today
You’ve learned the essentials of LinkedIn influencer marketing. Now, it’s time to take action.
Are you ready to kickstart your influencer marketing campaign?
We’re here to support you every step of the way.
At Creator Match, we partner with industry leaders like Notion, HubSpot, BetterHelp, Wix, Teachable, and beehiiv to create impactful campaigns.
Connect with us today, and let's help you craft a strategy, find the right creators, and execute a campaign that drives results.
Click here to launch your next successful campaign with Creator Match.
