Are you outreaching your leads and the efforts are just not paying off? Chances are you’re targeting the wrong crowd and your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) isn’t right.
Andrea, our Head of sales, says that pitching to the wrong crowd only means wasted time and resources. Luckily, we are here to help you create the Ideal Customer Profile(ICP). This article will show you:
A 4-step guide with actionable data to createyour ICP
The difference between an Ideal Customer Profile vs. Buyer Persona
A template for Ideal Customer Profile
How to use ICP for lead generation
How to improve your ICP if you already created it
Our teams have worked hard to do the research, and now we present our findings, so pay close attention. 💡
What is an ICP?
The Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) is a firmographic description of companies that would benefit from your product/service the most. These companies should have the fastest sales cycle, highest LTV, and retention rate. ICP guides your targeted marketing and sales strategies to attract and keep valuable prospects efficiently.
Your ICP is a company that:
Will become a long-term customer that you can easily upsell
Loves your product/service because it solves issues seamlessly
Becomes your brand ambassador
Pro tip: From our research, an Ideal Customer Profile can be positive and negative. We will focus on the positive ICP, but creating a negative ICP can help you outline all prospects that are a poor fit for your product/service. By keeping an eye on the negative ICP, you’ll surely avoid wasting your budget and time on the wrong companies.
The difference between an ideal customer profile and a buyer persona
ICP and Buyer Persona are crucial documents for sales, targeting, and prospecting on LinkedIn. Despite being similar, they serve different purposes.
Firstly, an Ideal customer profile combines firmographic and demographicdata that best describes a company ideal for your business. This data can include:
Location,
Average company size,
Revenue,
Pain point,
Industry, etc.
Secondly, a Buyer Persona is a document that describes an individual profile of a person involved in the buying process. While ICP outlines the perfect company, Buyer Persona details the individuals within. The data from your ICP might mention the decision-makers and their positions, but the data we need to create a Buyer Persona is a bit more personal:
Job title
Social media and communication channels used
Annual salary, etc.
Basically, the Buyer Persona focuses on more psychological and personal details, while the Ideal Customer Profile focuses more on the company itself and the metrics.A single ICP may contain several Buyer Personas, which means you can target multiple roles within a single company. Additionally, businesses can have various ICPs, which typically differ by industry, highlighting a layered approach to market segmentation. Here’s how it looks:
Now, back to the ICP and Buyer Persona. Here is a simplified example of their main differences.
Pro tip: If your company is new, it’s better to start by creating an Ideal Customer Profile and then move on to a Buyer Persona.
Key Benefits
Now, let’s look at how your outreach will change after clearly defining your ICP:
Personalize your outreach - The main and most obvious benefit of customer profiling is that it can help every sales team personalize communications for each prospect. This can only lead to more engagement, a better experience for your prospects, and improved sales.
Target a relevant audience - You will target more relevant prospects for your business that actually have a need for your product/service.
Improve response rates - When you’re speaking to the right crowd in the right way, you experience better results and boost lead nurturing. A tailored approach can boost response rates significantly.
Optimize customer acquisition - A good ICP can help you understand your best customers so you know what characteristics to look for in the future, helping boost customer acquisition.
An informed market expansion plan - With a good ICP, you can easily determine your current market share and plan to expand your reach and discover untapped revenue, only to grow your business even more.
Nurture brand loyalty and profitability - Knowing your audience and presenting a solution to their problem at the right time can help boost your brand image, thus attracting more loyal customers.
How to create an ideal customer profile?
An Ideal Customer Profile needs to be as detailed as possible to identify all aspects of your target companies, create a good base for your Buyer Persona, and help your LinkedIn lead generation activities. Here is how to create an ICP in case you:
Already have an Ideal Customer Profile as your customer
Don’t have an ICP as your customer or customers at all.
If you already have an ideal customer profile as your customer
1. Analyze your current customers' data
When creating an ICP, data is your best ally. You can easily spot patterns and anomalies from which your business can benefit. In this case, you should start with your existing customers’ data.
What we’ve learned from our experience is that the trick is to pinpoint your best customers. Here’s a list of questions you need to answer to find them:
What company became your customer the fastest?
Who are the customers that have the highest retention rate?
What customers have the highest LTV?
What company did referyour product and service elsewhere?
2. Identify the patterns
Once you have a list of companies that are your current customers according to previous criteria, it is time to analyze. The key here is to notice patterns and similarities between these companies.
Here is the list of patterns to keep in mind when analyzing:
Pro tip: Open Google Sheets for this step, note customers listed in rows, and put patterns in columns. Once you have them neatly written down, you can find similarities more easily.
3. Have a chat with your customer
By now, you should have rough data, which means it’s time to get personal and go deeper into the analysis. To gather more personal information, you can book online meetings and chat with your existing customers.
Here’s a list of questions you can ask:
Keep in mind that not all customers have time to talk to you, or your meeting may not be their priority. If you did thesocial selling part right, you would have instant positive feedback because of your well-established relationship with them.
From what we have learned so far, you need to find an alternative motive for the customers so they are willing to hop on this meeting. This is where discounts or gift cards come into play. You will get valuable information, and they will gain something in return—a win-win.
4. Assemble information about your ICP
You are almost done. The last step is to assemble all this information in one place. As we mentioned before, it would be easier to start with ICP industry segmentation and go on from there.
Now that you have defined an Ideal Customer Profile, you can adjustyoursales and marketing efforts to target the right companies for your business. If you create an ICP in this way, you’ll have actionable data to find your profile right away and pointers on how to personalize outreach, but more on that second part later.
Note that later in this blog, you’ll get a chance to download our ready-made template you can use, so keep reading. 👇
If you do not have an ideal customer profile using your product or a service
In this case, we don’t have much data to go on, so we will create the ICP from scratch. If you don’t have an ICP as your customer or any customers at all, follow the steps below to create the profile.
1. Identify your ideal customers
One of the best ways to start creating an Ideal Customer Profile in case you don’t have any customers is to zero inon thecompanies you believe will most benefit from your product or service. You can do this by identifying a couple of things on your end:
Product or a service benefits
Problems and solutions your product or service offering
Now, choose a group of ideal companies to research. Follow their founders or other decision-makers and discover what they write about. Are there any pain points they often talk about? Visit their websites or check out their LinkedIn pages. This approach will help your sales and marketing team narrow downthetarget group and be more effective in their activities.
2. Identify the key aspects
Similarly to the previous approach, you should add firmographic and demographic data to the companies list. Here is the information you can gather about these companies and add to the list next to the companies’ names:
Industry
Location
Company headcount
Revenue
Challenges on the company level
Decision-maker
Technology used
Goals and objectives
What is their product or service
What is their status on the market
Pro tip: When creating an ICP, our best advice is to make your ICP as detailed as possible since it will provide the best options for LinkedIn lead generation targeting.
3. Finding personal information about the company
To make your ICP as detailed as possible, you need to find more personal information about the companies, which means you need to reach out to them. 👋
Do not underestimate the power of LinkedIn - most people will be glad to chat with you and share experiences. You can go one step further and use this opportunity to reach out to their decision-makers and start your social selling while you gather data.
Your profile struck a chord with me, particularly your role as {{occupation}}. How about we connect and share a few unscripted insights since we work in similar fields?
From there, you can continue the conversation like this:
Hey {{firstName}},
Thanks for welcoming me into your network! I noticed your impactful role at {{currentCompany}}, and I'm curious—what challenges do you face in your position? I'm in the midst of creating a solution tailored for professionals like you, and your insights could be incredibly useful.
Looking forward to hearing your perspective!
Here are a couple of questions you can ask if they are on board:
What is the process of decision-making in their company?
What are the pain points in the field of your product/service?
If they were looking for a solution, what features would they love to see?
What are their goals and objectives?
4. Build an ideal customer profile
The last step is to assemble the information you gathered, which we will show you in our template below. 👇
Note: If you choose companies that work in different industries, startwithindustry segmentation first, and import the rest of the data to create multiple ICPs. Otherwise, you will have only one.
Ideal customer profile template
Here’s what an assembled Ideal Customer Profile should look like for a fictional company that offers a time-tracking system to other companies.
If you want to download this template, be sure to click here and make a copy.
How to use ICP for lead generation
Now that we have an Ideal Customer Profile, it’s time to use it to identify your ideal leads. Note that, from what we have learned over the years, companies that don’t perfectly match your ICP are still worth a shot. The retention rate will possibly be lower or the buying experience longer, so optimize and adjust your efforts accordingly.
The Ideal Customer Profile is easy to apply for lead generation. The idea is to search for and create a company leads list to match your ICP and then reach out to them. Here’s how to do it. ⬇️
Step #1 - Find your ICP via LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a powerful lead generation tool. So, what you need to do now is use your ICP by going to LinkedIn and doing a similar companies search. Here’s how:
Find leads using a basic LinkedIn search
Go to your LinkedIn account and research the industry or type of companies defined in your ICP document. Then use additional filters available to narrow down the search according to your ICP.
When the search is complete, make sure to jot down all the companies. Then, continue from there by clicking on every company page in the People section, as shown below, to find your qualified leads.
Create a CSV file with every lead’s first name, last name, profile URL, and email. And then save this file for the next step.
Hacks to find leads using Sales Navigator
There are two ways you can filter your leads if you have a Sales Navigator subscription.
1. Find leads from the company profile
Go to your Sales Navigator search, apply Sales Navigator filters, and see the results. Find your ideal company from this list, and click on the three-dots button. Then, click on “View Similar”.
"View Similar" is a useful Sales Navigator feature that will try to find companies most similar to the company you choose according to industry, company size, etc. It will show you up to 50 similar companies. You can also usethe existing customer you selected as your ICP, type theirname in the Sales Navigator search bar, and click on the “View Similar” button for that company.
From there, click on the company you are most interested in, find your decision-maker, and save them to the lead’s list. Repeat the process for every company.
Step #2 - Create an outreach campaign
You can reach the leads you find manually, but to make this process even easier, you should use a sales engagement tool to do it for you. Let’s take Skylead, for example–a LinkedIn automation and email outreach software.
First, to create a campaign, choose your lead source. If you've written down all the decision-makers from your ICP in Google Sheets, you can upload it as a CSV file. However, if you used LinkedIn or Sales Navigator filters to find them, copy the search URL and paste it into Skylead. 👇
The next step is to adjust the campaign settings, such as start date or LinkedIn and email settings preferences, and click on the “Create sequence” button. 🧰
Note that what makes Skylead’s first-to-market Smart sequences special is that you can combine LinkedIn and email action with if/else conditions. This will help you get to your prospects one way or the other while maximizing touchpoints with leads.
How? Through a carefully thought out and placed a set of actions. Here’s what you can drag and drop in the sequence builder to create an outreach flow 👇
A clear ICP will allow you to determine which steps or communication channels to use in your outreach campaign. Plus, you can use personalized visual elements that match your ICP thanks to our Image & GIF personalization feature to increase your response rate to 63%.
Lastly, once you’re done combining elements and personalizing, your sequence will look something like this:
Frequently Asked Questions - FAQ
How do you measure the success and accuracy of an ICP over time, and what metrics are most important?
To measure the success and accuracy of an Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) over time, companies should trackconversion rates, sales cycle lengths, customer lifetime value, and retention rates. Adjustments to the ICP may be necessary as these metrics are analyzed to ensure alignment with market conditions and customer needs.
Are there industry-specific variations in creating an ICP, and how should companies in different sectors adapt the template provided?
Industry-specific variations in creating an ICP do exist. For instance, the factors that define an ideal customer in the technology sector may differ significantly from those in the manufacturing sector. Companies should consider their unique industry trends, challenges, and customer behaviors when adapting the ICP template.
How can small businesses or startups with limited data or customer interactions effectively create an ICP?
Small businesses or startups with limited data can still effectively create an ICP by leveraging industry reports, competitor analysis, and qualitative feedback from initial customers or stakeholders. These insights can form the basis for a preliminary ICP that evolves with more customer interactions and data accumulation.
Ready to find your ideal prospects?
In conclusion, an Ideal Customer Profile allows you to narrow down, analyze prospects, and optimize your approach. It shows precise challenges—valuable information to help you adjust unique selling points and offer tailor-made solutions to your prospects’ problems.
To jog your memory once again, here are the 4 easy steps you need to take to create an ICP:
Did you make your ICP? Good, then use Skylead to get to your prospects faster and save up to 11 hours of manual work per week. Come, say hi via chat on our website, and test our all-in-one tool during a 7-day free trial. Let’s get to those perfect prospects together and enjoy the results of hard work. 🤝
If you've ever wondered if there is a way to speed up lead-generation activities, we have a proposition - try automated lead generation.
Yes, that's right. Automation has been around for a while, especially for lead generation and management. And no wonder it's so effective since this way, you can find the most qualified leads and scale up your business. But, more importantly, you can generate your leads daily.
That said if you wish to use lead generation automation properly but need to figure out how - fear not. We will guide you on how to automate every sales and marketing lead generation task.
What is automated lead generation?
Automated lead generation is a process of using technology to perform time-consuming sales and marketing lead generation tasks on your behalf. To do this, you have different kinds of automation tools at your disposal. For example, you can use software to automate sending emails or LinkedIn connection requests.
Automated lead generation offers benefits such as:
Reducing human error and thus improving your workflow;
Saving time by performing manual tasks and decreasing workload;
Providing insights into the performance of lead generation activities so you can use optimization and improve;
Consistency in the workflow so you can generate leads daily;
Leaving room so you can focus on building relationships and lead nurturing.
That said, there are plenty of automation tools on the market to choose from. However, let’s first distinguish the types of sales and marketing lead generation activities to discover what tool you should use accordingly.
Types of automatic lead generation
There are 2 types of automatic lead generation, but they best work when used in synergy.
Inbound lead generation automation
Inbound lead generation is a marketing strategy for attracting leads to your company. For example, a marketing team can create content valuable to the best leads for your business. The purpose of the content is to compel a lead to first take specific actions that will eventually lead to sales.
In addition, since leads nowadays focus on researching independently, inbound lead gen focuses on helping rather than selling. In other words, it shows the way toward your brand content pieces such as blogs, ebooks, and guides.
That said, inbound lead gen automation means streamlining the said tasks using automation tools. For example, you can use the following types of tools to automate your inbound tasks:
Chatbot - to provide answers to questions;
Pop-ups & forms - to offer personalized content, lead magnet or surveys on the website.
Outbound lead generation automation
Outbound lead generation is about finding and reaching out to your ideal leadsdirectly without waiting for them to reach out to you. To clarify, rather than waiting for leads to find your website and reach out like inbound lead gen, you are the one who makes the first move.
That said, to automate your outbound lead generation tasks, you can use the following types of tools:
Email marketing and outreach tools - for outbound marketing and sales to automate sending emails, newsletters, or themed email sequences;
Prospecting tools - for marketing and sales to find outbound leads and contact information;
Social media automation tools - for sales to automate outreach on social media;
Advertising tools - for marketers to automate buying digital advertising space.
B2B lead generation automation VS B2C lead generation automation
Business-to-Business (B2B) lead generation automation is a process of using software to generate potential leads who work in a company to offer them your services.
On the other hand, Business-to-Consumer (B2C) lead generation automation uses software to streamline and generate leads who are individual customers.
Even though they have different potential customers, both B2B and B2C companies use the same lead generation automation for a similar purpose. Here is how different companies use types of automation tools for their purpose.
How to automate lead generation [Step-by-step guides]
Automated outbound lead generation guide
1. Define your ICP and buyer persona
Your outbound lead generation needs a good basis to get quality leads that convert. That’s why sales teams start off their lead generation process by creating Ideal Customer Profile and Buyer Persona. This way, you can generate the best leads and guide them through the sales funnel. Not to mention, these documents will help you with the lead scoring.
The best practice for the creation of both of these documents is to analyze your current customer data and gather users who:
Have the shortest buying cycle;
Have a high retention rate;
And who would advocate for your product or service.
2. Find contact data
Once you establish your ICP and Buyer Persona, it’s time for prospecting.
Almost all sales teams use LinkedIn prospecting to find the best leads for their sales funnel. Moreover, there are a lot of proven LinkedIn lead generation strategies out there to find quality leads. However, when it comes to gathering the leads’ contact information, it’s best to automate the process and find tools that will help you do just that.
3. Craft a compelling message
Whether you wish to use LinkedIn outreach or any other medium, consider your messaging carefully. Cold outreach is hard when you know nothing about the person. That said, it’s important to include research into the lead generation process and figure out what your leads are all about.
In other words, comb through their LinkedIn profile, and find the About section, posts they published, or what they shared. This way, you can personalize your communication and be more genuine in showing an interest in solving their problems.
Another tip for successful messaging is to mention your unique selling point tailored to their exact pain point.
That said, if you need help crafting such a message, you can always use Chat GPT for salesmessages.
4. Send cold emails
It’s easy to let the cold email mistakes slither into your outreach. However, you reduce the chances of some of these mistakes by using automated lead generation tools to send cold emails.
Only keep in mind that 70% of salespeople stop at one cold email. However, incorporating follow-up messages into your sequence increases your chances of hearing back by 25%. So be sure to send follow up emails as well.
5. Automated LinkedIn lead generation
LinkedIn and email outreach have been part of the sales funnels for years. And with hundreds of leads we reach every week via LinkedIn, it’s time-consuming and nearly impossible to get desired results - unless you use different automated lead generation tools.
That’s why various LinkedIn automationtools are there to help you streamline different outreach actions on LinkedIn. For example, our very own Skylead can automate sending connection requests, messages, and free & paid InMails. In addition, you can combine these actions and create scenarios based on your leads’ behavior; but we’ll talk more about that later on.
6. Lead automation: Nurture the leads
Once you start conversing with your leads, you need to keep track of them. This is where CRM, like Hubspot or Pipedrive, comes into play. To clarify, Customer Relationship Management is a software that helps you automate gathering all the information about your sales leads in one place, such as:
Notes about the sales leads,
Lead scoring,
Information about the company,
Deal value,
Position in the sales funnel,
Next task to perform,
Conversation link, and so on.
This way, you can check where your leads are in the funnel and what level of nurturing they need.
Automated inbound lead generation guide
1. Set up your lead generation website
The first step towards automated lead generation is creating a website to connect all your automated lead generation tools. We can write an entire blog on creating a website, but we’ll mention 3 most important things.
Firstly, good practice here is to create a website that will provide the best user experience with UX/UI design that converts.
Secondly, your content marketing team must prepare visuals and texts for the website. The text needs to provide information about your product or service but in a way that describes how it solves the problem and removes pain points your high-quality leads have.
Lastly, it would be best to create an SEO plan to rank your website better.
2. Create a lead magnet
The second step is for your content marketing team to create a lead magnet.
A lead magnet is a guide, eBook, or mini-course you publish on your website for leads to download. In exchange, you ask your leads to leave their information, such as name, surname, and email address.
This is one of the lead generation strategies, so you can gather the emails and send your leads newsletters. Or you can let your sales team reach them out.
However, keep in mind that you cannot ask for leads' emails just for anything. The lead magnet you create needs to offer valuable information and practical knowledge tailored to your leads' needs.
Once you create a lead magnet, you can automate the process by connecting your forms to Hubspot or Monday CRM. This way, you can automatically create a deal. Moreover, if your CRM and outreach tool are connected, you can push the leads to your campaign.
3. Set up your landing page
To generate high-quality leads organically or via ads, you need a landing page that provides the best user experience. In other words, it needs to contain concise information tailored to your high-qualityleads. So the best practice here is to have dedicated feature pages and what problems they solve.
The information you provide needs to have a converting design and info so your visitors wish to take action. In addition, your landing pages need to be as SEO prepared as possible.
Lastly, speaking of action, your landing page should contain a contact form or any lead magnet you wish to promote to gather quality leads.
4. Capture leads with a chatbot
Another way to generate leads via your website is to use a chatbot. It allows you to turn your website visitors into leads and qualify them for future sales or marketing activities.
For example, you can set your chatbot to pose a list of questions before leads can contact the support team. This is a perfect automation system for lead scoring and qualifying.
For example, with some chatbots, you can set up to automatically gather information, such as email addresses, company sizes, or other information relevant to collecting qualified leads. Once it does, like with lead magnets, you can automate creating a deal in your CRM and pushing the leads to your outreach campaign.
5. Get traffic to your page
Once you’ve done everything we’ve mentioned above, you need to get leads to your website to generate them. There are two ways you can get traffic:
Paid - you can launch paid campaigns via Google ads, Bing ads, or social media such as Facebook or LinkedIn. You can target new leads or retarget your previous visitors.
Organic - Creating blogs or videos that follow SEO standards so they can rank better organically and get you as many visitors as possible.
6. Lead management automation: Nurture the leads
When you start getting leads to your website, you need to nurture them to some sort of conversion. Therefore, look no further than using pop-up forms or chatbot conversations personalized to their web behavior.
You can personalize your automated messages and offer relevant content by, for example:
Pages they are visiting,
If they are returning customers, or
Exit intent.
