Influencers have always been in the business of selling themselves. As a brand, as a small business owner, as a relatable online friend, and now as an employee with the concept of the LinkedInfluencer.
Staff are going through somewhat of a revolution right now, with the internet leading the charge. The Great Resignation happened due to a lot of people reassessing their workplace situation, and now, as we speak, strikes are occurring in different industries across the UK.
But what has this got to do with influencing? Well, influencing for a while now has been viewed as the way to be a freelancer, to work for yourself, to gain your own income in an industry that could most closely be explained to parents as an online marketer.
But a shift is occurring, where people are using the tactics of influencers to gain the upper hand in getting employed. Influencing, to them, is seen as less of a full-time occurrence than something they can do on the side and use their profile to talk to the right hirers. Not anything groundbreaking in itself, but never seen in these numbers. The concept is gaining traction, to the point that the latest dark horse in platforms of choice for influencers isn’t Pinterest or Snapchat, but LinkedIn. We’re looking at these LinkedInfluencers and why they do what they do.
What does a LinkedInfluencer do?
Think of LinkedInfluencers as an amalgamation of career coaches, activists, and your work wife. Their bread and butter is relatable content concerning their industry and job roles as well as advice on how to progress in your career. From this summation alone, you can imagine how entry-level staff, people just joining the job market and students, a.k.a. the magic buzzword of Gen Z, would appreciate this content.
Why do LinkedInfluencers do what they do?
But it’s also about the wider message. LinkedInfluencers are using their platforms and their popularity in an attempt to inflict real change. Business owners listening are going to hear about how understaffing really affects not only their existing staff but also their business, how to tackle workplace harassment, as well as seeing what other businesses are being called out for doing things wrong legally. Issues like zero-hour contracts, long hours, broken promises, and more, are all out there for the international workforce to see. The concept is called “The Real-Talk cause”.
How does this aid the LinkedInfluencer?
So, there’s the wider message, sure, but there is also the smaller goal of the influencer and the typical jobseeker: trying to present the best version of themselves.
LinkedInfluencers might be calling out their industry and higher ups with their anecdotes, but the main point is to get them employed. LinkedInfluencers can attend networking events, with the additional goal of capturing as well as participating, they can post content about how their fast food job is preparing them for their career in law, they can write inspirational quotes, they can create a portfolio of work, they can create a network of peers, they can give advice on how to present your best self to an employer, and how to find the right job.
But it isn’t just a bunch of men in suits telling you to have a solid handshake. Madison Butler has made a profile that started with her talking about how it affects her to be a black LGBT member that has blue hair and tattoos in corporate America – and how she’s not about to change anytime soon.
How do you work with a LinkedInfluencer?
So, as an affiliate marketer, how do you work with LinkedInfluencers? Well, much the same way you would any other influencer. In fact, there is a lot of potential in LinkedInfluencers. If your product or service can be marketed on a B2B basis, there is a possibility that it might even be useful for these career-driven influencers.
From the marketing end, you can think of them the same way modern career influencers are treated. Take tips from financial influencers, lifestyle influencers, activists, and career influencers. There are four angles you can tackle right there. If you have a product or service that can be useful to the audiences of any of these people, they would fit well with a LinkedInfluencer.
There are other benefits to the LinkedInfluencer too. They are smaller in audience size, mainly putting them among micro-influencers, with the additional dedication that comes with the concept of people looking for their dream job. You’re going to have an audience that will be listening.
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