In this episode of B2B Business Class, host Robb Conlon sat down with Walter Gainer II, Digital Content Producer at Urban One, Inc, to discuss how professionals can leverage LinkedIn for successful B2B marketing.
Walter shared his experience participating in the LinkedIn Creator Accelerator Program, and why he looks at social media and marketing like a video game.
Walter also talked about his journey on social media as a person of color, and what LinkedIn and businesses can do to be more inclusive.
Creating Meaningful Content on LinkedIn
As one of the recipients of the “LinkedIn Top Voice” badge, Walter can rightfully attest to the power and opportunities that LinkedIn can provide.
“LinkedIn is a very curated platform with a human touch to it,” he explains.
Walter has been very active on the platform by posting original content and has contributed to collaborative articles.
LinkedIn launched this initiative to encourage content creators to provide insights into trending topics or questions that help them learn more about a specific field.
“I got the badge not because I contributed but because people who read the articles marked my contributions as insightful.”
The LinkedIn Creator Accelerator Program
Walter was selected to participate in the LinkedIn Creator Accelerator Program, launched by LinkedIn in 2021, as part of an initiative to boost the creator economy.
Many content creators applied and were rejected, but Walter was one of a few hundred people to be part of the inaugural program. For three months, he created content at least four times a week for LinkedIn.
Part of the initiative’s objective was to help change people’s perspective of LinkedIn.
“They should be looking to LinkedIn as a platform for content and creativity, not just looking for jobs,” Walter said.
LinkedIn selected people whose creative concept aligned with what they wanted the platform to be known for.
“They wanted the world to know that LinkedIn is a place to grow, the place to find opportunities, to use content and community to reach some of your goals [and] change your life.”
Walter has come out of this experience convinced that if B2B professionals want to create a presence, own a niche, and establish their credibility, they need to be on LinkedIn.
“Everyone else has to get to LinkedIn, and they're going to be visiting your metropolis. So build your metropolis today. All you have to do is start by building a barn.”
Why Marketing and Social Media Are Like a Video Game
Walter also explained that he views social media and marketing like a video game.
He conveyed that the point of most video games is to increase your score, improve your skills, get to the next level, and try out different styles or techniques to win.
“In everything you do, when you're playing a game, [there are] certain moves you have to do to level up and get bigger and bigger. It's something you [have to] do consistently,” Walter explained.
The same principles apply in content creation, where you try new things, test to see what works or doesn’t, and then try again.
The LinkedIn Journey as a Person of Color
Walter recalled how nervous he was when he was selected for the Creator Accelerator Program because of his skin color and hairstyle.
He created his podcast Boss Locks because he felt strongly about retaining his identity in the workplace.
“In the black community, our hair is a very big part of [our] identity [and] spiritually. It’s how we choose to exist in the world.”
Walter also remembered being in different work environments where having locks was discouraged.
He chose to keep them anyway, becoming the top employee and proving that good performance has nothing to do with one’s physical appearance or race.
He then skillfully leveraged his show to discuss diversity and inclusion and focused on uplifting people who felt discouraged about their career paths.
“If people were comfortable [with] that, that meant it [was] time to push the buttons even more and poke a little harder to get people prepped for this equal world we all say we want,” he said.
How LinkedIn and Businesses Can Be More Inclusive
Walter believes LinkedIn and businesses still have a long way to go in becoming more inclusive.
“It starts with listening, truly understanding, and then providing that solution.”
In many ways, Walter believes that inclusivity should be viewed the same way as a business. Aside from generating profit, businesses exist to solve problems or the customer’s pain points.
“It starts with solving some of those problems that people experience in that area and then providing solutions. When you create a more inclusive environment, it opens you up,” he said.
Ultimately, Walter argues that providing solutions designed to eradicate this bias, having more open dialogue, and creating a more global environment are some ways to make the workplace more inclusive.
“Being an inclusive environment is almost like creating this global environment [where you] open your business up to be able to expand in ways that you may not even be able to imagine until you start to bring in more people from different backgrounds [and] different experiences.”
For more insights from Walter Gainer II, you can listen to this episode of B2B Business Class on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your favorite podcasts.
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