7. Use marketing automation for lead generation
Once you gather your leads’ emails, it’s time to use marketing automation and outreach them. You can create email campaigns to offer personalized content on a mass scale based on your leads’ behavior.
For example, you can send certain messages depending on whether they opened an email. In other words, you can create an entire sequence with different scenarios to offer tailored content that will lead to conversion.
The good practice here is to start with valuable educational content, then offer a solution to the particular problem, and then present your product or service. In other words, never start the first message with your pitch.
Best lead generation automation tools
We will name a few best lead generation automation software and their Capterra scores. However, feel free to research other tools and check review websites should you feel the need to do so.
1. Skylead
Yup. As we previously mentioned, that's us. 🙂
Skyleadis a LinkedIn automation and cold email software that streamlines the most time-consuming marketing, recruiting and sales outreach tasks. In other words, these tasks include sending:
LinkedIn connection requests
Messages,
InMails,
And emails
to all your leads you imported into Skylead via LinkedIn, Sales Navigator, Recruiter, your CRM (using API) or CSV file.
Moreover, this software as a service allows you to also:
What makes Skylead special are Smart Sequences and their if/else conditions. To clarify, Smart Sequences are action paths you create using the activities mentioned above and combining them with if/else conditions. This way, you can create countless scenarios that Skylead uses to outreach your leads according to their situational behavior.
That said, here is an example of one Smart Sequence.
Moreover, you can connect Skylead with any tool, such as CRM using webhooks or API and push or send data.
Use cases
You can use Skylead for various reasons. However, we will mention a few depending on the team you might belong to.
Pricing
Skylead has an all-in-one pricing plan of $100 per user/month.
Capterra score: ⭐ 4,8 / 5
2. OptinMonster
br]
This is another lead generation tool considered one of the best marketing strategies you can use on your website. Marketing teams use it for ecommerce lead capture. However, B2B marketers frequently use it for their lead generation efforts as well.
OptinMonster is a software that offers automated lead generation forms presented as pop-ups,slide-in windows, and gamified spin-to-win wheels. Moreover, you can place these pop-ups or forms on any landing page.
That said, these automated forms help you gather contact information to build an email list for your email campaigns, display personalized content, and nurture your visitors through their customer journey.
Features
OptinMonster’s main advantage is that it turns your website visitors into paying customers, webinar attendees, or newsletter subscribers. That said, many B2B marketing teams use these forms to increase any conversion rate, thanks to:
Page-level targeting
You can display pop-ups, forms, and notifications based on the user’s interaction with different landing pages.
Exit-intent technology
OptinMonster monitors visitors’ movements and detects when they plan to exit from the page without leaving their contact information or purchase. This way, you can increase conversion rates. Or, as a part of your content marketing strategy, gain additional newsletter subscribers, webinar attendees for future email campaigns.
Lightbox pop-up
This pop-up or notification appears thanks to triggers, and once it does, your visitors need to make a decision. What’s best is that there are no distractions, as your other website content can be faded in the background.
Onsite retargeting
You can show returning visitors something new every time they return to your website. Simply create pop-ups to show new promotions or offers based on their previous interactions on your website.
List segmentation
You can reduce website abandonment and churn by providing personalized content for your leads from the email list and website. What’s more, you can integrate OptinMonster with any CRM app, such as Hubspot or email automation software, to further adjust your messaging.
Pro tip: Create a synergy between your marketing and sales teams. Once you generate leads through OptinMonster, you can push them automatically to your Skylead sales or marketing campaign through API.
Pricing
OptinMonster has 4 pricing plans:
Basic - $16 per month
Plus - $32 per month
Pro - $49 per month
Growth - $82 per month
In addition, they offer around 40% off per month if you opt-in for an annual subscription.
Capterra score: ⭐ 4,3 / 5
3. Moosend.com
In general, Moosendis an email automation tool that helps you create and send personalized newsletters to your leads. It’s most suitable for small businesses specializing in e-commerce. However, this automation tool can be used for B2B email campaigns as well.
Features
One of the best things about Moosend is that you can create newsletters or pop-up banners with a simple drag-and-drop.
In addition, they leverage AI to analyze the data from your website, such as your subscriber behavior. This way, you can send more personalized messages or email notifications and maximize customer experience and retention.
That said, similar to Skylead, you can use this marketing automation tool to create a sequence with if/else conditions such as “if the purchase was made” and so on. This way, you can check for your subscriber’s actions and send suitable follow-up messages.
Moosend offers a vast library of templates to create newsletters or landing pages for email marketing campaigns. Whichever you choose, you’d be glad to hear that every template comes with device optimization functionalities.
Next, you can group leads from your email list and send separate messages. You can divide the leads based on keywords, if they clicked on the link in the previous email, etc.
Like OptinMonster, Moosend can help you gather new leads and increase your lead generation efforts. In other words, it offers customizable forms like pop-ups to promote your lead magnets, like webinars, and create email lists.
Lastly, you can integrate Moosend with your CRM, such as Hubspot, or other apps to streamline your related tasks.
Pricing
Moosend has 2 pricing systems:
Pro - This plan is suitable for small businesses because it goes from as low as $9 per month for up to 500 subscribers. On the other hand, this plan goes as high as $5840 a month for up to 1M subscribers.
Enterprise - The second plan is for agencies, and you need to contact Moosend directly to get a custom quote.
Capterra score: ⭐ 4,6 / 5
4. Mailchimp
Another email automation software on our list is Mailchimp. This marketing automation tool started off as software for marketers to help them create newsletters in the e-commerce environment. However, it developed to be much more - a well-rounded automated lead generation tool.
Features
Email marketing
Firstly, Mailchimp offers an email automation tool for sending newsletters or other messaging material to your subscribers. You can create your own message design or use the template.
Regarding targeting, you can segment your leads based on their behavior, such as:
Campaign activity,
Location,
If the last email opened,
App activity, etc.
Lead gen
Mailchimp offers a couple of features that are perfect for B2B lead generation.
Firstly, they have their own website builder to create beautifully-designed landing pages for your new leads. In addition, you can make it from scratch or from the numerous templates they offer.
Secondly, they offer sign-up and pop-up forms for your website to generate potential customers. Moreover, you can also integrate their free appointment scheduling tool so potential leads can book calls with your sales team.
Lastly, Mailchimp offers a campaign manager that combines social media platforms, Facebook, Instagram, and Google Ads, into one dashboard. This way, you can target potential leads with similar interests as your current contacts. Or you can retarget visitors while they are browsing through the web or their social media.
Automated customer journeys
Last but not least, Mailchimp has a function to enhance user experience with Customer Journey Builder. In other words, you can automate activities, such as emails and follow-ups, according to your leads’ behavior and nurture them to conversion.
Moreover, you can integrate Mailchimp with any app, including your CRM of choice or LinkedIn outreachsolution for omnichannel presence.
Pricing
Mailchimp offers 4 plans with the following highlighted features:
A free plan is forup to 1K emails sent. It includes forms, landing pages, and pre-built email templates.
The Essentials plan starts at $13 a month. This plan includes up to 5K emails sent, 3 audiences, and simple automated customer journeys.
The Standard plan starts at $20 a month. It includes up to 6K emails sent, 5 audiences, enhanced customer journeys, newsletter templates, predictive analytics tool, and campaign manager.
The Premium plan costs $350 per month. It includes everything from other plans plus 150K emails sent, and advanced segmentation and targeting.
Capterra score: ⭐ 4,5 / 5
5. Tidio
As mentioned before, one of the best lead capturing ways is using a live chat or chatbot. And Tidio is one of many on the market.
In other words, it can automatically collect and qualify leads based on their website behavior. For example, they can visit a pricing page, and if you offer a custom quote, a chatbot can ask if a person is interested in it, and they can leave the information.
Moreover, you can set Tidio to answer FaQs, offer news,or upsell your users. This way, you’re leaving time for your support team to focus on burning problems while improving your customer experience.
Pricing
Tidio offers a couple of pricing plans, respectively:
Free
Communicator: $19 per user/month (Includes live chat with an unlimited number of conversations and up to 5 operators);
Chatbots: $19 per user/month (Includes from 1K to 40K triggers);
Tidio+: $329 a month (Including both live chat and chatbot).
Capterra score: ⭐ 4,8 / 5
Automated lead generation examples
Here are examples of lead generation automation you can apply in your business right away.
1. Lead capture framework
a. Create a lead magnet
Craft valuable content like ebooks, masterclasses, templates, and webinars. In addition, remember that the content you create needs to resonatewith your leads so they are willing to leave you their contact information. For example, you can offer asales book with templates and cold outreach strategies.
Once you create your work, you can gather the infowith automated lead generation forms. Moreover, you can link the forms to CRM for the sales to take over, or an email outreach tool so your leads can go straight to your email outreach list.
Lastly, to promote your lead magnet, you can publish ads to generate a large pool of leads. Or use pop-ups to promote the content throughout the website depending on users’ behavior.
b. Set up chatbots
Use chatbots to automate qualifying leads and gather their contact information.
You can set chatbot scenarios to offer the lead magnets or some free service depending on users’ website behavior. Or, if a person wants to contact your customer support, develop a list of qualifying questions. This way, the chatbot can send them to a database such as your email list or CRM. Moreover, your support team will get context about the leads.
2. Framework for finding leads
You can automate finding outbound leads by using prospecting tools such as:
LinkedIn Premium or Sales Navigator to scrape publicly available info and profile URLs;
Tools to identify your website visitors, such as Lead Forensics;
Scraping tools for Facebook group members;
This way, you can build your lead list, send them to your CRM and prepare for email or LinkedIn outreach.
3. Outreach framework
a. Inbound outreach
Once you’ve got your inbound leads’ info, reach out. You can prepare a special cold outreach campaign using Skylead. In other words, create your sequence and craft your messages so they slowly turn the leads into paying customers.
For example, you can use Skylead to reach out to your leads via email. In other words, import your leads via CSV file or using LinkedIn, Sales Navigator, or Recruiter. Moreover, once you start your campaign, you can push leads from your email list or CRM using API.
If you found your leads using LinkedIn but wish to send them emails, you can use Email Discovery & Verification feature as a step. This way, Skylead finds and verifies leads’ email addresses. So, you don’t have to use a separate tool to scrape email addresses. Instead, you have it all here in Skylead.
Then, create your Smart Sequence depending on their behavior (e.g., whether they opened an email or clicked the link). For example, your Smart Sequence can look something like this:
Lastly, write your sequence messages, and personalize them. Moreover, you can write up to 5 subject lines and the body variants to test and see what messaging drives the most results.
b. Outbound outreach
You can use Skylead to reach your outbound leads as well. To do this, repeat the steps above:
Import leads;
Create a Smart sequence;
Personalize your Emails, LinkedIn connection requests, messages, and InMails.
However, remember that you will get the best results if you opt-in for multichannel outreach. That said, feel free to use LinkedIn steps such as Invite to connect, Follow, View, Message and InMail.
4. Customer and lead nurturing framework
You can automate lead nurturing by integrating your CRM with the outreach tool and exchanging the data between the two. This way, you can label leads, or send them to outreach campaigns.
In addition, you can use Skylead for your customer-nurturing program. That said, you can send automated outreach campaigns for:
Churn customers if you have any special upgrade or to offer a discount;
Current customers to send them personalize content, upsell, or offer help as their dedicated account manager;
Frequently asked questions
What are the ethical considerations when automating lead generation on LinkedIn?
When automating lead generation on LinkedIn, it's vital to maintain transparency and respect user privacy. Avoid spamming and ensure all automated interactions provide value to potential leads. Ethical automation respects LinkedIn's terms of service, focusing on building genuine connections rather than exploiting the platform.
How can businesses ensure the quality of leads when using automation tools?
To ensure the quality of leads when using automation tools, you should define clear target parameters and continuously refine your ideal customer profile. Utilizing advanced filtering options and personalized outreach messages can significantly increase the relevance and quality of automated lead generation efforts.
Can automation tools integrate with other CRM platforms, and how does this affect lead management?
Many automation tools like Skylead are designed to integrate seamlessly with CRM platforms, enhancing lead management processes. This integration allows for the automatic update of lead information and activities, providing a unified view of the sales funnel and enabling more efficient tracking, nurturing, and conversion of leads.
Skyrocket your leads and conversions with automation
80% of marketing automation users experience an increase in the number of leads, and even 77% an increase in conversion. That is no small number to ignore.
That said, we hope this article helped you understand how you can automate your lead generation activities.
However, before you do, create a good-quality basis for the automation, such as your website, content strategy, and LinkedIn profile. Only then will you be able to pave your way for successful lead generation automation.
After all, once you go automation, you will start looking at your other tasks and ask yourself:
A well-crafted LinkedIn connection message can make a busy decision-maker click Accept to yours and leave pending the other 50+ connection requests they received that day on the platform.
With over 65 million decision-makers, LinkedIn is THE #1 professional social network that made it possible for the entire world to connect business-wise.
However, while it’s true that, today, you can find anyone you need on the platform, thevolume of messages certain professionals get on a daily basis is so high that you need to find a way to stand outfrom the crowd to get their attention.
To understand how important connections are on LinkedIn, bear in mind that 98% of sales representatives with more than 5,000 LinkedIn connections mostly surpass their selling quotas.
The maximum size of your network on LinkedIn is limited to 30,000 connections, so you want to use that number to connect with LinkedIn members relevant to your business (and you want to do so before your competitors, so… ⬇️ )
In this blog, we will:
Answer some of the most common questions about LinkedIn connection requests;
And give 25 proven LinkedIn connection message examples with up to a 78% acceptance rate to use right away.
How to send a connection request on LinkedIn?
To connect with a LinkedIn member from the search result, click on the Connect button in the top right corner of the member’s LinkedIn profile section.
OR
Open the LinkedIn member’s profile. Click Connect.
How to cancel a pending LinkedIn connection request?
Not a lot of people monitor their pending LinkedIn connection requests, which is wrong because the integrity of their LinkedIn profile could get damaged. Essentially, good pending-request hygiene can save you from LinkedIn jail and improve your acceptance rate on the platform.
What you need to know about the cancellation process;
How to cancel LinkedIn invitations that are pending for a long time;
Why your LinkedIn invites aren’t getting accepted;
How to create engaging invitations that will increase your acceptance rate.
Skylead users have the benefit that you can set up Skylead to withdraw pending requests to safeguard their LinkedIn profiles and allow them to send invites to connect to other people relevant to their business.
In the meantime, if you just wish to cancel a pending LinkedIn connection request, first click My Network on your LinkedIn profile home page.
Choose Manage or See all.
Choose Sent and the Withdraw option that’s next to the LinkedIn member’s name.
If you cancel a LinkedIn connection request, you won’t be able to send it again to the same member for the following 3 weeks.
How to message someone on LinkedIn who is not a connection?
There are 3 types of connections on LinkedIn, and here is how to message every one of them.
1st-degree connections are LinkedIn users who are already part of your network. Reach out to them via regular LinkedIn messages using some of these LinkedIn sales message templates.
2nd-degree connections are LinkedIn members who are connected with your 1st-degree connections but not with you. Send them a LinkedIn connection message first, followed by a Thank you message on LinkedIn once they accept.
3rd-degree connections are LinkedIn members connected with your 2nd-degree connections. The platform encourages to reach out to these members via LinkedIn InMail first ( ➡️ here are LinkedIn InMail templates with a 25% reply rate formula tested by our Head of Sales, Andrea)
How to write a connection message on LinkedIn [5 best practices]
So, as mentioned above, it takes only a few people to deny your LinkedIn connection request and click I don’t know this person for you to be flagged on LinkedIn.
So, we decided to share 5 guidelines followed by our sales team when writing a LinkedIn connection message.
Look for common ground.
Mentioning any common ground turned out to be a positive practice. It could be a community you both belong to, a shared interest, a school, an industry, or even the same point of view on a specific topic.
Stay professional.
Reach out to other members in aprofessional manner. Avoid making personal references or giving compliments that are not business-related or argued.
Personalize your LinkedIn connection messages.
Addressing your lead by name is a must. Then, any other detail that you can mention, such as - the company name, the exact job title, set of skills, or job description, shows that you did your research. The more you know about your lead, the higher the chances of getting accepted on LinkedIn and turning that lead into your customer.
No generic nor irrelevant LinkedIn connection messages.
Even a blank LinkedIn connection request is better than I’d like to add you to my network.
Also, it’s hard for a pharmaceutical sales representative to be interested to read your article on SEO. Know who you are talking to.
Avoid selling straight out the gate.
Even if they need and like your product or service, no one will purchase anything without any additional info, chat, or call.
25 LinkedIn connection message examples [Up to 78% acceptance rate]
Tailor-making a LinkedIn connection message to each lead might seem a bit time-consuming, but it doesn’t have to be (not if you’re using Skyleaaaad 😂 ).
Jokes aside (or not!), the results of sending personalized LinkedIn connection messages are pretty rewarding.
Once you get used to the principles of writing in a compelling, LinkedIn-friendly way, your LinkedIn outreach will become a much more enjoyable experience.
Until then, use the LinkedIn connection message examples below that our team and users tested to grow their networks with relevant prospects.
Mention a mutual connection
Template
Hello {{firstName}},
I noticed that you are connected with {{mutualConnection}}.
{{mutualConnection}} and I worked together at {{company}}. I really loved {{whatYouLovedAboutMutualConnection}}.
I see that we are both in the {{industry}} industry and would love to have you in my network.
Example
OR
Template
Hello {{firstName}},
{{mutualConnection}} pointed me your way for B2B lead generation services – would love to connect.
Example
Reaching out to a candidate (as a recruiter)
Template
Hello {{firstName}},
It seems that you’ve been a great addition to your team at {{company}}. Way to go!
I would like to talk to you about a business opportunity.
But even if you’re not interested, it would be great to have you as part of my network!
Example
OR
Template
Hello {{firstName}},
I am reaching out to you for your vast experience as a {{occupation}}. {{company}} is currently searching for a {{position}}. If this sounds interesting to you, let’s connect.
Example
Reaching out to a recruiter (as a job seeker)
Template
Hello {{firstName}},
I saw that you are a recruiter at {{company}}. I am a {{occupation}} with {{number}} years of experience in the {{industry}} industry, currently seeking new opportunities. I’d like to connect and chat to see if my background fits any of your openings.
Example
OR
Template
Hello {{firstName}},
I see that you’re the recruiter in charge of the {{occupation}} position at {{company}}.
I am very interested in applying but would like to ask you a few questions first.
Let’s connect.
Example
Intro to a collaboration proposal
Template
Hello {{firstName}},
I am a long admirer of your work.
I followed your advice regarding {{topic}} that you shared {{where}}. {{achievedResult}}.
Thank you once again!
Would love to connect!
Example
Connect with a member of the community
Template
Hello {{firstName}},
Your post in {{mutualCommunity}} was quite insightful.
I particularly liked the part where you said {{quote}}.
I would like to discuss it further with you. Let’s connect.
Example
OR
Template
Hello {{firstName}},
I saw that you are also a member of {{mutualGroup}}.
I would love to connect with you since we both work in the {{industry}} industry.
Example
Approach an event attendee
Template
Hello {{firstName}},
It was great speaking to you at the {{eventName}} {{when}}.
What you do at {{currentCompany}} sounded fascinating and it totally inspired me!
I’d definitely like to stay up-to-date with your work.
Thank you in advance for connecting!
Example
OR
Template
Hey {{firstName}},
I saw you at the {{eventName}} but I didn’t get the chance to approach you and introduce myself. How did you like the {{eventName}}? Would love to connect here and stay in touch!
Example
Reach out to a LinkedIn event attendee
Template
Hello {{firstName}},
I saw that you too attended the {{eventName}} LinkedIn event.
Learning {{what}} was particularly useful for my business.
Anyways, I would love to connect and exchange feedback on the event.
Example
Reach out to an author of a LinkedIn article or post
Template
Hi {{firstName}},
I came across your LinkedIn article on {{topic}}.
I really resonated with your thoughts on {{topic}}.
I’d love to keep in touch and learn more about your work.
Example
Break the ice using industry humor or a joke
Here are 35+ industry jokes that you could use in your LinkedIn connection requests as an icebreaker.
Template
Hi {{firstName}},
How many therapists does it take to change a light bulb?
Just one - but the light bulb has to really want to change.
Jokes aside, I would love to connect!
Example
OR (something as silly as this)
Template
Hello {{firstName}},
I noticed we both breathe oxygen.
Sounds like a perfect fit to me, let’s connect!
Example
Connect with a former colleague
Template
Hello {{firstName}},
Remember me?
We used to work together at {{company}} back in {{year}}.
Let’s connect and catch up, I would love to hear how it is going at {{currentCompany}}!
Example
OR
Template
Hello {{firstName}},
It was such a pleasure working with you at {{company}} back in {{year}}.
Let’s connect! I would like to hear what you’ve been up to professionally since.
Example
Reach out to a colleague
If a company is big, knowing everyone you’re working with is hard.
However, connecting with colleagues is a good practice for expanding your network on LinkedIn.
Remember that they also might have some interesting connections, and you never know who they could introduce you to.
