Why LinkedIn is Becoming a Pivotal Platform For Professional Athletes
At the moment, Instagram is king when it comes to social media marketing for influencers — especially professional athletes.
But I see a new platform emerging that will create even more value for professional athletes — current or retired.
And that is LinkedIn.
Wait, you mean the website that you use to find jobs?
Oh no, my friend. LinkedIn has become the ultimate platform for entrepreneurs and C-Suite executives to connect and create new business. All without leaving their desk.
According to Foundation Inc., LinkedIn has over 675 million members. 61 million are senior-level executives, and 41 million are in decision-making positions.
LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner has said his goal is to have the platform reach 3 billion members.
So, technically, LinkedIn is ‘just getting started’.
Now how do athletes work into this?
It has been very subtle, but I’ve noticed a few professional athletes — some retired…some active — making their way to LinkedIn.
Some former players include Alex Rodriguez, Ray Lewis, Steve Young, Ryan Howard, and Tiki Barber.
Then there are others who are still playing: Steph Curry, Andre Iguodala, Braxton Miller, Josh Hart, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Marcus Peterson.
Right now, there is a small percentage of active athletes on LinkedIn. But there is tremendous potential for the select few who are looking to pursue entrepreneurship off the field, create partnerships with top brands, and cultivate another large following on a new social media channel.
You look a guy like Josh Hart who launched his own podcasts and consistently delivers quality content to LinkedIn’s newsfeed.
The podcast was so successful, that Venmo quickly latched on as a sponsor.
Then I look over at another NBA star, Spencer Dinwiddie who brands himself as a ‘Just a Tech guy with a Jumper’.
Some may argue he’s the NBA’s version of Tony Stark.
Dinwiddie has used LinkedIn’s platform to promote his revolutionary idea of tokenizing his NBA contract — in addition to creating other business opportunities for himself off the court.
Essentially, Dinwiddie is creating digital cryptocurrency tokens (SD8 coin) that can be purchased by qualified accredited investors who have passed various SEC and legal guidelines.
The tokens are not able to be purchased yet, but nothing seems to be stopping Dinwiddie as he continues to make a name for himself off the court in the tech industry.
A New Social Media Frontier…
The best part is LinkedIn is still in the process of ‘being discovered’.
Marcus Peterson — NFL wide receiver — is a prolific user of LinkedIn and agrees we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg…
“I think maybe people will start noticing it probably end of 2020 or going into 2021. It is definitely a hidden gem and it is cheap to invest in it now!”
Peterson certainly invests quite a bit of time into the platform. He consistently posts quality content every week and always engages with his connections.
“I’ve always had my LinkedIn account but as every else probably thinks it is for ‘finding a job’. But I was introduced to the content side of things and how to monetize the app February of this year,” Peterson said. “Ever since then so many opportunities and connections have been made! I would honestly say for my off-the-field endeavors and my motivational clothing brand [MP Motivational Apparel] is where 70 percent of my income and opportunities come from.”
Peterson is a perfect example of how an athlete can leverage LinkedIn’s organic content algorithm to build a sports-centric entrepreneurial brand. And there’s no secret behind Peterson’s success. He approaches LinkedIn the same way he does with Instagram and Facebook.
“I use [LinkedIn] just like Instagram and Facebook…on more of a professional mature level.”
His advice to other professional athletes looking to leverage the platform is to ‘connect with as many people as you can’.
Outside of building a brand on Linkedin, athletes will find the platform is a goldmine when it comes to business opportunities to invest in.
There are a plethora of startups either looking to raise money, work with professional athletes as influencers, or a combination of the two. Take Body Armor for example — the company has flourished after receiving investments from the likes of Kobe Bryant and Mike Trout.
Bryant turned a $6 million investment into $200 million over the span of three years.
Now imagine — as a professional athlete — if you had the CEO of the next BodyArmor knocking at your door?
Or, in this case, leaving a message in your LinkedIn inbox.
