What the heck is a LinkedInfluencer?

LinkedIn is a strange place.

First, there was “broetry” — a cringey style of self-help posts where stories are written in a long string of one-liners that look like a poem.

Now, the platform has become a hub for a full-blown B2B influencer revolution, per Bloomberg.

B2B influencers?

Yes, and it’s serious business. The average B2B contract is worth 10%-20% more than consumer influencer deals.

• Ogilvy, a global advertising agency, is launching its own team of B2B influencers that it believes could eventually make up 20% of its influencer group.

With businesses less likely than everyday consumers to make impulse buys, one goal is to find where key executives hang out, and gently nudge them towards purchasing decisions.

That’s where LinkedIn comes in

The professional humblebragging networking platform boasts some impressive creator stats, including:

• 11m members that opted into “creator mode,” which lets users identify themselves as subject matter experts.
• 144k+ members with “creator” in their job title in 2021, up 16% YoY.
• 18k+ writers publishing newsletters on LinkedIn, including Ariana Huffington and Richard Branson.

Even Mr. Beast, arguably the world’s most influential YouTuber, made an account earlier this year.

While LinkedInfluencers are on the rise…

… the trend has its skeptics. “You will not be invited to a red carpet because you’re a product manager at Facebook,” Josh Ogundu, an entrepreneur and former TikTok employee, recently tweeted.

Regardless, it’s no surprise a Microsoft-owned property is getting in on the influencer game. The company’s own executive team dropped the OG viral dance video back in ‘95.