Template
Hello {{firstName}},
Good news travels fast! I heard about you {{achievement}}. Great job!
Anyways, I am {{yourName}} from the {{department}} team and would love to connect!
Example
Connect with former alumni
Template
Hello {{firstName}},
I see that we graduated from the same university. Go {{school’sSportsTeam}}! 🙂
I would like to connect and learn more about your experience at {{company}}.
I myself majored in {{major}} and currently work in the {{industry}} industry.
Example
Reach out to members who reacted to your or someone else’s LinkedIn post
Template
Hello {{firstName}},
I saw that you are also a fan of {{name}}’s content and just wanted to connect with you.
Example
OR
Template
Hello {{firstName}},
I saw that you also liked {{Name}}’s post on {{topic}}. I am a big fan of his/her work.
His/her advice worked well for me!
Anyways, I would love to connect and maybe even discuss it further.
Example
Connect with a member who asked a question in the post comment
Template
Hi {{firstName}},
I saw that you commented on {{name}}’s post about {{topic}} and asked {{question}}.
I would like to connect and share some resources with you that could be helpful.
Example
Reach out to members suggested by LinkedIn
The People also viewed feature displays a list of LinkedIn members that the platform’s algorithm found important for your LinkedIn experience, whether you are using it for networking, job search, or lead generation.
Use this template to reach out to them.
Template
Hello {{firstName}},
Your profile came as suggested through the People also viewed section, so I was curious and checked it out. I saw that we’re both in the {{industry}} industry, so I thought we connect and exchange experiences.
Example
OR
Template
Hello, {{firstName}}
LinkedIn suggested your profile several times now, so I was curious and checked it out. I saw that we’re both {{occupation}}, so I thought it would be good to connect with professionals from the industry. Let’s exchange experiences:)
Example
Start with a genuine compliment
Template
Hi {{firstName}}
I have been following your work for some time now, and I must admit your career path in the {{industry}} industry impressed me. I would love to connect with you and ask you a few questions about your beginnings in the field.
Example
LinkedIn Connection Message: FAQ
How can one effectively track and measure the success rate of these LinkedIn connection message templates, especially in terms of resulting in meaningful professional relationships or business opportunities?
To effectively track the success of LinkedIn connection message templates, monitor acceptance rates and follow-up interactions. Analyzing these metrics can provide insights into which templates foster meaningful connections and opportunities. Adjust strategies based on this data for improved outcomes.
What are the best practices for following up on a connection request if there's no response initially, without coming across as too persistent or spammy?
Following up on a LinkedIn connection request requires a delicate balance. If there's no initial response, a polite and concise reminder after a reasonable period can be appropriate. Avoid being overly persistent; one InMail or email follow-up is generally considered tactful to maintain professionalism without seeming spammy.
How do you politely ask for a connection on LinkedIn?
Asking to connect with someone on LinkedIn has become as common as asking or giving your business card to someone. Many professionals include links to their profiles in the paper or QR business cards or in the signature section of their emails.
Should I send a message with a connection request on LinkedIn?
Adding a message with a connection request on LinkedIn is generally considered good practice that increases your acceptance rate. However, sending a blank request rather than a generic message is better if you decide not to use a personalized approach. Check out our examples above.
What message to write with a connection request on LinkedIn?
Mentioning something that you have in common with the person you are trying to connect with is generally considered good practice that increases your chances of getting accepted. However, there are many other LinkedIn connection request messages that you can use. Check out our examples to get inspired.
How do I send a cold connection request on LinkedIn?
The cold connection request is not “as cold” as it seems if you follow the golden rule of connecting to people relevant to your business or with whom you have something in common. Therefore, the best way to connect on LinkedIn is by mentioning something relevant to both of you.
Did someone reject my connection request on LinkedIn?
You can ignore someone’s connection request on LinkedIn by clicking “Ignore” instead of “Accept” or by ignoring it and letting it pend. LinkedIn does not notify the sender when their connection request has been declined. Also, LinkedIn automatically deletes pending connection requests after 6 months.
What happens when you ignore a connection request on LinkedIn?
To decline someone’s connection request, just click “Ignore”. LinkedIn will not notify the member of their request being declined, but they can send you another connection request. If you literally ignore the request and leave it pending, LinkedIn will automatically delete it after 6 months.
Do LinkedIn requests expire?
Yes, LinkedIn requests expire. All pending LinkedIn connection requests will be automatically deleted after 6 months. After that, the member whose request has been deleted can ask for another connection again.
Can people see withdrawn LinkedIn requests?
Your recipient won’t be notified if you withdraw your connection request on LinkedIn. To do that, go to My Network > Manage (top right corner) > Sent > Withdraw. If the LinkedIn member already accepted your invitation to connect, they can be removed as a connection.
How do you know if someone accepted your LinkedIn request?
You will get a notification when someone accepts your connection request. To set up notifications, go to Settings & Privacy > Notifications > Connecting with others > Invitations to connect. Or, go to My Network > Connections (top left corner) > Recently added > See the list of recently added connections or search them by name.
LinkedIn automation tools are the future of sales, and let me tell you why.
LinkedIn is a professional social media platform with over 875 million users. It is used for Business-To-Business lead generation because the conversion rate is 3xbetter than any other social media platform. Moreover, the audience on LinkedIn has 2x buying power.
So, no wonder many sales teams use LinkedIn prospecting as their basis for targeting. After all, without LinkedIn, many sales executives would have a hard time generating B2B leads. Even marketers around the world use LinkedIn campaigns for B2B lead generation. Not to mention recruiters who started to use LinkedIn to find top talents for their companies.
So, as the usage ofLinkedIn lead generation progressed, people started to search for a solution to ease their LinkedIn marketing and sales efforts. In particular, they wanted to find something that would perform their operative tasks, such as the process of LinkedIn outreach. That’s when LinkedIn automation tools were born.
Since then, LinkedIn automation tools are changing the LinkedIn outreach and prospecting game as we know it. Moreover, they started to define the future of sales, marketing, and recruiting with every new feature developed.
So, do you wish to find and use the LinkedIn automation tool for yourself? Yes? Well, let me help you out with that.
In this article, we cover the most popular and best LinkedIn automation tools, their pros and cons, and their features. Furthermore, we will emphasize the safest LinkedIn automation tool and what to consider when deciding which one to use.
Grab your popcorn and enjoy.
What Is LinkedIn Automation?
LinkedIn Automation is a technology that tools use to perform different LinkedIn activities you would usually do manually. In other words, this technology automates the tasks meaning it performs them on your behalf. These activities include LinkedIn profile views, sending connection requests, follow-up messages, or LinkedIn InMails.
LinkedIn automation serves for LinkedIn lead generation purposes. For example, you can build your LinkedIn network, make new connections, and outreach them on autopilot, or automate sharing gated posts.
In outreach terms, LinkedIn automation essentially recognizes your lead source, for example, a LinkedIn search URL. It analyzes the LinkedIn pages, performs actions according to your settings and interacts with the selected LinkedIn users. Moreover, some LinkedIn automation tools can take your list of LinkedIn accounts and search for publicly available information.
Best LinkedIn automation tools can even send personalized messages, and images according to individual leads information available on LinkedIn. Also, they even use messaging sequences to send follow up LinkedIn messages if the lead doesn’t respond.
Lastly, some tools can send bulk messages to all leads at once. However, this is something you need to be wary of when it comes to safety. Don’t worry, though. We will talk about how the best LinkedIn automation tools do it below.
Why Use A LinkedIn Automation Tool?
LinkedIn automation tools streamline the most time-consumingLinkedIn activities, such as sending thousands of connection requests and messages. This way, you can invest time in more important tasks. In addition, these tools test and analyze your performance and show you what you need to improve.
In other words, LinkedIn automation tools are software that helps you automate your LinkedIn activities. There are many more benefits other than what we mentioned above. So let's go over the 6 most important ones.
LinkedIn Automation Tools Save Your Time
By streamlining the most time-consuming LinkedIn activities, these tools really do save your resources. That said, they can save you 5+ hours of work per week, depending on which one you choose.
They Give You A Detailed Reporting
You can perform manual outreach by yourself. However, keep in mind that you would need to dig into reporting yourself, as well. In other words, this can take you hours to gather and analyze the metrics. LinkedIn automation tools will do all this on your behalf.
You Have The Option To A/B Test - Everything
Depending on which LinkedIn automation tool you choose, you will have the option to A/B test your outreach efforts, such as:
Follow-up messages;
Message sequences;
InMails;
Subject lines;
Connection requests.
Then, you can see which works best and apply those to future outreach efforts.
These Tools Help You Personalize Your Outreach
LinkedIn automation tools can also help you send personalized messages at scale. In other words, these tools use custom variables so you can get in touch with more leads naturally.
If you have different ICPs or Buyer Personas, you can run multiple outreach campaigns at the same time. This way, you can be more productive, as you don’t have to wait to finish with one target audience to outreach another.
Focus On Building The Relationship
By streamlining the most operative tasks, your focus can be directed elsewhere. In other words, you now have time to focus on more crucial tasks such as:
Social selling;
Building the relationships;
Talk with your target audience for a longer time and nurture them;
And close more deals.
Types Of LinkedIn Automation Tools
Every LinkedIn automation software has its functionality base to set different LinkedIn activities on autopilot. In other words, these tools can be:
Cloud-based (e.g. Skylead);
Chrome Extensions (e.g. Dux Soup);
Desktop apps (e.g. Linked Helper)
Web browsers.
A cloud-based LinkedIn automation tool means it is managed and processed thanks to a dedicated IP address. This IP address, also known as the proxy hosted on the internet, shields your activity. Moreover, all your data is not stored on local servers or your personal computer but on the internet.
The software can run even when your PC is off. In addition, you can choose your IP address from your or another country. What’s more, only cloud-based software can have multiple accounts and integrated inboxes.
Lastly, cloud-based LinkedIn automation platforms mimic human behavior. In other words, it clicks and views pages on this professional network platform as humans would. Thus, it makes the tool undetectable. So you can outreach new leads and send new connection requests carefree.
Extensions, desktop apps, and web browsers don’t have a dedicated IP address, nor do they have the option to mimic human-like behavior, which causes sending of bulk messages. Moreover, they do not have the possibility of managing multiple accounts. Lastly, you must have your PC turned on to keep your campaigns running.
Sometimes you cannot find information on how a LinkedIn automation platform functions. In that case, you can ask their customer support team to answer this question.
Should I Use A LinkedIn Automation Chrome Extension?
No. Even though LinkedIn automation tools based on chrome extensions are cheaper, you shouldn’t jump right into using them. These Chrome extensions are not safe since they inject the code into the LinkedIn platform. This way, LinkedIn can easily detect automation and get your LinkedIn account restricted permanently.
Web browsers and desktop apps are a bit safer than extensions because they don’t inject the code into the LinkedIn platform. However, they do not offer additional features that cloud-based tools do.
Why You Should Use A Cloud Based LinkedIn Automation Tool
If you wish to avoid LinkedIn restrictions and make the best of automation software, choose a cloud-based solution. They don’t inject any code into LinkedIn, like extensions, nor do they require you to keep the PC turned on. They also mimic human behavior, so LinkedIn can't detect them.
Besides functioning like humans and being the safest LinkedIn automation tool, cloud-based solutions offer integrated inboxes and multiple-account management systems.
What To Consider When Choosing A LinkedIn Automation Tools
When choosing among LinkedIn automation tools, you need to be aware of all the best features for your LinkedIn outreach. So here is what you need to consider to choose the best LinkedIn automation tool for yourself.
Cloud-Based Solution
As mentioned, other types of LinkedIn automation tools either inject the code into LinkedIn, or they do not offer other perks, such as an integrated inbox. So:
To get the best out of these tools,
Avoid getting detected or bulk messaging,
And to get your money’s worth,
You should consider using only a cloud-based solution.
Create Drip Campaigns
Why use LinkedIn automation just for scraping publicly available information when you can do much more with it? That’s right - some LinkedIn automation tools only have the data scraping option and do not have the possibility to set up your outreach campaigns.
So, when choosing such a tool, first answer the question of what you want to do with it. If you wish to use it more than just as a data scraper, consider the tools that have drip campaigns feature. Or, even better, choose the tools that offer Smart Sequences - an algorithm that follows your leads’ behavior and acts accordingly.
Use Of Hyper-Personalized Messages
If you were thinking that using LinkedIn automation will remove any chance to send personalized messages, think again. Most of the best LinkedIn automation tools are going to great lengths to make this possible for their users - and they did.
For example, if you wish to personalize the text of your follow-up messages or InMails, you can use native variables such as:
First name;
Last name;
Occupation;
Company;
Etc.
Moreover, with some tools you can even create your custom variables.
Automatic Stop When Prospect Replies
You don’t have to be afraid of tools not stopping to send messages once your lead responds. The best LinkedIn automation tools will stop sending follow-up messages or emails as soon as the lead responds. This way, you can take over the conversation or send them back to another campaign. So, keep this in mind when researching the right tool for you.
Image & GIF Personalization
You can hyper-personalize your Images and GIFs with some tools, as well. After all, such personalization is proven to increase the response rate by 63%. So it is indeed worth considering.
Once we go through our list of the best LinkedIn Automation tools, you will see which ones have native variables and Images & GIF hyper-personalization. So, stay tuned.
Reporting & Insights
LinkedIn automation tools analyze your target audience behavior and provide you with detailed reporting instantly. They can show you the metrics like response rate, the number of profile views, or connection requests accepted. You can even calculate the conversion rate if you label your leads, but we will speak of this later.
The idea is to make data-driven decisions faster and easier with any tool. You just need to choose the one with the best analytics for your needs.
Inbox To Communicate With Prospects
If you’re already using multiple tools, you probably know how difficult it is to navigate between the platforms to communicate with clients. Therefore, one feature you really need to consider is an integrated inbox.
For example, our tool Skylead has a Smart Inbox feature that gathers all communication platforms, leads and messages in one place. So you don’t need to navigate between different software anymore.
Integration With Other Tools
If the CRM is part of your workflow, then you don’t have to sacrifice CRM integration when choosing the LinkedIn automation tool. Simply find the LinkedIn automation software that offers such a feature.
CRM integration is useful as it allows data transfer between your CRM and LinkedIn automation tool. Thus you don’t have to download CSV files from one software and upload them back to another.
Some software algorithms offer CRM integration through Zapier webhooks or API. Or both. Whatever option you choose, a Zapier webhook or API, remember that integration is a necessity for productivity, not a luxury. So make sure to consider tools that can provide you with such integration.
Multichannel Outreach
LinkedIn automation tools are perfect for lead generation. Some would argue that LinkedIn outreach is enough. However, let’s be honest. Sales teams do their best work when they multichannel their outreach. Moreover, LinkedIn’s connection request limitation made multichannel outreach a must on accident, as people needed to find an alternative way to reach more leads per week.
So, to maximize getting in touch with your leads, search for a tool that is not only LinkedIn automation but Email outreach software too.
Send Thousands Of Email Per Month
Speaking of multichannel outreach, if you want to reach more leads and bypass the email limit, exploring a tool that offers that capability is essential. For example, Skylead allows you to add unlimited email addresses to one campaign and send thousands of emails monthly without damaging your domain. In other words, it enables you to contact your leads more effectively and achieve your goals.
Best LinkedIn Automation Tools [+Free Options]
Now you know everything you need to choose such a SaaS product for yourself. So let’s jump to the list of the best and most popular LinkedIn automation tools.
Skylead
Yes, that’s us. Hi! 🙂
Skylead is a LinkedIn automation tool & Cold Email software and the first all-in-one solution on the market. It offers founders, sales teams, recruiters, marketers, and alike to streamline and multichannel their outreach efforts.
With this tool, you save 11+ hours of work per week. This way, you have a lot of time to focus on building relationships and closing the deals.
Skylead is a cloud-based solution, and you know what that means - you get extra features and don’t have to keep your PC turned on to work. In addition, you can integrate Skylead with your favorite CRM via webhooks using Zapier, or you can transfer the leads between the two via API.
Furthermore, it is completely safe to use since it mimics human-like behavior. In addition, it executes each action a different number of times every day to keep your account safe and healthy.
Lastly, Skylead’s reporting system and A/B testing will help you analyze your campaign metrics. Thus, you can see what works best for your target audience clearly and make data-driven decisions.
That said, let’s get into the main features.
Smart Sequences
Skylead is the first-ever tool to start using Smart Sequences - a groundbreaking algorithm that executes steps in the order you set, depending on your leads’ behavior. To clarify, Smart Sequence is a combination of different activities you can perform on LinkedIn or using Email.
What makes the Smart Sequences Smart is the If/then condition. To explain it, let’s create a smart drip campaign together. Say we want to invite a person to connect. Now, they can behave differently depending on whether they accept the invite or not. That is where the If/then condition comes in handy.
If the person accepts the connection request, you can instruct Skylead to send a regular message, per the example above. If they don’t accept, you can send an InMail or even Email to multichannel your outreach.
In regular sequences, if the prospect doesn’t accept your connection request, the rest of the sequence stops. With Smart Sequences, the flow continues thanks to the conditions.
Even if Skylead doesn’t manage to reach out directly, you still have View and Follow steps to send them a subtle reminder.
Another benefit of Smart Sequences is you don’t spend countless hours reaching out to each lead manually.Skylead does it all for you, making your outreach 5x more effective than any other LinkedIn lead generation tool.
Lastly, you can have as many touchpoints in the Smart Sequence as you’d like, and Skylead will do it all for you in real time. Or, if you don’t wish to create a Smart Sequence by yourself, you can use some of Skylead’s pre-tested templates.
Email Outreach
Apart from LinkedIn, this all-in-one tool offers email outreach. Email helps you get to the leads that are not that active on LinkedIn. Moreover, this channel has astonishing ROI, according to studies.
Furthermore, having an Email and LinkedIn outreach combo - a multichannel outreach in your sales strategy is a must in 2024. It will give your prospects a well-rounded lead generation experience, but more importantly, it will show them that you care and wish to help them remove any pain points they experience.
What will surprise you is that Skylead is the only tool from this list that allows you to connect unlimited email accounts. In other words, you can send thousands of emails daily without damaging your domain and at no additional cost.
In addition, whether the leads respond to your outreach from LinkedIn, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Recruiter, or Emails, you won’t have to jump from platform to platform to respond to them since Skylead has an Integrated Smart Inbox.
You know where your prospects answered from, and what their status is at any moment thanks to the Smart Inbox well-defined icons, labels, and overall user-friendly interface.
Email Discovery & Verification
When we said all-in-one solution, we really meant it. In addition to LinkedIn and Email outreach, Skylead also offers Email Discovery & Verification steps, so you can find your leads’ email addresses and reach them out over email.
Skylead is the only LinkedIn automation and Cold Email software with both limitless Email Discovery & Verification features. Other tools can only discover but not verify business emails. Or they can collect publicly available emails, but only if you have that lead in your LinkedIn network.
Image & GIF Hyper-Personalization
Once you finally get through to that lead, you want to make an impact, don’t you? That’s when Skylead’s Image and GIF Hyper-Personalization come into play! You can offer products and services less conventionally, wish your clients happy holidays, or schedule a casual meeting.
Skylead will personalize for you by pulling the person’s profile picture, company logo, and other information from the profile. So you don’t need to waste time creating countless versions of the same image.
Skylead is the only tool to have native, in-built Image and GIF personalization. In other words, you don’t need to pay extra for it, unlike other tools from the list.
Pricing
All the previously mentioned features are native, meaning Skylead doesn’t outsource any of them. Plus, they all come with your monthly subscription of only $100 per account with no limitations in number of uses.
Skylead works with LinkedIn Premium, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, or Recruiter accounts. Moreover, it supports CSV-imported campaigns.
One tool that is familiar to all sales teams around the world is LinkedIn Sales Navigator. This LinkedIn's subscription plan is widely used for prospecting, sales funnel, or social selling as it has its own inbox.
Even though it is for sales, you can view it as a recruiting or marketing lead generation tool since both teams can use it to generate leads, gather information, and perform outreach.
Set your Sales Navigator account leads preferences;
Use an in-built Buyer Persona advance filtering.
Cons
Even though Sales Navigator is perfect for prospecting, it is not ideal for outreach on autopilot. However, other LinkedIn automation tools, such as Skylead, can integrate with it, thus, you can get the best from both worlds. Simply grab the search URL or your saved lead list URL, and paste it into Skylead. And just like that, you have imported your lead for the outreach.
Pricing Plans For LinkedIn Sales Navigator
LinkedIn Sales Navigator has 3 pricing plans:
Sales Navigator Core, Advanced and Advanced Plus plans. The price for these plans vary depending on the VAT and the country. However, the prices + VAT are respectively around $93, $167 and $173 per month. Lastly, you can get up to 25% discount for your Sales Navigator account if paid annually.
Phantombuster
PhantomBuster is an extension-basedsolution for data extraction. It acts as a sales and marketing tool that automates the scraping of publicly-available data from LinkedIn, Sales Navigator, and other platforms.
