Why You Must Use LinkedIn Automation Tools & Software

Updated on February 8th, 2019 by Quertime Writer in Social Media

Social media has become an integral part of business, with more social platforms than one can keep count. Each network has its own plusses, but when it comes to establishing solid business relations, LinkedIn is king. It separates the jokers from the serious crowd, and it would be suffice to call it the search engine for professionals.

While it started off a little slow due to the fact that it was initially a place for job seekers and recruiters, LinkedIn has gradually evolved over the years. Today, it has become the go-to platform for small businesses, startups, and growing companies prospecting for meaningful B2B connections.

And not without a reason.

LinkedIn is specifically designed with that in mind. It allows users to search for and connect with their target audience and start engaging. The whole process is quite simple: you send a connection request, and once it has been accepted, you initiate conversation by sending follow-ups with the aim of converting prospects into customers.

However, there is one slight problem to contend with: this requires a significant investment of time and effort to achieve decent results.

Enter LinkedIn automation tools.

LinkedIn Automation Software: Should You Use Them?

As pointed out, LinkedIn marketing involves a lot of work.

As with all other social platforms, you either need to hire a VA and outsource the work or automate the tasks so you can focus on other important stuff without spreading yourself too thin.

The option to automate has its strengths and downsides, so let’s dig into themajor ones to help you make a more informed decision on whether to use LinkedIn automation software or not.

Pros

Huge Timesaver – One of the foremost advantages of automating any task is it saves enormous amounts of time, and it is no different when it comes to LinkedIn prospecting tools. The automation software handles your most repetitive tasks so you don’t have to, saving you boatloads of time in the process. The idea is to devise a strategy that will net a good number of promising leads, set up your software and forget about it, leaving you to simply monitor the goings-on periodically.

Good for Scaling – There’s no point in making use of a LinkedIn marketing solution if you have no plans to take your prospecting to the next level. But an automation tool changes the ballgame for the better. It can request and add connections on your behalf, check out profiles, endorse connections, initiate chats, customize your intro messages and much more. Assuming you are a man-one team, imagine how many more leads you can close having these tasks done for you by a software every single day?

Quality and Consistency – The human mind is not designed to work on repetitive tasks through and through. You get bored easily, and if it’s manual, the results will lack consistency. By having an automation tool do the dirty work for you, though, you can always count on the work getting done 24/7/365, and getting done consistently without any slipups. All you need to do is have a clear goal of what you want to achieve going forward, and let the software take care of the rest.

Cons

As much as automating LinkedIn tasks can save you time and help you grow your network exponentially, it also carries some downsides.

You Risk getting your Account Banned – This is the biggest risk associated with using automation tools on LinkedIn. LinkedIn frowns upon the use of third-party tools that automate activity on its website and have a page that spells this out clearly (See LinkedIn Prohibited Software and Extensions).The wages for violating these rules is account restriction or termination.

Quality vs. Quantity – Sometimes, using special software for lead generation can get in the way of quality. Your quantity axis will be on a perpetual growth curve, but quality might take a hit in that you might fail to build meaningful connections and end up simply amassing a myriad meaningless connections. So, this is something else you need to keep in mind, especially when using some third-party tools.

Spamming – In the same breath, the “quantity” that is possible through software might be interpreted as spamming. For instance, if you set your software to go on an auto-endorsing spree for people you barely know, some could mark you out for a spammer. Being perceived as a spammer is contrary to what you are looking to achieve, and that is build up your brand.

Top 3 LinkedIn Prospecting Tools

There are plenty of LinkedIn automation tools out there, and many more are popping up by the day.
All these tools are designed to help LinkedIn users boost their visibility on the platform while automating the lead generation process.

All claim to be the best, and this can be a bit confusing for those of us who cannot tell purple from blue. But worry not, that’s why we are here.

Following are three tools we would recommend to take your LinkedIn prospecting to the next level.

1. Linked Helper

Linked Helper is a Chrome extension with a set of features designed to help you automate different LinkedIn functions.

It is a powerful extension that once installed, pops up on the bottom right of your screen, allowing you to turn on/off the feature you want at any given point.

For example, the Profiles Auto-Visitor feature is a fantastic way to connect to individuals and businesses in your industry.

The Message Broadcast feature, for its part, is a great way to reach out to your first- and second-degree connections and probably inform them of a giveaway you’re running, or a new product or service you are launching. It also has an Auto-Endorse feature that endorses your connections for particular skills without necessitating you to visit their profiles in person.

You will find its slew of features packed in a single place pretty handy.

Unfortunately, Linked Helper was one of the automation tools blacklisted by LinkedIn, so use of the extension could be in direct contravention of LinkedIn’s user agreement.

Pricing Plans:

Linked Helper is offered in several paid plans:

$15 per month
$13.33 per month or $40 for 3 months payment
$10 per month or $60 for 6 months payment
$8.25 per month or $99 for 12 months payment

You are also eligible for a trial version.

2. Meet Leonard

Meet Leonard is one of the more popular LinkedIn automation tools. And just like Linked Helper, this is also a Chrome plugin that automates multiple LinkedIn processes to help you grow your network.

Once installed in your browser, Leonard can accomplish several tasks on your behalf.

The software can automatically dispatch hundreds of personalized connection requests within no time, helping you amass connections and engage new prospects.

It is customizable with Sales Navigator and loaded with customizable message templates that can be sent to you your 1st connections, allowing you to convert LinkedIn into a potent (and white hat) email marketing platform.

Meet Leonard can also view people’s profiles automatically – a great tactic to get them to notice you – and its CRM functionality can collect and analyze data which could prove valuable.

The notable downside with Leonard is that it also appears on the LinkedIn blacklist, so use at your own risk.

Pricing Plans

In addition to a free basic version, Meet Leonard has three paid versions to choose from:

1 Month Plan – $29
6 Month Plan – $129
12 Month Plan – $179

3. Octopus CRM

Another recommended LinkedIn marketing solution, Octopus CRM is a powerful tool suited for marketing professionals, recruiters and business owners.

It provides a slew of features to “autopilot” various LinkedIn processes, acting as a one-stop shop for all your LinkedIn automation needs.

Among the many capabilities of Octopus, it can comb through hundreds of profiles at once and send personalized connection requests to 2nd- and 3rd-level connections on your behalf.

The software can auto-endorse your connections’ skills and message hundreds of first level connections in bulk.

The biggest different between Octopus CRM and other automation tools is the ability to build powerful marketing funnels on LinkedIn.What’s more, this software allows you to assess these marketing efforts through the stats feature, helping shed light on key insights which can prove invaluable.

Pricing Plans

Octopus CRM is available in three plans, each offering a 7-day obligation-free trial:

Starter – $9.99/month for monthly plan or $6.99/month for annual subscription
Pro – $14.99/month for monthly plan or $9.99/month for annual subscription
Advanced – $21.99/month for monthly plan or $14.99/month if you opt for annual subscription

Conclusion

LinkedIn automation tools can save you copious amounts of time and help you accomplish a lot that could otherwise not be practical manually.However, they also carry the risk of instigating account termination or restriction from LinkedIn, and we don’t want that.

The dilemma is confounded by the fact that while LinkedIn advises against the use of third-party automation tools on their platform, the same tools are being pushed by influential industry figures, including the likes of Neil Patel, Gary Curtis of ABC News and Stephen Stavrakis who is a proponent of “effective ethical marketing”.At the end of the day, automating or not automating boils down to personal choice.

Most importantly, whether you employ LinkedIn automation software or not, it’s always good to play the model citizen whenever you’re using LinkedIn.