LinkedIn top influencer J.T. ODonnell on the future of influencer marketing

LinkedIn top influencer J.T. ODonnell on the future of influencer marketingLinkedIn top influencer J.T. ODonnell on the future of influencer marketingIn 2012, J.T. ODonnell welches invited by LinkedIn to be a member of a top secret project. After signing a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) and agreeing to contribute regularly to this new platform, she was told she would be dubbed a LinkedIn Top Influencer.ODonnell, who is the founder and CEO of Work It Daily, an online career coaching platform that garners over 1.5 million page views each month, is also a paid columnist for Inc. Magazine and a former contributing author to Fast Company. J.T. was one of 300 or so people to make the initial invite list to join LinkedIn as a Top Influencer. Others included the likes of Barack Obama, Richard Branson, and Arianna Huffington.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreWhat she didnt realize then, bu t quickly learned after, is that she was part of the content engine that would take LinkedIn from a social network to a media publishing platform.Since launching, LinkedIn has invited others to join the ranks of being a Top Influencer but not by many.In this LinkedIn Help response from 2017, LinkedIn describes the size and scope of the Influencer ProgramLinkedIn Influencers are selected by invitation only and comprise a global collective of 500+ of the worlds foremost thinkers, leaders, and innovators. As leaders in their industries and geographies, they discuss newsy and trending topics such as the future of higher education, the workplace culture at Amazon, the plunge in oil prices, and the missteps of policymakers.According to LinkedIn, these Influencers are the most engaged, prolific, and thoughtful contributors.But LinkedIn is no longer inviting anyone else to become an Influencer ever. Those wanting the Influencer badge on their profiles can petition, said J.T., but the invi tes have stopped.The initial list of Influencers will remain the same, plus now everyone can publish their own thought leadership content with LinkedIn Articles.But, writing an article doesnt make you a LinkedIn Influencer, which is explained in this LinkedIn Help response on publishingWhile publishing an article doesnt mean youre a LinkedIn Influencer, it does allow you to further establish your professional identity by expressing your opinions and sharing your experiences.It also just so happens to make LinkedIn a top spot for content marketing. According to Hootsuite, two million posts, articles, and videos are published on LinkedIn every day and 94% of B2B marketers on social media use LinkedIn to publish content.For all intents and purposes, LinkedIns Top Influencer program did its job and its paying off for them in spades.Whats Next for Influencer Marketing?In this Forbes article on The Real Problem With Influencer Marketing, writer and marketer Mallory Walsh says, As an indu stry, weve lost sight of the fact that social influencers are inherently inauthentic the content theyre creating isnt earned its just a modern form of paid advertising and content creation.While popular, influencer marketing is being honigwein with a fair amount of skepticism as consumer trust continues to decline. Sites like LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram are chock-full of celebrity-esque influencers being paid to deliver homilies on behalf of big brands.A 2018 report by Stackla revealed that only 23% of people believe content from celebrities and influencers is influential. Alternatively, 60% say content from friends or family influences their purchasing decisions.Micro-influencers, on the other hand that is, real people like me-type influencers are viewed as much more trustworthy. Not surprisingly, the same Stackla study found that 60% of consumers say user-generated content is the most authentic and influential form of content.2019 Influencer Tips From Top Influencer J.T. OD onnellTo meet the rising consumer demand for more authenticity, J.T. recommends telling it how it is when it comes to creating content.If you really know your subject, you should be able to explain it and write about it in such a way that a five-year-old could understand it, says J.T. Your writing should make it feel like were in the room with you.J.T. also advises to play the long-game when it comes to influencer marketing.Whats the ah-ha moment youre trying to get someone to have? Whats the one thing thats going to make someone go, Oh I hadnt thought about that before, says J.T. Its the belief, the truth, the message youre trying to drive and thats what makes influencers sticky.The old adage that all PR is good PR, including the bad, is not something J.T. believes in or recommends when it comes to influencer marketing.People mistake flash with success. They think theyll become a fast influencer by being salacious and confrontational, but theres a shelf life to that, says J.T. Those influencers have to continue to be more and more outrageous or they risk fizzling out. Its a slower way to build a following, but people want you to tell it to them straight. Its not always sexy, but its about being real and being thoughtful and thats what people want.J.T. also recommends researching platforms before agreeing to publish content for free.Learn from my mistakes, says J.T. Anytime youre putting your content somewhere other than on your own platform you need to calculate what the ROI is going to be of putting it there. How are they going to benefit? How are you going to benefit? Think about that and be comfortable with whatever that ROI is.She also encourages influencers to hold back a little.Be careful about the information youre putting out there. Its good to put out a lot of content, but also hold back a little and figure out how youre going to monetize your message, says J.T.For additional influencer platforms, specifically for coaching like what J.T. provide s at Work It Daily, she recommendsCommonGenius an expert marketplace that enables professionals to schedule on-demand, 1-on-1 video meetings with the worlds leading consultants, coaches and executives.Forbes Coaches Council a community for successful geschftliches miteinander and career coaches.Medium which aims to tap into the brains of the worlds most insightful writers, thinkers, and storytellers to bring the smartest takes on topics that matter.Brittney Kowalski is the founder and lead consultant at BMUR Branding Group, LLC. She helps companies tell their story through a combination of brand conceptualization, creation, and management, content writing and strategy, marketing and public relations.Prior to founding BMUR, Brittney worked for Randstad and Robert Half, two of the largest staffing and recruiting companies in the world.To keep in touch with Brittney, connect with her on LinkedIn, follow her on Twitteror email.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people