Pros
PhantomBuster is not a LinkedIn automation tool with the full package. However, it does come in handy and saves you a lot of time when you wish to scrape particular leads from LinkedIn or anywhere else.
It is a nice addition to outreach tools, as it saves your automated scraped data in CSV file and JSON formats. Therefore, you can download them and upload them elsewhere to create outreach campaigns.
Moreover, it offers email enrichment features. In other words, with PhantomBuster, you can find email addresses. However, you cannot verify them and may risk a bounce rate for your outreach and get your domain damaged.
Cons
Although PhantomBuster offers automation for some LinkedIn actions (sending LinkedIn connection requests or messages), it doesn’t have Smart Sequences. In other words, you cannot create your advanced workflows. Lastly, it doesn’t offer email outreach automation, and it is an extension, so it is not the safest tool to use.
Pricing Plan
PhantomBuster offers 3 different pricing options. They depend on the time the software runs during a 1-month period, and the number of automated actions:
Starter plan - $59
Pro plan - $139
Team plan - $399
TexAu
TexAu is a data scraping tool with chrome extension and the desktop app. This is a direct alternative to PhantomBuster and can automate activities like sending LinkedIn connection requests messages, and engaging posts on autopilot.
Pros
TexAu can scrape data from almost anywhere, including Facebook and LinkedIn groups, Google and LinkedIn search results, LinkedIn profiles, YouTube, Quora, and Twitter.
Moreover, this software offers email enrichment. In other words, it can analyze LinkedIn accounts and find and verify business emails.
Cons
People on review websites reported having difficulty setting up proxies. What’s more, there are frequent bugs and a lack of tutorials for beginners. Lastly, TexAu doesn’t have Smart Sequences and the integrated inbox like other tools from the list.
Pricing Plan
Like PhantomBuster, TexAu gives 3 pricing plans depending on the time software executes the activities, email enrichment during the day, storage, and more. Here are their pricing plans:
Cloud Starter - $29 a month
Cloud Growth - $79 a month
Cloud Agency - $199 a month
If you decide to subscribe annually to this service, you’ll get 2 months free.
Dux-Soup
Next in line, we have Dux-Soup with basic automation of LinkedIn, Sales Navigator, Recruiter, and CSV-type outreach. Dux Soup is useful for beginners or a one-person team because of its simplicity and free account option.
Pros
With Dux Soup, you can create Recruiter-based campaigns and reach out to all candidates from LinkedIn that seem a good fit for your business.
Cons
Dux Soup doesn’t have some other more advanced features such as Image & GIF hyper-personalization, post engagement campaigns (only for posts published by the account’s user), and free InMails. It also lacks Smart Sequences, and Email Automation. Lastly, it is a chromeextension, which means it is not the safest tool to use.
Pricing Plans
Dux Soup has 3 pricing plans available.
Individual pricing plan:
Starter Dux - Free
Pro Dux - $14.99
Turbo Dux - $55
Team pricing plan:
Pro Edition: $135
Turbo Edition: $495
Agency plan:
Pro: $337.50
Turbo: $412.50
In addition to a monthly cost, Dux Soup also charges support help with Zapier webhooks and tailored technical process setup.
Linked Helper 2
Unlike Dux Soup, Linked Helper is a LinkedIn automation tool based on a desktop app. Unfortunately, this still means that it has no dedicated IP address and the possibility of running multiple accounts. In addition, your PC needs to be on to be able to work in the background.
Pros
As Dux Soup, Linked Helper 2 offers the creation of a LinkedIn Recruiter-basedcampaign to help all recruiters out there manage potential candidates.
All processed contacts are stored in Linked Helper’s internal CRM. You can view the history of contacts through all your campaigns, search by tags and add notes. Linked Helper’s internal CRM comes in handy even when you wish to interact with contacts manually.
Cons
Linked Helper doesn’t have some other more advanced features that many other LinkedIn automation tools already have. These features include Image and GIF hyper-personalization, post engagement campaigns options, Smart Sequences and A/B testing. Additionally, it does not have Email Automation.
Pricing
For as low as $15 per month (or $8.25 a month if you choose an annual subscription), you will get some basic Lead Generation options such as LinkedIn, Sales Navigator, and outreach based on CSV file outreach. However, they limit these pricing plans by messages and connection requests you can send per day.
Linked Helper also offers a $45 pricing plan with an unlimited number of connection requests.
Zopto
This LinkedIn automation software is a cloud-based solution for social selling. Zopto is compatible with LinkedIn Sales Navigator, LinkedIn Premium, and Recruiter accounts. In addition, it also supports Twitter engagement automation.
Pros
Firstly, Zopto offers an email enrichment feature. In other words, it can find business emails, like Skylead, PhantomBuster and TexAu, and verify them. Secondly, it has a posts scheduling feature and can gather data such as the list of LinkedIn group members. Lastly, Zopto offers A/B testing and integrated inbox features.
Cons
The downsides of Zopto are that it doesn’t have Email Automation. In addition, it offers a simple drip campaign. In other words, Zopto doesn’t offer the quality and long-term, automated outreach solutions you get with Smart Sequences like Skylead. It has only a 4-step message workflow without any conditions.
Pricing
Zopto costs $215 per month. This is a higher price in comparison to other solutions in the market, having in mind advanced features VS price ratio.
MeetAlfred
MeetAlfred is a cloud-based software with automated social media features. It focuses on social selling via your LinkedIn profile. In addition, it can schedule posts on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Pros
All processed contacts are stored in MeetAlfred’s internal CRM. This means you can easily access and manage all your 1st-degree connections information and filter the contacts by company, industry, type of LinkedIn account, Twitter, and much more.
MeetAlfred also offers integrated inbox and Email Outreach features. However, it can only send emails to 1-degree connections, unlike Skylead that can find and send emails to anyone.
Cons
MeetAlfred doesn’t have Smart Sequences, email discovery, and verification that are advanced features. Secondly, it doesn't have native GIFs and Image personalization features. There is, however, an integration with Hyperise as Expandi, which will make your monthly subscription fee $108 in total if you choose the middle package.
Pricing
MeetAlfred offers 3 pricing plans: $49 for single users and limited features, $89 for Sales Navigator users, and $699 for large sales teams.
Dripify
This cloud-based LinkedIn automation tool works with Premium, Sales Navigator, Recruiter Lite, and Free LinkedIn accounts.
Pros
Dripify allows the creation of sales funnels on LinkedIn by automating some actions as a part of their sequence with conditions. These actions include viewing profiles, sending regular messages and connection requests, and skill endorsement.
In addition, you can integrate other software, such as HubSpot, through Zapier. Lastly, it supports A/B testing and has a Recent activity feature on its reports page.
Cons
Dripify indeed offers Smart sequences. However, be aware that you need to pay more expensive pricing plans to have it. In addition, you don’t have the option to automate the InMail step, and there are only 3 sequence templates available.
Secondly, Dripify has no email automation feature. Thus, you can’t multichannel your outreach and get leads that do not spend that much time on LinkedIn.
Thirdly, you cannot send more than 75 connection requests a day. In addition, there is activity control. However, you need to be an advanced user to get it.
Dripify also doesn’t offer Image & GIF hyper-personalization, nor can you create custom variables with CSV campaigns.
Lastly, Dripify doesn’t have an email discovery and verification feature. So, if the email is part of your outreach, this tool is not for you.
Pricing
Dripify has 3 different pricing plans:
Basic - $59
Pro - $79
Advanced - $99
Expandi
Expandi is a cloud-based LinkedIn automation tool with both LinkedIn and Email Outreach options.
Pros
Expandi published its Smart Sequence feature a year after Skylead did, making it the second tool on the market to do so. They offer additional actions such as skill endorsement and following companies.
Like Skylead, Zopto, and Linked Helper, Expandi has the option of creating LinkedIn Recruiter-based campaigns.
Lastly, Expandi can integrate with any other tool via Zapier webhooks.
Cons
Expandi offers the option of an Image & GIF hyper-personalization feature. However, they outsource this feature to Hyperise. That’s why it adds $69 per month to a regular Expandi subscription of $99 per month. It comes down to a total of $148 per month. Please note that the mentioned Hyperise package is limited to 5 templates and 5000 impressions (counted each time an image is viewed).
Apart from this additional cost, another downside is that Expandi doesn’t have Email Discovery & Verification. These features are essential for a domain safety and verified multi-touch approach. However, Expandi can scrape publicly available email addresses from the leads’ LinkedIn profiles once connected to them. Although, these emails are almost always personal ones.
Lastly, many users on review websites report that this tool has become too buggy to use lately.
Pricing
Expandi has one pricing plan of $99 per month.
WeConnect
WeConnect is a cloud-based LinkedIn automation tool like Skylead, Dripify, Zopto, and Expandi.
Pro
WeConnect has A/B testing, a convenient feature for those who are still researching their perfect outreach strategy or wish to test different outreach messaging. In addition, you can send messages to LinkedIn group members on autopilot.
Whether your prospects come from LinkedIn Premium or Sales Navigator, you’ll be able to see them, as WeConnect has an integrated inbox. Moreover, it has auto endorse and post-engagement features, as well as API and Zapier integration.
Cons
Sadly, WeConnect doesn’t offer advanced features like Post Engagement Campaigns, Imagepersonalization, or Smart Sequences. Also, it doesn’t have Email Automation or Email Discovery and Verification features. However, you can find all these features and more in Skylead.
Pricing
If you need some basic Campaign Creation options, such as from LinkedIn, Sales Navigator, or CSV, without the features and conveniences other tools have, then WeConnect can be the right option for you for $49 per month.
Octopus CRM
This is another LinkedIn automation tool that is extension-based. As it is designed for LinkedIn automation only, Octopus CRM users can solely perform LinkedIn outreach once they connect their LinkedIn profile.
Pros
One of the main features is that Octopus CRM allows you to send bulk messages to first-degree contacts.
In addition, its reporting page has very detailed analytics for the features it offers. The report page includes various activities, such as the number of connection requests sent or the current Social Selling Index.
Lastly, Octopus CRM supports Zapier and HubSpot integration.
Cons
Firstly, as it is a browser extension, this LinkedIn automation bot is not the safest to use. Secondly, it doesn’t have Smart Sequences, nor does it have an InMail message step.
Lastly, Octopus CRM supports all LinkedIn subscriptions. However, you need to pay the highest subscription plan if you use a Recruiter account.
Pricing
Depending on the features available, Octopus CRM offers 3 pricing options:
Starter - $9.99
Pro - $14.99
Advanced - $21.99
Unlimited - $39.99
Salesflow
SalesFlow is a cloud-based solution with an integrated inbox with its own CRM and Zapier integration. It is adequate for anyone who wants to leave the campaign running to professionals with the modest features available.
Pros
Unlike Zopto, which offers a 4-step message sequence, in SalesFlow, you can send as many LinkedIn messages and follow-ups as you wish. Moreover, you can either create campaigns from Sales Navigator or LinkedIn search results and send their template messages.
Cons
Unfortunately, SalesFlow doesn’t offer email automation, discovery, verification, and Smart Sequences features. Hence, there is no possibility of complete multi-channel outreach. Furthermore, it doesn’t have any Image personalization features, so you cannot go all personalized on your prospects.
Lastly, it doesn’t support Recruiter campaigns, nor it sends an increased number of connection requests.
Pricing
SalesFlow has 3 plans depending on the features available:
For Business - €89
For Team - €71 / €57 / Custom, depending on the number of users
Done for you - €429
LinkedFusion
Another LinkedIn automation tool worth mentioning is LinkedFusion. It is a cloud-based solution with an integrated inbox that perfectly works with any LinkedIn profile.
Pros
With LinkedInFusion, you can personalize messages with a few variables like name, company, and location. It also supports campaign creation from the CSV file.
You can also connect it with any other app through Zapier. What’s more, it has Google Sheets and Hubspot native integration, plus it offers native integration with most CRM software.
Lastly, LinkedFusion offers many LinkedIn tutorials that explain advanced growth hacks.
Cons
LinkedFusion doesn’t have Smart Sequences, and some users reported the existing sequences are confusing. Furthermore, even though it offers image personalization, it does so through Hyperise, so you need to pay extra per month.
Lastly, its pricing plan limits how many connection requests you can send per day.
Pricing
LinkedInFusion has 3 pricing plans in store. They depend on other features and the number of connection requests, and messages you can send per day:
Professional - $65
Grow - $95.95
Ultimate - $135.95
Lead Connect
Lead Connect is an extension-based tool that supports LinkedIn basic or Sales Navigator campaigns. It also allows CSV type of campaign.
Pros
Lead Connect has a pretty simple drip campaign with only a few steps available. On the other hand, it offers various templates. However, the number of templates depends on the pricing plan.
Speaking of integration, you can link Lead Connect with HubSpot. In addition, you can even get the email discovery feature thanks to the integration with other tools such as Hunter.io. Although, you need to pay more for it.
Cons
Lead Connect doesn’t offer Smart Sequence like Skylead or Expandi. In addition, it doesn’t support Recruiter integration and needs Zapier to integrate with other CRM software. Lastly, it doesn’t support image personalization or images of any kind, for that matter.
Pricing Plans
LeadConnect offers 4 subscription plans based on the number of templates, connection requests, and messages you can send per day:
Free
Professional - $22.95
Grow - $40.95
Ultimate - $77.95
Waalaxy
LinkedIn automation tool, Waalaxy, is extension-based software. This means it’s not the safest to use since it injects code into the LinkedIn platform and acts like a bot.
Pros
Waalaxy supports Recruiter, Sales Navigator, and LinkedIn accounts. It can create a campaign from a LinkedIn group member search or from the Who viewed your LinkedIn profile feature. It also has auto engagement and endorsement features.
Furthermore, it uses voice cloning technology to personalize your voice message using LinkedIn, Twitter, and Voicemail.
Cons
As it is extension-based, Waalaxy is not the safest tool to use, and you need to keep your tab open to work. Moreover, many users on review websites have reported having their LinkedIn account banned once they started using this tool.
In addition, it doesn’t have image & GIF personalization, and it only has 3 text variables: company, first and last name. So personalization is at its minimum.
Waalaxy doesn’t support A/B testing, so you cannot optimize your campaigns like in Skylead. Also, they do not offer Smart Sequences, and you can’t build your campaigns, as you are limited to their templates. Lastly, they restrict the number of connection requests you can use per month.
Pricing
Waalaxy has 4 different pricing plans depending on basic features availability:
Business - €99
Advanced - €69
Pro - €35
Free
Salesloop
As a fairly new cloud-based solution on the market, Salesloop works with almost any type of LinkedIn account.
Pros
Salesloop offers a simple 2-step drip campaign with no conditions. It works both with LinkedIn Premium and Sales Navigator. In addition, you can create a campaign with a CSV file with a few text personalization variables.
If you are not automation savvy, they also offer a done-for-you deal, but you need to pay a steep price for it.
Cons
Salesloop doesn’t have Smart Sequences. Furthermore, the drip campaign doesn’t support many LinkedIn activities. In other words, it supports invite-to-connect and follow-up message steps only. Lastly, it has no email automation, and doesn’t integrate with any CRM.
Pricing
Salesloop has three pricing plans with monthly subscription:
Solo - $49
Team - $199
Managed Services - $999
IFTTT
This tool is not for lead generation. However, it is extension-based, and you can automate your LinkedIn activities, such as publishing content, sharing a link, or an update.
It is created mainly for the automatization of activities on countless platforms, including WordPress, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Evernote, and others.
It doesn’t automate LinkedIn messaging.
Pricing
The pricing of IFTTT is fairly simple:
Forever Free (includes LinkedIn automation)
Pro - $2.6
+Pro - $5.04
Frequently Asked Questions About LinkedIn Automation
We’ve noticed some questions regarding LinkedIn automation tools burning online with no answers. At least not the precise ones. So, let’s change that.
Is LinkedIn A Lead Generation Tool?
LinkedIn is a social media platform used by professionals. Marketers, salespeople, and recruiters also use it to find and generate new leads via LinkedIn campaigns. It is not a lead generation tool per se but rather a place where you can generate leads using different LinkedIn automation and generation tools.
Can You Automate Lead Generation?
Yes. For example, you can find the leads’ data through LinkedIn prospecting. Then, use automation tools to scrape the contacts and create a sequence to reach out to them on autopilot. In other words, with LinkedIn automation tools, you can automate parts of LinkedIn lead generation activities.
How Do You Automate In LinkedIn?
By using LinkedIn automation tools, you can automate LinkedIn lead generation tasks. The activities you can automate range from data scraping to sending connection requests, follow-up messages, InMails, follows, and profile views. Simply log into your LinkedIn automation tool, and set the activities you wish for the algorithm to perform.
What Is An Automation Tool In LinkedIn?
The automation tool for LinkedIn is software used to perform different activities on LinkedIn that you usually do manually. In other words, these tools automate the list of LinkedIn activities such as profile views, following other LinkedIn users, sending connection requests, regular LinkedIn messages, or InMails.
Is Linkedin Automation Illegal?
No. LinkedIn automation isn’t illegal. However, since LinkedIn doesn’t like its users to use automation, it carefully analyzes accounts’ activities. If it registers unusual activity, LinkedIn can get your LinkedIn account restricted. So be careful about what LinkedIn automation tool you choose and what is considered a cause for restriction.
Does LinkedIn Allow Automation Tools?
No. LinkedIn doesn’t like its users to use automation. That is why they imposed limitations, such as the number of connection requests per week. They even analyze users’ behavior and can get your LinkedIn profile restricted. Better choose a tool like Skylead that operates safely.
Is There A LinkedIn Bot?
LinkedIn automation tools (also known as LinkedIn bots) are software that uses bots to automate your activities on LinkedIn. Sales teams and recruiters around the world use LinkedIn automation tools to automate tasks such as sending connection requests, messages, and InMails to get in touch with the leads.
Ready To Automate Your LinkedIn Outreach?
Now that you are familiar with the most popular LinkedIn automation tools, which one would you choose?
…Skylead!
Jokes aside, our advice is to go with the tool that gives you the most options you need for your business. Trust us, the more you start feeling comfortable with your automation tool of this professional network platform, the more creative you will want to become with lead generation to stand out from your competitors.
If you are unsure what features to make a priority in LinkedIn automation tools, here’s our top 7 list.
Now, go and automate your LinkedIn outreach and reach those ambitious goals!
Let’s chat! Drop by and say hi to our customer support team and let them help you sign up for Skylead’s 7-day free trial. We can’t wait to meet you.
Did you know that LinkedIn lead generation is one of the most vital activities for the sales departments of B2B companies?
“Why?” you ask.
Well, because LinkedIn is the #1 social media for generating leads. Its lead conversion rates are 3x higher than any other major social media platform. Moreover, LinkedIn alone generates 80% of B2B leads coming from all social media channels a company uses.
We can go on with the metrics, but you get the gist. LinkedIn is one of the best social media platforms for generating tons of qualified leads that convert successfully.
Sadly, many people do not take advantage of this social media platform. Or they do not have the desired results using LinkedIn lead generation and just give up.
So, in this complete guide, we will walk you through everything you need to know about LinkedIn lead generation. To be more precise, you will learn:
What is LinkedIn lead generation;
How to generate qualified leads on LinkedIn whether you are a marketer or a sales person;
What you need to do before you even think about a LinkedIn lead generation;
Top intent-based strategies to make your LinkedIn lead generation flow in with results and shorten the buying cycle;
What are the best LinkedIn lead generation tools are;
How to perform outreach after you generated high-quality leads;
Answers to most frequently asked questions about LinkedIn lead generation.
What Is LinkedIn Lead Generation?
LinkedIn lead generation represents activities associated with identifying, gathering, and warming up potential clients on LinkedIn. Sales and marketing teams do so by using ads, forms, various tools, strategies, and outreach to generate qualified leads. It is an ongoing process that creates steady income for all B2B companies.
Why LinkedIn?
With the competitive market, generating high-quality leads has become somewhat of a challenge for B2B companies. Thus everyone needed to step up their lead generation efforts to stay relevant in the market.
That is where LinkedIn comes in. With 875 million members from 200+ countries, this #1 social media for professionals became a goldmine for B2B marketers and sales executives.
Due to a large pool of professionals, 4 out of 5 LinkedIn users drive certain business decisions. Hence this audience has 2x buying power of the average web audience. Therefore, LinkedIn has been recognized as a perfect place where companies can find ideal leads and offer a solution to their problems.
To make it easier for you to find the perfect lead, LinkedIn provides insights such as job titles, company they work in and its size, content they like and more. Moreover, this social media platform offers many ways sales and marketing teams can use to acquire qualified leads. So we will talk about all of them today.
How To Generate Leads From LinkedIn?
To generate high-quality leads on LinkedIn you need to perform different sales and marketing activities, leverage performance data, and improve. These activities include but are not limited to defining target audience, outreach, creating or sharing gated content, communicating benefits, and lead nurturing.
Depending on whether you are a salesperson or B2B marketer these activities may vary but do have the same goal. So let’s break them down and check out what is the main focus for each professional.
LinkedIn Marketing For Lead Generation
LinkedIn marketing is a form of digital marketing where B2B marketers use LinkedIn to promote businesses, share content and generate leads. In most cases, marketing managers use LinkedIn to provide value and raise awareness through posting educational or gated content on the company page, thus generating more leads.
In other words, marketers use LinkedIn to:
Provide valuethrough posting educational and engaging content on the company’s LinkedIn page;
Raise awareness about the product/service by creating and sharing case studies or specialized landing pages;
Grow following and increase engagement with target audience;
Create gated content and share it on LinkedIn with benefits and call-to-action for the said content;
Optimize LinkedIn page and content for SEO;
Host and share an online event ( webinars, hangouts, etc).
As a part of their marketing strategy, some content marketers even become influencers or thought leaders themselves. This way, digital marketing managers can expand their network and have an additional channel to share their content.
The previously-mentioned activities are heavily based on organic content marketing. However, as a part of LinkedIn marketing, you can get paid traffic, engagement or generate leads by publishing sponsored content, aka ad campaigns.
LinkedIn Ads
Digital marketers often publish sponsored content through the LinkedIn campaign manager as part of lead generation efforts. They do so by specifying their target audience with certain demographics or other parameters and presenting them with the purposeful ad they create.
For example, they can create an ad campaign with a call-to-action button to visit a landing page with gated content. The target audience then goes to a landing page and leaves contact information.
For those who don’t know, gated content is digital material, such as educational videos, ebooks, or other documents that request users to fill out a contact form before they can download or access them. This is one of the classic ways marketers use to generate leads.
Therefore, to get their lead gen forms to a wider audience and gather potential customers for their sales team, digital marketers can opt-in for sponsored content on LinkedIn as a part of their marketing strategy.
What does this mean in terms of activities? Well, marketers can use LinkedIn campaign manager to:
Raise awareness about their business or product;
Boost content engagement;
Launch lead generation campaign (LinkedIn lead gen forms or landing page promotion);
Or message your potential customer directly through ads.
They say a visual is worth more than a thousand words, so here is how sharing gated content or launching a lead generation campaign works in real life.
Even though LinkedIn ads are a part of overall LinkedIn marketing, they are not mandatory for LinkedIn lead generation, as you can do certain things organically. However, they can be immensely beneficial if you wish to go all in.
That said, here is what all LinkedIn marketing activities would look like in a funnel.
Using LinkedIn Outreach For Lead Generation
LinkedIn outreach signifies contacting and warming up potential customers on LinkedIn. It is the next step in the lead generation process, once salespeople finish withLinkedIn prospectingor after the marketing team acquires contact information through gated content. LinkedIn is the preferred social media for outreach due to communication simplicity.
Salespeople can outreach two types of leads to generate and qualify them: inbound or outbound leads. Inbound leads are the ones who have already interacted with your company (e.g. gave their information due to lead generation strategy or contacted via chat). On the other hand, sales professionals outreach outbound leads by themselves after finding them via prospecting.
Outreach on LinkedIn is definitely a long and separate subject on its own. However, there are definitely a couple of main principles we must mention for the sake of this article.
LinkedIn Outreach Principles
Firstly, LinkedIn outreach is the main part of the social selling strategy. In other words, it focuses on building relationships, offering a solution to problems, and nurturing leads throughout the buying journey.
For example, you will usually find sales professionals starting the conversation on LinkedIn by asking about the lead's workflow. Or they will offer educational content or case studies long before they pitch their product or service.
Secondly, LinkedIn outreach is about quality, not quantity. So make sure to find and outreach the right people according to your ICPor Buyer Persona.
Lastly, as marketing can retarget website visitors, salespeople can use retargeting of their own. To clarify, they can reach out to people they already had contact with in some shape or form and didn’t convert. The outreach message can be a simple follow up to catch up after a while or a full product update, depending on where they left off the conversation.
With that in mind, here is a funnel with all the activities that sales people go through regarding LinkedIn lead generation.
If you do not have time to do the above-mentioned activities, you can always hire a LinkedIn lead generation agency to do it for you. However, if you wish to do it yourself, stay tuned as we will show you tips, tricks and strategies on how to do it right.
What Do You Need to Do Before LinkedIn Lead Generation?
As previously stated, LinkedIn lead generation is undoubtedly the main focus for B2B companies. However, you can’t just dive right into LinkedIn lead generation without first establishing the basics.
If you do, you will generate a miserable number of leads and not the good ones either. The reason for such an outcome is poor LinkedIn lead generation basic steps, strategy, targeting, and outreach method. Luckily we will cover everything below.
Are you ready? We will start with what you need to do first.
Create Highly Converting LinkedIn Profile
Before you start any LinkedIn lead generation activity, you must improve your LinkedIn profile and optimize it for conversions. If you do it thoroughly, it will stand out from other profiles and attract more people to visit it.
For example, your LinkedIn URLoptimized for SEO and the LinkedIn headline created to boost LinkedIn lead generation will get you more profile views. Even a profile and LinkedIn cover photo can get you 14xmore profile views. More visits will result in a lot more connection requests and engagements.
Let’s take a look at this way. What profile photo captures your attention first in the following example?
We would guess that your answer is the lady with the orange background.
The reason she captured your attention is the fact that she implemented steps that more than 80% of LinkedIn users don’t.
People are more prone to send you a connection request if they like your profile. Furthermore, they will accept your requests frequently. Thus, your success in generating new leads, acquiring new users, and even selling will increase significantly.
Marketers, this goes for the company’s LinkedIn page, as well. Set the high-quality logo as your profile picture, add a high-quality cover photo that mirrors your branding, and import as much info as possible. Lastly, don’t forget to optimize your LinkedIn public URL for SEO, as LinkedIn users and search engines will use it to find your page.
So, to stand our case, optimizing your profile will improve the conversion rate. Thus, it is one of the most important first steps to successful LinkedIn lead generation.
Define Your ICP And Buyer Persona For LinkedIn Lead Generation
Ideal Customer Profile and Buyer Persona are complementary documents that define your perfect customer and their company. In other words, they contain lead specification variables such as job title, the industry they work in, company size, or location.
You should create your ICP and Buyer Persona based on your current customer data. This way, these documents will contain what type of lead:
If you do not define your ICP and Buyer Persona, you won’t be able to:
Prepare your LinkedIn lead generation outreach message that converts;
Generate high-quality leads;
Or create thought-leadership content to appeal to your ideal potential customers.
In other words, you can’t do all these things because you don’t know who you are doing it for, to begin with. So be sure to define both to make your LinkedIn lead generation strategies more effective.
Become A Thought Leader
Here is an interesting fact for you. Did you know that many decision-makers, 54% of them to be more precise, claim they spend 1+ hour per week reading and reviewing thought-leadership content?
Being someone others follow to discover more about their position-related news is one of the essential activities of LinkedIn lead generation. Keep in mind that being a thought leader is a continuous process. Once you get started with it, you need to be consistent to grow your network.
The best hook for any thought leader is offering valuable and actionable content to your network. Moreover, you will have better engagement if you add proof of success, for example, the exact results you achieved.
By offering a lot of valuable content, you’re earning people’s trust and building the image of an expert in your field. This will help you gain influence status in your market and get tons of leads through your posts.
Whatsmore, you will connect with people on a much deeper level by being proactive and initiating different conversations based on your content.
How To Become Thought Leader?
Provide people with actionable steps to implement in their business. In addition, these steps should demonstrate your experience in improving your own or someone else’s business. Or, you could share stories about tools and strategies you used to get incredible results.
To clarify the previously stated, let’s go through an example.
Why did this post work?
Firstly, the opening line promises a lot and entices readers to discover more about the story.
Secondly, the author showcases the astonishing results and what they could bring to anyone who follows the same steps.
Thirdly, by explaining how the content they share helped his company, the author provides the direct benefit and why people should read the document.
Lastly, they include an alluring CTA so people continue engaging with the post. Moreover, said CTA plays the main role in increasing this post’s tremendous reach (98,910 people).
How?
Well, this post uses the LinkedIn algorithm to its fullest potential. To clarify, when you publish a post, this is what the LinkedIn algorithm does:
First, it shows your post to a small group of people called a test group;
Secondly, if the test group engages with your post, LinkedIn starts showing your post to all your 1st-degree connections and their friends;
Lastly, if the 2nd or 3rd-degree connections engage with it, it will appear in their network too.
That’s how the wider audience can see this post and engage with it.
What the author asks of people who want to see the guide, in this case, is to first engage with the post by commenting on it.
That’s why the post became viral. And not only did the post become viral, but it paved the way for network expansion and lead generation. All that from the post alone. Wow!
Build Your Network And Relationships On LinkedIn
Being a thought leader is all nice and fun. However, you won’t get far unless you use this social media for what it truly is for: building a network and nurturing real relationships with other members.
There is no workaround for this one. The only way to build a relationship with your network is to reach out and start a conversation with them (read between the lines - LinkedIn outreach). Talk about their work experience, and what they find most challenging or exchange tips. You can also have a digital coffee with them.
That said, establish a habit of finding new people to interact with each day. After all, from honest and good relationships, great customers are born. And that is Social Sellingfor you folks.
Create A Personalization Spreadsheet
Speaking of Social Selling, you should know that its backbone is actually personalization in communication. Nobody would want to talk to you if you appeared generic or dishonest. Thus, if you wish to do LinkedIn lead generation right, you need to first hyper-personalize your communication on this social media.
So, when you start generating leads on LinkedIn, you need to research what that person is all about so you can start a genuine conversation. The one thing that will help you keep organized in this detective work is a lead personalization spreadsheet. It is a simple yet effective document where you will gather everything about your leads, such as:
First and last name;
LinkedIn profile URL;
Company name.
The topic of the content they published;
What stood out for you the most from the particular post;
School they went to;
Field of study;
Jobs they posted;
The technology they use;
Company growth information;
Personalized message intro (the message you can create based on above mentioned);
Keep in mind that this spreadsheet functions as an actionable document you can use in your LinkedIn lead generation efforts. Don’t worry. We will explain how it actually becomes actionable, so stay tuned.
Understand Buying Signals When Doing LinkedIn Lead Generation
If we needed to label the urgency of what you should do before LinkedIn lead generation, this would be Very Urgent on our list. Why? Because marketing and sales change their approaches rapidly. So you must keep up with these changes to stay relevant in the market.
To be more precise, you need to be aware of this change called buying signals. It is the activity that leads perform to indicate buying intention for a specific product or a service. Or a buying signal can be an event that has taken place within the company that changed the company’s needs.
For example, a prospect can post about a service explaining their good or bad experience and demonstrate their (dis)satisfaction.
Content marketers and sales are already using buying signals to generate high-quality leads with specific intent because it is a way to faster and better conversion. Consequently, LinkedIn is no exception.
For example, marketing may notice a buying signal if visitors from LinkedIn go to several pages and end up on a pricing page in one session. Marketing then can post sponsored content on LinkedIn, retargeting those who ended up on a pricing page with another highly-converting landing page.
The sales team, on the other hand, can notice a person liking a case study they shared. After checking if the person has interacted with the business in some other way, they will outreach them on LinkedIn to connect or follow up on the said topic.
That is what is happening in sales and marketing at the moment. People are figuring out holistic high-intent and signal-based approaches, and you should be one of them. So if you plan to work on LinkedIn lead generation, first learn to detect these signals on LinkedIn and use them to their fullest potential.
Top LinkedIn Lead Generation Strategies To Generate More Leads in 2024
Do not worry if you are still unsure of buying intent and how to create your strategy based on it. We’ve got your back. Some of the LinkedIn lead generation strategies listed below will give you an idea of how to do the prospecting on LinkedIn to detect these signals, find them, influence them, and reach out to your leads at just the right moment.
1. Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator Search For Lead Generation
LinkedIn Sales Navigator, a platform for sales executives, is a the first method for B2B lead generation.
Apart from the leads they get from marketers, who use LinkedIn lead gen forms, sales executives can generate their own leads usingSales Navigator’s extensive list of filters.
Sales Navigator offers Lead filters to search for your Buyer Persona and Account filters if you wish to find your ICP.
However, amidst all the filters, we wish to highlight one in particular that every sales expert in SaaS companies would like to see - the Technology used filter. This filter allows you to find people who use software similar to yours or even your competitor's products and reach out to them.
Simply go to your Sales Navigator Account filters and find Technology Used or search by keyword.
Once you do, go to that company page and find the decision-maker and reach out to them.
You can also send them gated content that will act like a LinkedIn lead gen form for your marketing team. They can use it to target the leads with other beneficial content. Whatsmore, you will raise awareness and establish contact with them without pushing them to buy, but rather pulling them towards your company.
2. Search According To Your ICP Or Buyer Persona
One of the well-established ways for B2B lead generation is to use the LinkedIn search filters to their fullest.
Dear sales teams, this is where your ICP and Buyer Persona come into play. If you read our guides, then you already know that each piece of information in these documents should be actionable.
Set the filters according to the documents using either LinkedIn Premium or Sales Navigator accounts to narrow your search. Once you do, copy the search URL. You are going to need it soon.
Trust us. By combining LinkedIn lead generation with your ICP or Buyer Persona, you will notice far better results than before since your leads will be more qualified.
3. Use LinkedIn InMail Templates For Lead Generation
LinkedIn InMails are direct and private messages you send or receive from a LinkedIn account that is not in your network.
InMails is a nifty feature for salespeople to use if they cannot get a hold of the lead using other methods (e.g. by sending a connection request). To clarify, once you send an InMail, the person will receive a notification as they would for regular messages.
If a company publishes a job post, it usually means that they:
Got funding for the department;
Something is not right in the current process;
Or a person from the team is leaving for some reason.
Whatever happened here, this is your chance to investigate and detect the buying signal.
In other words, this LinkedIn lead generation strategy focuses on job vacancy search, adding companies to a spreadsheet, and then finding decision-makers and reaching out to them.
Here is how you can generate leads by discovering specific job posts. For example, let’s say your company outsources sales specialists. To find these job posts, simply type that keyword in the LinkedIn search field. For example, you can search for a Sales Manager and use all filters to get as close to your ICP as possible.
Once you find the desired company, go to their LinkedIn page and search for decision-makers within those companies. Lastly, write them down in your Personalization Spreadsheet so your outreach can later be more effective.
5. Team Up Sales And Marketing Efforts For Ultimate LinkedIn Lead Generation
We cannot talk about LinkedIn lead generation and miss mentioning the marketing and sales synergy. Today people research services of interest first before contacting sales or support. Thus, it became essential for marketers to cater to these research needs by creating content and working alongside the sales department to generate leads with personalized sponsored content.
On the other hand, salespeople are responsible for inbound contact and outbound activities. They do this through thought leadership, prospecting, and personal contact once the lead lands in the funnel.
Here is an example of how sales and marketing activities should be in synergy.
Thus, one of the main LinkedIn lead generation strategies should be aligning their activities on LinkedIn too. In other words, marketing and sales should:
Communicate the same benefits and messaging;
Create gated content;
Serve personalized content on LinkedIn;
Address immediate pain points and buying signals.
It is essential to align your sales and marketing teams since they are equally valuable. In other words, if the sales team targets the leads using buying signals, marketing should do the same as one of their activities. For example, if sales send the leads to a book-a-demo page, marketing can create a LinkedIn lead generation ad to target people who visited the demo page but didn’t convert.
6. Check For Buying Impulses By Searching LinkedIn Hashtags
LinkedIn offers many holistic ways to generate leads. Thus, searching for the leads who shared their pain points or someone who wasn’t satisfied with your competitors via hashtags is one way to do it.
This strategy is perfect for zeroing in on the leads based on buying signals. However, it might need some time as it requires manual work.
All you need to do is type your competitor’s name to find dissatisfied customers, search for the hashtag. Or explore hashtags to find a person who asked for advice on their pain point.
Once you do, write down everything you discover in your personalization spreadsheet. This way, you will gather all the information you need to personalize the message for the outreach.
7. Combing Through LinkedIn Groups
You can also find the leads by searching through LinkedIn groups - the themed places for professionals of all caliber to share their thoughts and experiences or ask questions about the group topic in one place.
Unfortunately, post-engagement-wise, LinkedIn groups are dead. However, that doesn’t mean that your leads aren’t there or their content. In other words, these groups still hold a place for LinkedIn accounts that joined the group in the first place. So go ahead and find the groups your Buyer Persona would be in. Join those groups and leverage them for LinkedIn lead generation by reaching out to its members or finding a post that demonstrates buying signal or intent.
For example, if your target group is marketers, you can search the group by keyword and find your ideal leads.
From there, you can invite them to connect with you by writing a message such as this:
Hey Aanya,
I’ve seen your interesting posts on the right partnership in digital marketing in the Software/Technology group. So I’m reaching out in hope to connect with you on that topic.
8. LinkedIn Lead Generation Strategy That Includes Targeting Posts
One way to jump over gatekeepers and reach decision-makers directly is to find content that appeals to them. Let’s take a look at the following post, for example.
If you click the reactions or comments, you will for sure find some decision-makers out there.
This is a valuable LinkedIn lead generation strategy, as you will have the perfect conversation starter once you outreach the decision-maker. For example, your conversation starter, based on the previous example, could be:
Hey Tomer,
I noticed you liked Gary Vaynerchuk’s post on making decisions easier by watching consumer behavior, being customer-centric, and putting in the hours. I wanted to ask you how you make decisions in your company. Are there any obstacles and challenges in what Gary mentioned? Let’s connect on this.
Furthermore, you can check the post reactions a dissatisfied customer wrote on your competitor and generate the people who agreed with their opinion. The possibilities are endless.
9. Generate Leads From Event Attendees List
If you wish to research your leads’ buying signals, you need to start thinking about what LinkedIn events your ideal audience attends. Whatsmore, you can find them all in one place. Attending an event of this kind gives you valuable insight into their problems and needs.
To target event attendees, you need to first search for the events. Then, choose the event and click the Attend button.
Next, click the Attendees button and check for the list.
Once the event is live, be sure to write down all the questions, concerns, or comments your leads have so you can personalize your outreach later on.
10. Referral Program For LinkedIn Lead Generation
LinkedIn’s main benefit is networking. So why shouldn’t you use this benefit for LinkedIn lead generation?
The key here is to connect with your customers and offer them an incentive to refer your service to people who might be interested in using it. In other words, you can create a referral program for your current customers.
Here is an example of how the LinkedIn lead generation referral program works. First, you can offer a 20% discount for 1 month to your customer for every LinkedIn user who comes to your demo. If they find three people, that’s a 20% discount for 3 months.
What happens, in this case, is that if the recommended leads convert, they can branch out and find other leads for you to contact and convert.
This referral program acts as word-of-mouth and a passive LinkedIn lead generation. You get leads with the buying signal, and your clients become your advocates. In return, they receive an incentive. Win-Win.
11. Generate Leads From Your LinkedIn Post
Posting content on LinkedIn as a thought leader is the most beneficial way of attracting the leads you wish. The type of content you post is your decision and creative liberty. However, for LinkedIn lead generation purposes, be sure to post in a way to appeal to high-quality leads in a unique and personalized way.
Once you see the reactions piling in, you can gather the LinkedIn profiles in one place, and outreach them manually or use the LinkedIn automation and Email software to do it for you. But we will talk about this soon.
12. Gated Posts As LinkedIn Lead Generation Strategy
Another thing you can do for LinkedIn lead generation that includes posts is to create a piece intended for acquiring new B2B leads.
To clarify, B2B marketers publish lead generation campaigns to boost their overall lead generation efforts. The type of sponsored content they publish the most are gated content and LinkedIn lead gen forms with call to action.
Similarly, salespeople can share gated content with their network. The catch is to write about the benefits of said content within your post. At the end of your post, you can share a landing page that leads to a form. Or you can ask the network to leave a comment on your post for two reasons:
To appeal to LinkedIn’s algorithm and get more eyes on your post (more engagement leads to more impressions);
And to have a reason to contact the leads directly and keep the conversation going (or use a lead generation tool to do the outreach for you).
Here is an example. Do you remember the post example from the How to become a thought leader section? Yes, that was gated content designed specifically for starting a conversation with new leads who are already interested in seeing the valuable content. What’s best is that they are the ones who initiated the contact. Thus social selling can go upright from here on now.
To post about gated content for LinkedIn, you can share any valuable piece your marketing team prepared for you. Or you can write one from your experience – the choice is yours. However, keep in mind that this content needs to showcase good results as proof, be industry-specific, and aim to cater to your prospects’ pain points.
Just try it, and you will see why this strategy is one of the best for B2B lead generation.
13. Linkedin Lead Generation Forms (Lead Gen Forms)
LinkedIn lead gen forms are a type of LinkedIn ad where the leads need to fill in a form to access the promoted material. It is similar to gated content on the website. However, the only difference is that LinkedIn alone hosts the lead gen form.
Once the lead clicks on the call to action, LinkedIn prefills the form, making it easier for leads to submit the information. You can then easily access the leads list, download it, and import it into the preferred automation tool. Or send it to your sales team. 🙂
LinkedIn charges this type of ad by cost per lead. In other words, you pay once the lead fills out the form. However, it can get quite expensive. It all depends on the industry and other parameters, but the projection for 2023 is that the average cost per lead on LinkedIn will be$75.
In addition, please keep in mind that not all LinkedIn lead generation ads need to have a LinkedIn lead gen form. They can be a single image or a video that leads to another landing page with the form. So let’s talk about them.
14. LinkedIn Lead Generation Ads
As we previously stated, LinkedIn ads are powerful thus, they are one of the best strategies marketers can apply. However, many shy away from launching the ads due to their complexity at first glance.
However, marketing teams, to be fair, LinkedIn lead generation ads are not for a scare. They are just a tad more expensive. 🙂
So here is how to launch any other type of lead generation ads in 7 simple steps.
7 Steps To Create LinkedIn Lead Generation Ad
Go to the Work section and navigate to the Advertise button.
Next, if you already have your account set up, choose your account and click the Create button and choose Campaign.
Then, select the goal of the campaign. You can choose among awareness, website visits, engagement, video views, and conversions. If, for example, you wish to promote your LinkedIn group or company’s LinkedIn page, choose the engagement campaign type. Or, if you wish to publish the LinkedIn lead gen form, use the Lead generation under Conversion.
Next, define their target audience. While choosing who you wish to see your LinkedIn ads, you can set parameters such as demographics, job titles, or similar parameters. Or, you can opt-in for retargeting your website visitors via LinkedIn Insight Tag. In both cases, do not forget to set conversions to track metrics.
Then, select ad format and placement (should you wish for LinkedIn to distribute your ad elsewhere). Keep in mind that message type ad acts as LinkedIn InMails, and will be labeled as Sponsored (unlike regular InMails). Moreover, the recipient will receive a notification for a message but won’t be able to respond or follow up with you. They can only interact with your call-to-action button.
Your next step is to select the budget and conversion tracking if needed.
Create Your Ad
Now the real fun begins. Once you click Next, you will arrive at the ad dashboard. To start, click the Create new ad button.
Lastly, create your message, enter the website URL where your gated content is and define a call-to-action button. Here, you are making sure that the core message resonates with the selected target audience, depending on where they are in the buying journey.
What’s more, keep in mind that this interface differs depending on the ad form you choose. Here is how it should look if you wish to create a LinkedIn lead gen form.
Once you insert the ad details, click Create at the bottom right of the screen, and your ad will be ready. You can then track your metrics and success back in the campaign manager.
LinkedIn Lead Generation Ads Examples
One of the shortest and sweetest ads we’ve seen must be the LinkedIn lead gen form that Hubspot published. It carefully emphasizes benefits - everything one needs to promote their business on Instagram and offers a cheat sheet as an easy solution. Moreover, the LinkedIn lead gen form auto-populates the fields, and the leads need only to click the Submit button.
Next on our list is GetResponse, who asked one of their customers to create a short video.
This ad is a win because of three reasons. Firstly, they used video format, which is the preferred format nowadays. Secondly, their customer gives a testimonial, a live word, and their experience with the product. Lastly, they promote their forever-free account, so it’s easier for the leads to sign up without any obligations.
Last, but not least, we have Atlassian’s webinar promotion.
Not every lead generation ad needs to have a service sign-up as the ultimate goal. Webinar sign-ups work for different buying cycles just as well, and Atlassian recognized it.
What is a win in this situation is not the copy above, nor a visual (though it helps), but the wording “on-demand”. You see, many of us do not have time, or have different schedules. So it makes it harder to fit one webinar by the time it is up live. The phrase “on-demand” makes it easier for leads to sign up, as they can watch the webinar whenever they find the time.
15. Use Sales Navigator’s Buyer Intent Feature For Lead Generation
Lastly, Sales Navigator introduced its Buyer Intentfeature. It offers insights into accounts showing the level of interest. Buyer Intent helps sales professionals reach out to the right people and companies at the right time.
How it works is that LinkedIn tracks accounts that interacted with your business on many levels (e.g. if the leads viewed your profile or a company page, accepted your request, etc). It then labels them by the level of interest and recommends them to you. It is a perfect way to generate leads that previously showed some level of interest in your company.
However, keep in mind this feature is only available for Sales Navigator Advance and Advance Plus users. Thus if you have a Sales Navigator Core account, you won’t have this functionality.
Best LinkedIn Lead Generation Tools
LinkedIn lead generation tools are automation tools that streamline your lead generation activities on LinkedIn, help you track metrics, and optimize your efforts for success. In other words, these somewhat done-for-you tools automate the processes, such as prospecting and initial outreach, that you’d otherwise do manually. In addition, they help you with time-consuming tasks, thus saving you time to focus on closing the deal.
What’s more, LinkedIn lead generation tools are data-driven. To clarify, they provide you with precise metrics of your activities and show you how to optimize them for better results.
So what tools and platforms are the best for your LinkedIn lead generation efforts?
Campaign Manager For The LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms Ads
Unlike the Sales Navigator platform created for sales executives, LinkedIn’s campaign manager is a tool created for marketers. It basically allows marketing specialists to publish a different kinds of ads on LinkedIn,
As we previously mentioned, one of the best ad types is the Lead Generation Form ads. However, they are and will be expensive as they directly generate the leads’ contact info on LinkedIn.
Thus, you are probably wondering if you can use something less expensive. Yes, you can generate leads on LinkedIn via outreach, which is a cheaper method, even if you use the tool with it.
Sales Navigator For Prospecting
We cannot stop gushing about Sales Navigator simply because it offers many possibilities for sales professionals to streamline prospecting efforts as part of LinkedIn lead generation. In other words, Sales Navigator offers:
15 different Account filters to narrow down your search according to your ICP;
Apply 29 Lead filters to find your Buyer Persona;
Leveraging the Buyer Intent feature to generate high-intent leads;
Setting alerts for leads or companies to get a notification if something changes;
Integration with CRMs (such as Salesforce);
Creating Leads lists to separate and save different decision-makers profiles.
And these are just to name a few, as there are many other Sales Navigator features for lead generation. However, be aware that the features you'll have at your disposal entirely depend on the type of Sales Navigator plan you use. Thus, read about all the plans and choose the one that will suit you best.
So, once you find your ideal leads, you can outreach them directly from Sales Navigator or use the LinkedIn automation tool.
LinkedIn Automation Tools Designed For The Outreach
You could outreach the leads manually. Simply define the personalized message according to the info you gathered about them in the document. Then, outreach them one by one via LinkedIn or email.
However, I have a question: What would happen if you generate hundreds or even thousands of leads? Would outreach them manually and watch over each step of the outreach process for every lead?
Well, the good news is you don’t have to. You can use a LinkedIn automation tool to do it for you.
LinkedIn automation tools are software that helps you save time by streamlining the most time-consuming part of the outreach process.
To clarify, let’s take our very own Skylead, a LinkedIn automation and Cold Email software. With Skylead, you can streamline the process of:
1) Finding your target leads;
2) Building your network to accelerate becoming Thought Leader;
3) Outreaching and establishing the first contact with your leads according to their behavior via Smart Sequences (this is one of the best Skylead’s functionalities);
4) Sending native hyper-personalize messages with variables, Images, and GIFs to increase the response rate;
5) Finding and verifying your leads’ email addresses to multichannel your outreach;
What’s more, you can integrate Skylead with your CRM and send data via Zapier webhooks or by using API. The choice is yours.
That said…
How Should You Approach Outreach After Previously-Mentioned LinkedIn Lead Generation Activities?
Our third and final part of the ultimate guide to LinkedIn lead generation will show you how to leverage a LinkedIn automation tool to streamline your outreach process. Moreover, we will cover how to approach your leads and start converting them seamlessly.
Let’s go!
Save The Time And Outreach Smart
Here is how you can use Skyleadto get the outreach done easily and quickly. Firstly, go to your Skylead dashboard and click the Create new campaign button.
Next, choose the lead source, aka where Skylead will pull your leads from. For the sake of this article and to show you how to use a Personalization Spreadsheet, we will choose to upload a CSV file. In addition, don’t forget to name your campaign.
Be sure to create a new CSV file out of the information you gathered about your leads. The only condition here is to insert a person’s LinkedIn profile and/or email address. If you cannot find the person’s email address, you can use one of these ways to find emails yourself or let Skylead take care of that.
Skylead provides the following native variables you can use to personalize your messages:
First name
Last name
Current company
Years in current company
Total career positions count
Total years of experience
College name
Occupation
In addition, you can insert other information in columns, such as the topic of the article they wrote, and Skylead will recognize them as custom variables. In other words, this column becomes actionable data you will use in your outreach.
For example, your CSV file can end up looking something like this:
Once you click next, set up your additional campaign settings and when you wish to launch your campaign.
Smart Sequence Creation
Welcome to the Smart Sequence builder page. Here, you need to create an action path that Skylead will follow once you launch the campaign. This action path (Smart Sequence) will observe the leads’ behavior and act accordingly until they respond to your outreach.
Simply drag and drop actions and use different conditions based on their behavior to maximize getting in touch with your leads.
Do not forget to writepersonalized messages for an invite to connect, InMail, LinkedIn, or Email message steps.
The good practice here is to connect with your leads on a deeper level. So, craft your outreach messages to be as genuine as possible. For example, if you wish to send an invite to connect, try one of our invite-to-connect templates with up to a 78% acceptance rate, such as:
Hello {{firstName}},
I’ve noticed you have {{MutualConnectionName}} in your network. I worked with them at {{CompanyName}} a while back. I really loved {{whatYouLovedAboutMutualConnection}}.
That said, I see that we are both in the {{IndustryName}} industry and would love to have you in my network.
Hey {{firstName}},
I’ve just seen your fantastic LinkedIn post on {{Topic}}. The thing that really resonated with me was {{Quote}}.
It would be great to hear more about how your business operates in this regard and also share some of my tips if you’re up for it.
What do you say? Would you like to chat about this?
After you define all the steps and messages, you can finalize the process by clicking the Start campaign button and your campaign is ready. Easy peasy.
Frequently asked questions about Linkedin Lead Generation
Oh, what a journey has been so far, hasn’t it? However, we still want to cover everything there is to know about LinkedIn lead generation. Therefore, here are a couple of FaQs to sum up LinkedIn lead generation.
What specific challenges do companies face when implementing these strategies, and how can they overcome them?
Companies may face challenges like creating engaging content and measuring ROI. Overcoming these involves using analytics for insights and continuously refining strategies based on performance data.
How do these lead generation strategies integrate with other marketing tools and platforms for a cohesive campaign?
Integration with other sales and marketing tools can be achieved through CRM systems and marketing automation platforms, ensuring a seamless flow of lead data and consistent messaging across channels.
Can small businesses or solo entrepreneurs effectively implement these strategies on a limited budget, and if so, how?
Small businesses and solo entrepreneurs can effectively use these strategies by focusing on highly targeted outreach and leveraging free or low-cost tools available on LinkedIn for engagement and networking. They can also get a LinkedIn automation tool and cold email software that has an excellent price-to-feature ratio, like Skylead.
Which LinkedIn Ad Format Is The Best For Lead Generation?
The LinkedIn ad format best for lead generation is a Single Image ad because it looks organic with other content you see in the newsfeed. Moreover, if combined with Lead gen form, it can bring amazing results. The next best thing is to promote gated content on your website.
How Do I Target A Lead On LinkedIn?
You can target leads with your ads by using LinkedIn campaign manager. All you need to do is to define demographics, firmographics, and other parameters of your target audience or choose to retarget your website visitors via LinkedIn Insight Tag. Then create an ad, and publish it.
How Do I Generate B2B Leads On LinkedIn?
You can generate B2B leads on LinkedIn by using any of the strategies mentioned in this article, such as posting gated content, using lead generation form ads, and generating leads from event attendees. Moreover, you can generate leads from job postings, leveraging Sales Navigator’s buying intent feature, and more.
Why Is LinkedIn Best For Lead Generation?
LinkedIn is best for lead generation because it’s the #1 professional network in the world. According to LinkedIn, lead conversion rates are 3x higher than any other social media. Moreover, 4 out of 5 LinkedIn users drive certain business decisions and have 2x buying power of the average web audience.
Ready To Scale Up Your LinkedIn Lead Generation?
LinkedIn is the #1 place to generate new leads by creating valuable content and reaching out to new connections.
However, before you get started with LinkedIn lead generation, you need to make sure to:
Create a highly converting LinkedIn profile;
Define your ICP and Buyer Persona;
Become a thought leader;
Build your network and relationship regularly;
Create a personalization spreadsheet;
Learn more and understand buying signals.
Once you do, you can apply one or all LinkedIn lead generation strategies to generate leads.
LinkedIn lead generation works best if you combine it with other lead generation methods outside of LinkedIn and then circle back to LinkedIn to outreach them.
However, you don’t have to do the outreach alone. Skylead can help you out with that. So come by, check out Skylead, and start your 7-day Free Trial!
Your first email got ignored. We’re sorry to hear that. Most of the time, that will be the case, and that is why you should focus your attention on follow-up emails. But why bother?
What if we told you that by sending a single follow-up, you increase your response rate by 9-13%? And if you keep sending more follow-ups, you can increase the response rate by three times?
We’ve come to find that crafting a good follow-up can be challenging. First, you must grab your prospect’s attention and point it to your email in an overly crowded inbox. Second, you need to make sure to put the right information in all the right places. Why? Well, to get a response and, hopefully, book a call.
Sounds complicated, doesn’t it? Do not despair. We’ve got you covered! Our sales and marketing teams came together to write this article only to help you learn and explain:
How to write a follow-up after no response;
The dos and don'ts of follow-ups and what to avoid;
How can follow-ups increase your response rate;
How to use a multichannel approach foryour follow-up emails;
Bonus: You also get to enjoy tested-for-efficiency follow-up email after no response templates.
What is a follow-up email?
A follow-up email represents a message sent to a prospect you’ve already contacted before. Usually, the main intent behind a follow-up is to remind the prospect of your first email, request additional information, or remind them of an important meeting or event.
Follow-up emails are a star of the show in the B2B world, which includes sales, marketing, job hunting, recruiting, and customer communication. When it comes to sales, you can use them for lead generation, warmup, and lead management. The same goes for recruiting and job hunting, too.
Why is it important to send follow-up emails?
Always remember that there could be a number of reasons why your prospects aren’t responding after the initial email. Here are some:
They are too busy.
They forgot to respond.
The message is not clear.
They are not the decision-makers.
They are genuinely not interested. (in this case, use objection handling to win them over)
What we can conclude from our experience and the experience of others is that sending follow-up emails pays off.
When it comes to sales, our sales team assured us that this statistic is true: sending follow-ups can increase the chances of a response by25%. If we know that 70% of salespeople stop after one email, then you can use this info to your advantage and incorporate follow-ups into every outreach attempt.
In fact, we’ve witnessed firsthand that follow-ups are crucial for B2B sales outreach, and if you’ve done prospecting on LinkedIn right, you will have a higher chance of hitting that sales quota in no time. Just ask our sales team!
When applying for a job, sending follow-up messages after a one to two-week wait can be a professional way to further underline your interest in the position. Moreover, you’ll get to find out the stage of the hiring process. Lastly, this could encourage HR to take another look at your resume, thus possibly giving you a second shot at the job.Lastly, lead management is only done right with a handy CRM and when follow-ups are heavily involved.
When should you send a follow-up email after no response?
In sales and outbound marketing, sending cold emails creates a need for follow-ups. In outbound email marketing, you are reaching out to potential prospects for the first time without them stating their interest prior. This is why follow-up emails are necessary, but the question is when should you click send your email for the second or third time?
From our experience, picking the right time to send a follow-up email can affect the open and response rates significantly. The norm is to wait anywhere from 2-5 business days before you touch base with your prospects again. The trick is to put yourself in your prospects’ shoes - they might be busy, or they still haven’t had a chance to read or respond to your email.
Sending premature follow-ups can make your prospects lose interest and end potential communication before it even starts. For example, you can send the first follow-up after 5 days, giving them enough time to read the email. In case there’s no response after the initial wait, you send a second follow-up for a gentle bump-to-top in their inbox.
How to write and send a follow-up email after no response
Andrea, our Head of Sales, once said: “A follow-up email after no response should be powerful enough to offer the right value and inspire the desired response at the same time.” The question is, how do we deliver an email with such strength? Our sales team has the knowledge and experience, so open your notes, people. The class on “Writing and sending follow-up emails by Skylead” begins now. 👇
Subject line
Have you heard? Crafting aneye-catching subject line is directly correlated to a higher open rate. Good email subject lines and pre-header text combined are what help prospects make the decision whether or not to open and read the email. If you didn’t have a chance to catch their attention the first time around, use your follow-ups for a second chance for a first impression.
When creating compelling subject lines, our sales team recommends following these simple rules:
Keep it short and to the point.
Our CEO, Relja, says that catchy subject lines should be under 55-60 characters for web inboxes and under 30 characters for mobile inboxes.
Limit punctuation marks (our research suggests that more than 3 punctuation marks may look like spam)
Avoid all caps and exclamation points.
Be careful with emojis (we’ve found out through testing that you should use 1 emoji at a time and that you shouldn’t replace words with emojis to avoid not being clear)
Personalize your subject lines.
Pro tip: Always A/B testyour subject lines for efficiency. From our testing, we found that a highopen rate is an indicator of a good subject line. Subject line optimization based on real-time results can significantly improve your response rate over time.
Follow-up email subject line examples
For Web Inboxes (55-60 characters):
{{firstName}}, this is your future workflow using SaaS! 🚀
VIP sneak peek: You unlocked new features 😎
{{firstName}} I need your advice
{{firstName}}, let's make Q4 legendary together
Your Q4 game-changer inside
{{firstName}}, let's co-create magic for {{companyName}} ✨
Tick-tock! Your Free Trial is Ending 🕰️
Marco? Polo! Seeking Your Response
For Mobile Inboxes (under 30 characters):
Your secret SaaS weapon 🌟
Let’s join forces 👊
Shortcut to {{benefit}} 🙌
{{firstName}}, get started 🆓?
Time to grow, {{companyName}} 🌱
Does this work {{firstName}}?
Supercharge your {{workflow}}! ⚡
Missing chat: Still tuned in?
Opening
Once you’ve caught their attention, our sales account executive, Pavle, says that how you greet them is what determines whether they’ll keep on reading. Avoid intros like “Just checking in to see if you’ve read my last email” or “I’m just following up on my previous email.” Such intros are overused and could imply blaming the prospect for not responding, which is a big no-no in sales communication. Instead, say something like this:
I know we’ve talked about {{painPoint}}...
As we quite recently connected, I thought it’s only fair you know something about me as well…
Hi {{firstName}}! I can’t believe how time has flown by since the last time we spoke. I just saw your post on {{topic}} and thought it was amazing. Anyway…
Let’s review the follow-up email after no response opening rules:
Start with a friendly greeting.
Briefly remind the prospect of your original email by restarting the conversation (like in the examples above)
Bonus hack: Personalize intros - by adding some personal information about your prospect, you show them general interest and that you’ve done your homework. People want to feel special, so be sure to go that extra mile to show them that they are not just another prospect to you.
Our sales team tested our hyper-personalized sequences, and the results show that the response rate increased from the industry standard of 8.5% to a staggering 35%.
Follow-up email opening examples
Hey {{firstName}}!
Between caffeine doses and back-to-back meetings, my previous email about {{ToolName}} might've slipped through. Thought I'd pop back into your inbox. How does it look from your end?
Morning {{firstName}}!
Did my last email decide to play hide and seek in your inbox? 😅 I chatted about some exciting rates and am curious to hear your thoughts.
Hello {{firstName}},
Knowing how swamped we can get, I figured I'd circle back. Our conversation about a possible partnership had me excited. Where do you stand on it?
Hi {{firstName}},
Last time, I dropped a hint about {{ToolName}}'s shiny new feature. Just like waiting for the kettle to boil, I'm here, curious: Any thoughts brewing on your side?
Still having trouble with your email opening lines? Try reading our guide to attention-grabbing cold email opening lines. Don’t skip out on the templates!
Body
We’ve covered the follow-up email openings after no response. Now, let’s dive into our sales team's tricks of writing a great email body:
Be concise - clearly written emails win over prospects.
Keep it short - from our experience, longer emails could negatively affect the response rate.
Be specific - no need for filler phrases and words.
Be polite andprofessional - People value manners, and if you’re not being too aggressive, you might get a chance to pitch.
Offer value - People want to see the value behind your offer. If you’ve done your prospecting well, you’ve caught some people who can largely benefit from what you’re selling. Be sure to add some extra value by underlining some known issues that your tool/product/service fixes for them or by sending educational content.
Our pro tip: “Do not think of each follow-up as spam. Think of them as added value with each new message you send.”
Closing & call to action
Our sales team says that when you write a closing and a final CTA, you need to create a perfect environment for your prospect to respond. That means:
No vague statements - Do not confuse your leads withoverly complicated demands at the end of the email.
A clear and short call to action - Sales experts agree that a good CTA is the last thing your prospects read and the first thing they do.
Follow-up email closing examples
How about next week? Does Wednesday at 11 PM work for you?
Dive into the feature's details by hitting reply.
Plot our next collaboration chapter? Choose your preferred time here.
Respond with "Let’s do this," and I’ll send more educational content your way.
Still feel like you need some help with your CTAs? Check out our guide on creating a powerful sales email call to action in sales emails, and don’t skip the CTA examples part!
Using automation tools to send follow-up emails
Now that we’ve covered crafting follow-up emails after no response, let’s look at the next step - sending follow-up emails. Outreach emails might be hard to track, especially if you have a lot of prospects in your inbox. Plus, keeping track of the number of follow-ups sent, the context, and the goals for each specific lead can be challenging.
Now, before your outreach turns into a huge mess, you should ask for some help. And you know what? It sounds like what you need, dear salesperson, is LinkedIn automation and cold email softwarefor lead organization and follow-up email sequences.
Let’s look at the numbers one more time. Andrea says that from our experience, the first and the last follow-ups get the most attention:
with the first follow-up, the response rate increases by 43%
the last follow-up - “breakup email” receives a 53% response rate
That’s a lot of follow-ups to keep track of. However, by using automation and email message sequencing, you can rest assured that all your messages are being delivered in a particular order. Now, your question is: where can I find such a platform or tool? 🤖
How to do it?
This is where we come in, with a big grand entrance, only to introduce Skylead and our all-star, first-to-market feature Smart Sequences. With the help of our Smart sequences, you can use multichannel outreach messaging and personalization to supercharge your sales efforts! Smart sequences are algorithms that allow you to combine if/else conditions with outreach actions. This way, you can create scenarios based on your prospects’ behavior, ensuring you get a response from them one way or the other.
Use Skylead to:
Createsmart message sequences
Add hyper-personalized elements such as dynamic text or images & GIFs
Use LinkedIn as an additional channel and explore multichannel outreach
A/B test your content, analyze and optimize campaigns
Keep track of each follow-up in the Smart inbox and label leads that require additional follow-ups.
Apart from follow-up message sequences for sales, marketers can also benefit from our tool. By using marketing automation, you can get more web traffic, drive conversions, collect event attendees, and raise brand awareness.
Either way, using SaaS tools or doing the work manually, you can organize your follow-up emails after no response in a sequence and incorporate a multichannel outreach. In Skylead, setting your follow-ups in a sequence is as easy as 1,2,3, and the sending process itself is done for you. Let’s show you a simple, multichannel sequence in Skylead if the lead didn’t respond.
Example of a follow-up sequence when you are connected with the lead on LinkedIn:
Why it works
Setting up your sequence to include an outreach channel other than email works best, as it shows your prospects that you care about making a connection with them, and they are more likely to respond to you.
Furthermore, in this sequence, LinkedIn acts as a powerful and supportive lead generation tool, as you can interact more with your prospects and increase the chances of them seeing your message and responding. Just make sure to prepare your messages for the outreach carefully.
But how do you write them? Well, the next chapter is where we unveil the tips and tricks, so keep reading to find out. 🙌
Tips for writing effective follow-up emails
Our sales force, Andrea and Pavle, are back to help you by spreading their knowledge and gifting you with more tips on how to write effective follow-up email copy. Keep this in mind: hard work does not stop at the first email - it continues and increases. First off, let’s look at the do’s.
Start with a strong opening.
A strong opening is like a good first impression. Well, in this case,it's a second first impression, so make sure to avoid overused phrases and email cliches at all costs.
Use storytelling in the follow-up sequence
There are many approaches you can take with your sequence strategies, and one of them is storytelling. For example, you could invite them for an online coffee, and the entire sequence can have a coffee conversation theme.
The idea is to reveal one value to the pain point at the time in every following email, enhancing its value as you go. You can speak about the value in ascending order of importance, with each email being more important than the last.
Personalize your follow-up emails whenever possible.
Personalization shows you’ve made an effort to get to know your leads. And despite the fact that you’re reaching a certain target group, it doesn’t have to seem automated. You can use Skylead and our image & GIF personalization feature to add some sparkle to your follow-ups. You can also add dynamic text to follow-ups to increase the level of personalization in outreach.
Get to the point quickly.
From what we’ve seen and from what you can tell from your own experience as an email reader, losing your prospect's attention is easy. It only takes a few mistakes, and your email is done for. Avoid all this by getting to the point quickly. No long sentences, no short novels, just facts and a little bit of creativity to keep them reading and ultimately doing the CTA.
Space out your follow-up emails.
If you’re being too salesy and aggressive, you’ll lose a good portion of your prospects. No one wants to be bothered, especially in the case of cold outreach. Make sure to space out your follow-ups anywhere from the standard 2 to 5 business days.
Pro tip from Skylead’s sales team: Give your prospects enough time to respond. Some of them might be too busy to go through your emails and have not had a chance to read them yet. Sending too many follow-ups after no response doesn’t seem like a friendly reminder or check-in but rather a pushy salesman trying to shove their product/service down their prospect’s throat.
Show credibility.
Cold outreach can be tricky. It’s hard enough you’re trying to establish contact out of the blue, but you’re also asking for something. Prospects are usually not so trustworthy with cold emails, so in order to show them that you’re serious, you need to show credibility.
We’ve mentioned that every follow-up email should add extra value. Use each follow-up to show them your accomplishments - link to credible sources, testimonials, and case studies that can help them decide whether or not to trust you.
Offer value.
Your prospect’s first thoughts are usually, “Why is this person contacting me?” or “What is this person trying to sell?”. By following our rules of writing follow-up emails after no response from the section above, you’ll lead them straight to the point with your follow-up email, underlining the value of your product or service.
Throw some numbers around. People respond to numbers and statistics well. Prospects appreciate value, and if you offer them a solution to a niche problem, the conversation will just keep flowing.
Be empathic.
Another pro tip from our sales team: You need to listen to your prospects carefully and truly understand their issues. If you know they have a problem your product can fix, try approaching them in a subtle way where you show them compassion. Once you get a reply, your work doesn’t end.
Create urgency.
You can probably guess that creating urgency is what makes your prospect believe he should take immediate action by replying to your message. However, if it did not work for the first time, you can create more urgency in your follow-up, but be subtle.
Our pro tip: Don’t use sensational subject lines and promises you can’t keep only to lure them into replying.
Common mistakes to avoid
Andrea and Pavle are full of knowledge when it comes to the dos of sending follow-ups after no response, but after years of sales experience, they can also easily spot cold email mistakes. The list below shows what you shouldn’t do if you want a high reply rate with your follow-up email sequence. 👇
Following up too quickly.
One of the main rules of cold outreach is not to spam your prospects with messages! Be patient. Nobody likes an overly aggressive approach. The industry standard is to spread your follow-ups out by roughly 2 to 5 days. If you wait for more than that, it will probably reduce your chances of getting a reply.
It’s a good idea to map out your follow-ups inside your Smart sequence in the correct order and wait for a reply. You can thank us later.
Sending too many or not enough follow-up emails.
What is the optimal number of follow-up emails you can send to a prospect before that final “breakup” email? We know for sure that sending just one email isn’t enough. So, we take into account that by sending each follow-up after no response, you increase your chances of a reply. That said, it’s safe to say somewhere around 3-6 follow-ups is enough.
From our own experience, a prospect says “no” 4 times before saying “yes.” That’s why this range works perfectly and might get you that desired result.
Being too pushy or aggressive.
We’ve mentioned this before - people do not respond well to aggressive salesmen and aggressive job seekers. Being direct and pushy are not synonyms. It’s one thing to show prospects or employers your interest in them, but another to demand and be borderline rude about your approach. It’s all about setting a fine line between being subtle yet decisive and direct. You can sellwithout sounding too salesy.
Missing important information.
You’ve probably received an email that’s missing crucial information in the past. Heck, we all did at some point. Sometimes, the email is very catchy and inspires immediate action, but wait. Parts of it are missing. It could be a missing attachment, a link, or some other information. That means you’re creating an additional step for the prospect. They will have to ask you for that information, but as you know, most of them won’t. The lack of crucial or promised information can be very offputting to prospects, so make sure to double-check if all the info is in each follow-up.
Not proofreading.
This one is tied closely to the previous advice. We’ve noticed that mistakes are not tolerated by prospects, so make sure to go through your follow-up sequence and maybe get a second pair of eyes on it. Mistakes show sloppiness and a lack of interest in the prospect. Plus, they can also be perceived as spam.
Check for typos and grammar, and if all attachments and visuals are there, along with all the necessary information, then you can click send.
Writing too much text.
If the email body is too long, your prospect won’t read it. It’s that simple. Our sales team has tested longer and shorter versions of the same follow-up sequence and saw significant differences. Shorteremails have received a higher response rate.
Not having a clear call to action (or too many of them)
Our head of sales, Andrea, always reminds us that you have your prospects’ attention for a very short time. Make sure to have only one and a clear call to action. Otherwise, you’ll lose their attention quickly, and you won’t get the desired action from them.
Not offering an unsubscribe option.
Given the fact that you’re contacting these people without their consent, some of them might feel the urge to unsubscribe (hopefully not if you’ve done your prospecting right). Nonetheless, adding an unsubscribe option is good manners. Plus, you’re helping deliverability, reducing spam rates, and improving your reputation. You want active users/subscribers in your email lists, so adding an unsubscribe option is how you help yourself.
Sending emails to the wrong person.
This is a part where we talk a little bit about prospecting. Knowing your product/service is where you begin before you think about your audience. Thought about it? Good. Now it’s time for prospecting. However, if you have trouble with this step, here is a guide to the best LinkedIn prospecting strategies so you can get to the right person every time.
Skylead tip: If you’re sending emails manually, make sure to spell their name correctly.
Sending a follow-up email after no response samples & templates
We’ve come to the part of the article where our sales and marketing teams put their knowledge to the test. Get ready for follow-up email examples after no response (salespeople, recruiters, and job seekers, take notes!). Feel free to use them and test their efficiency yourself. 🤓
#1 Reminder email after no response (first follow-up)
Subject: Tap Tap: Is This Thing On? 🎤
Hey {{firstName}},
Sending a cheerful nudge your way! Seems like our chat about {{topic/Issue}} decided to take a little vacation. Ready to welcome it back whenever you are.
Eager for the sequel to our chat,
{{yourName}}
Real-life example:
Why it works: One of the major rules of writing follow-ups is not to be afraid to have fun. Being humorous is something that most people respond to well.
#2 Reminder email after no response (second follow-up)
Subject: RE: Mic Check for Round Two? 🎤
Hey {{firstName}},
It looks like we keep missing each other over and over again. I know things get busy, but I believe that a productive exchange is worth every second!
How’s {{date/Time}} for an encore of our previous productive chat?
Real-life example:
Why it works: In the second follow-up, you are showing your prospect that you are consistent. It’s short, and it shows your outreach efforts clearly.
#3 Follow up sales email after no response
Subject: Green, Yellow, or Red for {{product/Service}}? 🚦
Hi {{firstName}},
Our chat from last week about {{product/Service}} seems to be idling at a traffic light. Which color are we on?
If you're stuck at yellow, need more green insights, or hitting red, I'm all ears.
To clear signals,
{{yourName}}
Real-life example:
Why it works: Avoiding boring lines and overused sentences is crucial for any outreach email. Plus, this one shows you got inspired and took the time to write a creative follow-up with a witty comparison.
#4 Follow-up email after no response (formal)
Subject: Revisiting Our Lost Thread
Hi {{firstName}},
The daily email cluster must have pushed our thread regarding {{topic/Issue}} down the inbox black hole. This note is a gentle nudge, hoping to push our conversation back to your attention.
Eagerly waiting for your reply.
Best,
{{yourName}}
Real-life example:
Why it works: Although most business communication nowadays tries to steer clear from generic and cliched email communication, being formal has nothing to do with that. This follow-up email shows that you’re polite and well-mannered but also clear with your intentions.
#5 How to bump an email politely
Subject: An Elevator Pitch: Bringing Our Chat Up Again
Hi {{firstName}},
In the vast sea of daily emails, I’m sending this note as a gentle elevator, hoping to lift our previous discussion on {{topic/Issue}} back in focus.
Looking forward to your insights!
Ready for your reply,
{{yourName}}
Real-life example:
Why it works: Your email got lost in the daily bunch. How to get it back into the limelight? By sending a polite follow-up email and replying to your primary thread and stating your purpose once more. This one works because it’s a creative way of showing the recipient that you demand their attention.
#6 Follow-up email after no response from a client (sales)
Subject: Piecing Together Our {{product/Service}} Puzzle 🧩
Hi {{clientName}},
Seems our dialogue on {product/Service}} took a quiet turn. Are there missing pieces I can help with?
If adjustments or additional support is needed, I'm ready to jump in. Just give me a sign.
Awaiting your cue,
{{yourName}}
Real-life example:
Why it works: Offering your help and support is sometimes just what a client needs to clear their confusion. This is not a potential client but a doubtful client. If the client is doubtful, you could lose the account, so make sure to follow up frequently and gently.
#7 Follow-up email after sending resources (sales)
Subject: Resource Roundup: Hit or Miss? 📚
Hey {{firstName}},
Dived into the resources yet? Would love to know if anything clicked or raised an eyebrow about {{product/Service}}.
Got any questions or an 'aha' moment to share? I’m just a call away: {{yourPhoneNumber}}.
Warmly
{{yourName}}
Real-life example:
Why it works: Gentle reminders in email form are much needed in the cold outreach game. This template is not aggressive, has a friendly note, and just the right amount of pressure on your end.
#8 Follow-up email before free trial (sales)
Subject line: Dropping A Quick Present 🎁
Hey {{firstName}},
Just wanted to say thanks again for the call. As we talked about {{painPoint}} and explored your company's current strategies for dealing with it, my belief was reinforced that {{yourProduct}} can help with achieving {{metricValue}}.
That’s why I included a little gift for you: {{giftRegardingFreeTrial}}, so you can fully try our product out and experience {{MetricValue}} firsthand.
Let me know when you start the Free Trial so I can send it to you.
Cheers,
{{yourName}}
Real-life example:
Why it works: This is a short, precise email that the prospect doesn’t waste time reading. With exact value and a gift to top it off, which everyone likes to get, you will be sure to get a high response rate.
#9 Follow-up email after demo (sales)
Subject: Post-Demo Checkup 🧐
{{Date}} was not just another crossed-out meeting. Let’s recap:
{{yourProduct}}: Not just a tool, but a {{benefit}}.
{{theirChallenge}}: On our radar now.
If you’re wondering what's next, have any doubts, or need more details, let’s discuss.
How about a second quick chat on {{date/Time}}?
To making ‘just another day’ count!
{{yourName}}
Real-life example:
Why it works: Checking in with your prospect after a demo is just as important as the demo itself. Demos can be confusing for some, and not everyone is prepared to process all the given information. This is your chance to remind them that you can clear any confusion they may have and ultimately lead them to the next step - conversion.
#10 Follow-up email after a missed call (sales)
Subject: Call Missed: Ready for Redial? 🤙
Hi {{firstName}},
Seems our phone lines played hide and seek earlier when I called about {{product/Service}}.
Let's hit redial and aim for a good connection. How does {{suggest a specific day/time}} work for a quick chat? Or simply shoot me a time that works for you.
Cheers,
{{yourName}}
Real-life example:
Why it works: Missed calls and meetings happen all the time. This is where this template comes in handy. It’s short and direct but has that tiny bit of informality that you need to get another chance at an online encounter. Remember: sales follow-ups are important!
#11 Follow-up email that mentions the competition (sales)
Subject line: Wish to know the truth about {{competitorName}}? 🤫
“You can’t handle the truth!” said Jack Nicholson.
Just kidding, {{firstName}}.
Hope you are doing well. Just thought of knocking on your door and leaving a comparison page - {{yourProductName}} vs {{competitorProductName}} since I know you’ve been testing them as well.
Are you up for a quick chat to discuss the main differences and the benefits I sent previously?
Cheers,
{{yourName}}
Real-life example:
Why it works: In case you already sent your prospect benefits and your prospect has been considering your competitor as well, this is the second follow-up email you send. Show them your benefits before they make a decision and run over to your competitors.
#12 Personalized follow-up email after no response (sales)
Subject line: Tailor-made strategy for {{company}}🧵
Hey {{firstName}},
{{painPoint}} must be tedious for you. Luckily, you are not alone in this.
Since my last email, I have created a couple of strategies tailor-made for your company on how you can {{result}}. Want to hear them?
If so, does {{date/Time}} work for you?
Real-life example:
Why it works: Adding personalization, such as name, image, or pain point, achieves the best results. However, if you have a low-buying-intent prospect who didn’t respond to your email, you need to go the extra mile. In other words, you need to create something applicable and tailor-made for their company to warm them up to your product.
#13 Follow-up email after sending a contract (sales)
Subject: Contract Follow-Up: Let’s Turn Pages Into Progress 📑
Hey {{firstName}},
The contract for {{product/Service}} is now on your desk. Peeked inside yet?
If any question marks or clarifications are needed, I’m just a call away. Contact me at {{yourPhoneNumber}}.
To turning pages,
{{yourName}}
Real-life example:
Why it works: After writing thousands of emails, we can say that finding the right balance between formal and informal communication is the key to success. Being too stiff and talking in a manner that wouldn’t reflect a live conversation is outdated. When writing, think about what you would say if your prospect were sitting in front of you.
#14 Follow-up email after a couple of months (sales)
Subject line: Hello from the other side - With exciting news 🗣
Hi {{firstName}},
I haven’t called a thousand times, as Adele, but as promised, I am checking in after a while.
How have you been? How did {{reasonForReachingOutLater}} go?
I have super exciting news to share with you. We have just {{companyNews}}. I thought you might like it as it can help you {{achieveResult}}.
Let me know if you are available for a quick call to catch up on everything that has been going on. Here is my calendar link.
Looking forward to hearing from you,
{{yourName}}
Real-life example:
Why it works: In case you haven’t had communication with your prospect for a while, you can send this or a similar follow-up. For example, the lead might have told you to reach out in the future. When you asked when exactly, they didn’t respond. The good practice here is to reach out after a month and check-in. They might be more open to hear what you have to say and offer.
#15 Follow-up email after a LinkedIn connection request
Subject line: Bridging Barriers: From LinkedIn to Real Talk 🌉
Hi {{firstName}},
It seems we missed each other on LinkedIn, so I’m reaching out via email. Your stance on {{topic/IndustryTrend}} is a real conversation starter, and it works!
I believe there’s a bridge to be built here and a productive conversation to be had. How about we put words into action? Is {{time/Date}} okay for you?
Looking forward,
{{yourName}}
Real-life example:
Why it works: Use a follow-up email to reach out to a member of the LinkedIn community that you tried contacting by sending a connection request, but the prospect hasn’t accepted it yet. Having another conversation channel and putting an effort into starting a conversation there is what your prospect might perceive as determination.
Remember: putting a smile on your prospect’s face is one last step before a reply happens.
#16 Follow-up email after sending a quote (sales)
Subject: Quote Mission: Countdown to Decision? 🚀
Hey {{firstName}},
Hope the quote for {{product/Service}} landed well. Any thoughts or roadblocks?
Let’s not leave things hanging. A quick call might clear it up: {{phoneNumber}}.
Waiting for your signal,
{{yourName}}
Real-life example:
Why it works: The email is short, precise, and with a touch of spice. Just the way your prospects like them. Not being generic goes a long way in cold outreach + adding a phone call option for some busier prospects is also a plus!
#17 Follow-up “breakup” email (sales)
Subject line: Perhaps it is better this way… 💔
Hi {{firstName}},
I sense that now might not be the ideal time for {{yourProduct}} to address {{painPoint}} at your company. No worries at all – timing is everything.
If the future calls for a revisit, I'm here. Until then, I wish you and your team all the best.
Cheers, and until the next time.
{{firstName}}
Real-life example:
Why it works: If you've sent a couple of emails already and none of them worked, this is your sign to stop reaching out. While sending a so-called breakup email, it is best to evoke an emotional reaction from the prospect, as demonstrated in the email below. The key is to stay genuine.
#18 Follow-up email after a free trial (sales)
Subject: Free Trial Verdict: Thrill or Kill? 🧟♀️
Hi {{firstName}},
Just checking in after our thrilling free trial of {{product/Service}}. I’m curious to hear your thoughts!
Were there highlights, or perhaps something you missed? I'm here to clear any fog or explore possibilities.
For a quick chat, just ping me at {{phoneNumber}}, or let me know a convenient time for you.
Eager to hear your take!
{{yourName}}
Real-life example:
Why it works: Comparing your demo pitch to the best-selling album of all time? We say yes! Everyone likes a well-crafter themed message in their inbox, and chances of a reply are significantly higher.
#19 Follow-up email after no response to a job application (job seeker)
Subject: Resume for {{jobTitle}}: In Your Hands
Hi {{hiringManagerName}},
Wanted to confirm my resume for the {{jobTitle}} position has reached you. Looking forward to exploring how my background can contribute to {{companyName}}.
Awaiting your guidance on the next steps.
Warm regards,
{{yourName}}
Real-life example:
Why it works:
This is a very common scenario: it's been a couple of days or weeks after you’ve applied for the listed job, and nothing happened. So what do you do? You send a polite reminder and ask the hiring manager to give you details about the hiring process. That way, you’ll know where your application stands.
#20 Follow-up email after sending resume (job seeker)
Subject: Resume Dispatch: {{jobTitle}} Role
Hi {{hiringManagerName}},
I want to ensure my application for the {{jobTitle}} has landed in your realm. Ready to discuss how my unique skill set could add value to {{companyName}}.
If a brief chat would help, I’m all ears. Here’s my direct line: {{yourPhoneNumber}}.
Warm regards,
{{yourName}}
Real-life example:
Why it works: When a position is open, hiring managers usually get hundreds of resumes daily and from various channels. Therefore, it’s easy for some resumes to slip through the cracks and go unnoticed. Politely asking the hiring manager if he had a chance to take a look at your accomplishments should do the trick, and give them a slight nudge they might need to notice you.
#21 Follow-up email after an interview (job seeker)
Thank you for the thought-provoking interview. Our conversation opened new horizons, bringing the role and {{companyName}}’s vision into sharper focus.
Looking forward to any updates or next steps.
Warmest regards,
{{yourName}}
Real-life example:
Why it works: Employers want present and engaged employees. If you’re interested in a position at a certain company, don’t hesitate to follow up after an interview. Ask questions, clarify everything that wasn’t clear while the interview happened, and seek out the hiring manager's opinion on how it went. Most job applicants don’t take this extra step, so don’t make that mistake if you’re really aiming to get the job.
#22 Follow-up email after no response after interview (recruiter)
Subject line: Here's the complete offer
Hi {{firstName}},
Time really does fly by, doesn’t it? It’s already {{DayOfTheWeek}} 😄
Anyway, I just wanted to touch base with you and go over our offer once again.
As we discussed, your conditions will be:
- {{Condition1}}
- {{Condition2}}
- {{Condition3}}
In addition, here are the benefits mentioned during our meeting. As our {{position}} you will have:
- {{Benefit1}}
- {{Benefit2}}
- {{Benefit3}}
Let me know how this sounds to you.
Kind regards,
{{yourName}}
Why it works: We cannot talk about follow up email and not mention our recruiters. If you are an HR person and find yourself in a situation where your ideal candidatedidn’t respond to you after the interview where you presented your offer, here is a template you can use to give them a nudge.
#23 Sample follow-up letter for job application status (job seeker)
Subject: {{jobTitle}} Application: Next Coordinates?
Dear {{hiringManagerName}},
I hope this message finds you well-rested and productive. In the quest for the {{jobTitle}} role, I'm writing to seek updates on our current position. Have we reached a new checkpoint, or are there further details I can provide?
Your status update is greatly appreciated.
With respect,
{{yourName}}
Real-life example:
Why it works: Knowing where you stand in the hiring process is crucial when applying for jobs. Plus, it shows your interest in the position and your determination to fill in the vacancy.
Frequently asked questions
What specific strategies can be employed to personalize follow-up emails for different industries or roles to increase engagement?
Personalizing follow-up emails can involve referencing specific interests, recent accomplishments, or industry news relevant to the recipient's field. Tailoring your message to their unique context fosters a more personal connection.
How does the timing of a follow-up email impact its effectiveness, and are there optimal times of day or week to send these emails for better results?
The effectiveness of a follow-up email can be significantly influenced by its timing. Sending emails during business hours, especially mid-week, may improve open rates. However, considering the recipient's time zone and work patterns is crucial for optimal timing.
Beyond the provided templates, what are some creative examples of follow-up emails that have successfully converted initial non-responses into positive outcomes?
Creative follow-up emails often incorporate humor, personalized GIFs & images, comments, or interesting questions that relate to the recipient's interests or industry. Such approaches can help break the ice and engage the recipient more effectively, turning a lack of response into a positive conversation starter.
How do you politely follow up on an email with no response?
Make sure to wait the standard 2-5 business days before reaching out again. Your tone should be professional yet direct. Finally, you should add more value and information. Underlining that your product or service fixes their issues creates the right amount of urgency, which in turn makes them hit reply.
How do you follow up professionally after no response?
If your first email went unnoticed, your follow-up should start off with restating your goal briefly. Avoid using cliché phrases and slang. Also, try changing your approach in each new email. Finally, send each follow-up in a new thread to avoid ending up in the wrong part of the inbox.
What to say in a follow-up email when someone hasn’t responded?
Make sure to briefly remind them of your previous touchpoint and continue by adding additional value to your initial email. It also helps to create a sense of urgency by mentioning a challenge they might be facing daily and that your product or service can fix it for them.
How soon should you send a follow-up email after no response?
The standard waiting period for sending a first follow-up email after no response is 3-5 business days. Sending a premature follow-up can come off as spammy and overly aggressive, so make sure to wait a minimum of 3 days.
How do you follow up without being annoying?
To avoid being annoying and ending up in your prospects’ spam folder, make sure to wait the appropriate amount of time before sending another email. Also, make sure to keep each follow-up short and straightforward, with clear intentions and a strong CTA.
How long is it acceptable to wait to reply to an email?
If the email is urgent or deadline-driven, clearly state that in the subject line. The appropriate amount of time between your first email and a follow-up is 24 hours. Otherwise, give your prospect 3-5 days to respond. Also, if it requires an immediate response, consider using another communication channel.
Conclusion
We’ve come to the end of our follow-up learning journey. Our sales and marketing teams worked really hard to bring on the email campaign knowledge and experience we’ve gathered from years of constant testing and adapting, and hard work. After all, it’s how we’ve grown our user base from 2,500 to 10,000 users in nine months!
So, what have we learned about follow-up emails after no response so far?
The more follow-ups you send, the higher the reply rate, but know where to stop.
If you spend time crafting your email copy, the more likely you will boost open and response rates.
If you build your follow-up sequences, you’ll save time.
If you automate your outreach and create email follow-up sequences, you’ll keep better track of your prospects and the outreach phase.
If you use other communication channels and practice multichannel outreach, you’ll boost your conversion rate.
The more value you add, the more likely you’ll get a higher response rate.
And the next step? Choose Skylead to help you automate lead generationand your email sequences, plus add LinkedIn as another communication channel. By tapping into the possibilities of automated outreach, you double your chances of getting desired outreach results. Besides, you can always return to this article and reread the rules of crafting the perfect follow-up email, or simply use our follow-up email templates if you need a head start.
So, how do you get to Skylead? Watch our demo, test out Skylead today and discover the beauty of an outreach that thinks and works for you! You’ll see how our all-in-one tool can simplify your outreach efforts and get you where you need to be in no time. Trust us. Once you try it, you won’t know how you lived and worked without it! 🤩
Wondering how to automate LinkedIn? Here’s why you should use a LinkedIn bot for lead generation and business scaling.
Have you heard the news? LinkedIn is the place to be. It’s a business-oriented social platform with over 930 million worldwide users. Many companies and industries rely on its high conversion rate, which is 3 times higher than on any other social media platform. It is considered the safe haven for B2B lead generation.
For example, salespeople worldwide use LinkedIn prospecting as the main targeting tool for outbound marketing. On the other hand, marketers also largely benefit from LinkedIn by running marketing campaigns and collecting potential leads. Recruiters can utilize the platform’s promising possibilities to find top talent for their companies.
Moreover, we’ve come to find that LinkedIn is 277% more effective for generating leads than any other social media platform out there. So, the question is, how do we use its full potential? After testing and trying out different tools and approaches, we’ve got the answer - LinkedIn bots.
Ever since 2019, we have been operating in the SaaS industry and developing a bot for LinkedIn that will change the outreach game for you. Today, we’ve served 15,000 users from 93 countries, and our goal is to give you the ultimate automation experience.
Over the years, we’ve learned a lot, which is why we want to help you understand LinkedIn bots - our field of expertise. In this article, you will learn how they work and how you can benefit from them. Finally, we’ll review different LinkedIn bots for you and help you pick one to fit your business needs.
Cheat sheet
LinkedIn Bot 🤖
Best for 🏆
Rating ⭐️
🔗Link
Skylead
multichannel, hyper-personalized LinkedIn, and cold email outreach
LinkedIn bots, also known as LinkedIn automation tools, are designed to simplify the outreach process by largely decreasing the number of manual tasks. This means time-consuming actions like sending messages, invites to connect, follow-ups, scraping profiles, and posting updates are fully automated.
But how does it work? Here’s an example. 👇
The bot analyzes your lead source, which could be one of the following:
LinkedIn search URL
Sales navigator search URL
Recruiter search URL
Imported list of leads from a CSV file
People who’ve liked a post on LinkedIn
Imported Sales navigator leads list
Recruiter talent pool
Recruiter pipeline
It then performs all the previously mentioned actions according to your settings and interacts with the selected prospects on autopilot. Did we mention that this happens while you’re focusing on something else? The magic of LinkedIn bots is this - once you tune it according to your needs, it works on its own for you.
What types of LinkedIn bots exist?
Diving right into the technical side of our software-picking process, we need to look at different types of bots for LinkedIn before we make a choice.
Built-in LinkedIn AI bot
Automation and AI seem to go hand in hand these days, which means LinkedIn bots are likely to follow this trend. In fact, this time, LinkedIn is the one to introduce its own version of a LinkedIn AI bot. To clarify, it’s a built-in feature that acts like an AI writer. The feature supports generative AI content, which can be used for LinkedIn ad copy suggestions.
Back in June, LinkedIn started testing AI-generated copy within the share box for writing posts. That way, all users get to test the power of AI bots within their own profile. The idea is to help the post creation process, saving loads of time on forming the right copy.
Browser-based LinkedIn bots
Browser-based LinkedIn bots or extension-based automation tools require an extension download to work. Many bots come in the form of Chrome extensions. In fact, some cloud-based tools also support certain features in the form of add-ons or extensions, which can be added or removed later on.
Now, to use a browser-based bot, open LinkedIn in the browser of your choice and activate the extension. However, the tricky thing about these bots is that they insert a code into LinkedIn. This makes them less safe to use, which can ultimately send you to LinkedIn jail - getting your LinkedIn account restricted or permanently banned if LinkedIn’s algorithms spot suspicious behavior.
More downsides besides safety:
You can’t turn off your PC. Otherwise, if you do, the bot will stop working.
Each time you log in, the bot uses a different IP address.
These bots don’t support some complex features, such as connecting multiple accounts and an integrated inbox.
Desktop-based bots
Desktop-based bots are those that require a PC download to work. They act like desktop apps, and they need to work in the background at all times for the automation to happen. Apart from that, all data is stored on your computer or a local server.
Downsides:
Detectable by LinkedIn - safety concern.
PC has to be turned on at all times.
Cloud-based Linkedin bots
Cloud-based LinkedIn bots work thanks to a dedicated IP address. They serve as a proxy and shield against all automated activity. This means your data is not stored on a local server or your personal computer but rather on the internet/cloud. And the best thing of all? The software runs even when your PC is shut down.
Furthermore, cloud-based LinkedIn bots are the only ones that let you connect multiple accounts and have an integrated inbox. To clarify, this means you can find messages, be it LinkedIn regular messages, InMails, emails, Sales Navigator messages, or Recruiter messages, in one unique place.
Thanks to all the perks that go with this type of solution, Skylead developed a cloud-based LinkedIn bot. We decided this is best because we wanted you to be safe while using automation and to have as many convenient features as possible.
LinkedIn automation: How do LinkedIn bots work?
LinkedIn bots are usually programmed tools that allow you to automate LinkedIn activities in different ways. To use a LinkedIn bot, you need to connect your LinkedIn account with the tool. This usually means giving the bot access to your account.
LinkedIn connection bots are used for sales automation to increase productivity in the sales process. They can be used to automate certain parts of the sales process or most of them. You can use LinkedIn automation for:
Prospecting
Lead generation
Drip campaigns
Follow-ups
Data collection and more.
Speaking of data collection, CRM systems (Customer Relationship Management) are one of these useful automation tools. CRMs are used to support sales management while delivering actionable insights. They can integrate with other tools and allow for team communication and collaboration.
Now, imagine all these possibilities on LinkedIn. This is where LinkedIn bots come in, as powerful automation tools. These bots give you a bigger and more effective outreach, and this is where they can help. 👇
Helps you write new posts on LinkedIn
Some bots, such as the LinkedIn built-in AI bot, help you write new posts on LinkedIn. If you simply don’t have a lot of time to formulate an already attention-grabbing thought, you can use an AI bot to generate meaningful copy.
Fun fact: AI has the potential to automate 40% of the average workday. We’ll keep that in mind as we watch artificial intelligence develop in the near future.
Send LinkedIn connection requests
LinkedIn connection bots can help with one of the most basic LinkedIn tasks, such as sending connection requests. You can target a certain group of people when entering a lead source, and the bot will do the rest.
Accept LinkedIn connection requests
After sending connection requests, automation bots can even accept the ones you get for you. It’s networking on autopilot!
Send drip messages & run sequences of actions
You’ve found your target audience, but now it’s time to reach them with your pitch. LinkedIn bots can automate the entire process by sending a series of messages in a drip campaign. You craft the campaign and messages, and the bot delivers. Some tools even offer a multichannel smart sequencefeature, that lets you combine outreach methods. This means you can send outreach messages according to your prospects’ actions, covering all scenarios with if/else conditions.
Personalize LinkedIn messages
A good LinkedIn connection bot can offer you the option to personalize your content. Most tools are working hard to give as many personalization options as possible to balance out the automation. Message hyper-personalization is possible by adding nativevariables to your message requests, InMails, or follow-up messages such as:
Name
Last name
Current company
Years in current company
Total career positions count
Total years in career
College name
Occupation
Custom variable: lets you create your own placeholder.
Posting updates on LinkedIn
Some LinkedIn tools can even post for you. Although there’s nothing new about software that lets you schedule all posting activities, it could be a great additional feature of a more complex LinkedIn bot.
Visiting user profiles
LinkedIn connection bots are designed to mimic human behavior on the internet. At least the best bots were designed with this in mind. Apart from sending messages, your bot of choice can visit user profiles for you. This way, it can catch your prospect’s attention, making sure your interest in communication is being seen loud and clear.
Follow users
Automation is truly marvelous, and it can take a simple task as following a user on LinkedIn off your to-do list. Why focus on repetitive tasks when you can focus on really building those lead relationships?
Send InMail message
LinkedIn connection bots are made to make your life easier. These powerful tools can even send InMail messages to user accounts from your leads list. Now, an important thing to note here is that most tools, if they have this option, tend to send only free InMail messages to open accounts. However, there are some tools out there that support sending both free and paid InMail messages. This means your outreach is bigger, and your chances of conversion are higher.
Find user email
Some LinkedIn bots have the option to scrape the data from a selected source and find your prospects' emails. If the bot of your choice has LinkedIn and email automation in one, this can be a useful feature. You’ll be able to get a whole other outreach channel in case your prospects aren’t as active on LinkedIn.
Export LinkedIn data
A useful bot for LinkedIn has the option to export data via a CSV file or PDF. This data can include lead lists and analytics for better result tracking and ultimate outreach optimization.
Analyze user profiles
LinkedIn bots can do a lot, but did you know that they can analyze user profiles before you even interact with them? Some tools, such as Crystal Knows, are designed to give you a heads-up about your prospect, analyzing their available data and creating a report. This way, you can adapt your approach before scheduling a meeting.
Boost engagement on LinkedIn posts
We can use LinkedIn outreach to boost our social media presence and actually draw people’s attention to a certain post. LinkedIn bots can help boost engagement on specific posts by running campaigns that promote your post to a certain target group.
What are the benefits of Linkedin bots?
Save time by automating recurring tasks
We’ve done the research; we’ve done the math! The main benefit of automated outreach is the time-saving aspect. The right automation tool helps you save up to 11+ hours per week on manual work. That’s one and a half free days per week and a staggering 6 days per month. That’s more than one whole workweek!
Scalable
Your business goals are high, and the workload is heavy, so what do you do? You use tools that can help scale your business. With automation bots, you get to expand your outreach in the most efficient way and interact with more prospects in a shorter period of time. Startups can grow rapidly with the help of SaaS tools.
More accuracy
You can use LinkedIn bots to help you with prospecting and narrowing down your target group. There are multiple ways of finding high-quality leads with pinpoint accuracy. It can be by:
LinkedIn search filters
Sales Navigator search filters
Recruiter search filters
Recruiter talent pool
Looking for prospects in LinkedIn groups
Event attendees
Engagement on your or someone else’s post
Provide additional data
In our analysis of different LinkedIn bots, we found that some bots can help you find more information about your prospects. We’re talking about data scraping and enrichment features. Some bots can be used to scan all publicly available data and help you expand your outreach to different channels.
Team access
When we tested LinkedIn bots for the first time, we discovered that it’s very useful if they have team management. To clarify, this means that all involved sectors from your company can access the bot and create, adjust, look at, and draw data from the tool. Moreover, you can set permissions for each team member and optimize your workflow even further.
33 best LinkedIn bots to automate LinkedIn tasks in 2023
We've spent months analyzing the effectiveness of LinkedIn bots, and our findings show that these are the LinkedIn connection bots worth looking at.
1. Skylead
Best for multichannel, hyper-personalized LinkedIn, and cold email outreach.
Skylead is a cloud-based bot made for LinkedIn automation and cold email software that thinks and works for you! It’s made for sales teams, founders, marketers, recruiters, individuals, and agencies looking to scale their business.
Pros
Skylead is an all-in-one bot that contains multiple complex outreach features. One of our main features is smart sequences. Skylead is the first software to introduce smart sequences to automation tools. You can use them to combine LinkedIn and email outreach according to your prospects’ behavior by using if/else conditions and multiple actions.
With Skylead, safety is the number one priority when it comes to automating LinkedIn. That’s why we’ve developed 3-layer protection that will shield your account from LinkedIn’s algorithms fishing for suspicious activity. Making our bot human-like is one of the main things that makes Skylead software thesafest out there. This is how we keep you safe:
A dedicated IP address (proxy)
Adjustable limits & delays
Human-like behavior
Combine cold email outreach with LinkedIn automation to get even higher conversion results via smart sequences.
One major pro of Skylead is the fact that it has a native image & GIF personalizationfeatureand a personalized messages option. Our research suggests that when using personalization, you get a 63% higher response rate.
You can also integrate Skylead with your chosen CRM via a Zapier webhook or an API and transfer data between tools. Lastly, Skylead offers thorough insights and analytics and theA/B testingoption. This means you’ll see detailed reports about your results, plus you’ll get to test out what approach works best with your prospects.
Note: Skylead connects to LinkedIn Premium, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, and Recruiter accounts.
Cons
You can make campaigns in Skylead from multiple sources: a CSV file, a LinkedIn search URL from all supported account types, and even from LinkedIn posts, but you cannot make campaigns from a group search. Nonetheless, if you want to create a group-based campaign, you can do so by using LinkedIn Sales Navigator filters. Select group filter, scrap the data, and import prospects via a CSV file.
Another thing to note is that Skylead does not have a Twitter integration, which is used as a means of expanding your social selling strategy. However, bots that support Twitter can only automate post likes and retweets, which won’t help much with overall outreach efforts.
Conclusion
We believe that Skylead is a comprehensive tool that supports multiple advanced features that you would have to pay extra for with other bots. Keep in mind that when picking a bot, you need to have a combination of quality features, safety, a friendly interface, and a reasonable price per month. Skylead checks all the boxes, plus impeccable customer support. All of these factors contribute to our tool's effectiveness, cutting manual tasks and saving up to 11 hours of manual work per week.
2. CrystalKnows
Best for giving detailed personality data reports on leads.
CrystalKnows is an extensions-based bot designed to focus on prospecting and give DISC personality profiles of potential prospects.
Pros
CrystalKnows bot analyzes potential customers and gives out detailed personality reports. All sales teams have to do is adapt their approach to the DISC personality profile of the lead and use it to their advantage.
Another notable feature is the suggestive content writing option. This feature writes suggestive copy for emails according to each lead's personality analysis. You can also find the advanced segmenting option a useful tool for prospecting and lead generation.
Cons
Despite the advanced prospecting features, CrystalKnows is not a classic multichannel outreach tool. This means it does not support complex features such as smart sequences, and it cannot make campaigns from search URLs or CSV files. Additionally, drip campaigns are out of the question, which suggests that a huge part of outreach is missing.
Conclusion
From what we could learn about CrystalKnows, the tool can be very useful for detailed prospecting, as it focuses on knowing your target group and adapting the approach. However, if you’re looking for supercharged multichannel outreach (which is what you should be doing), then we advise you to pick another tool and use this bot as an additional helpful feature.
3. Octopus CRM
Best for LinkedIn outreach and detailed analytics.
Octopus CRM is an extension-based bot that focuses on automating LinkedIn.
Pros
One of the main notable features of Octopus CRM is the ability to send bulk messages to 1st-degree contacts. We’ve mentioned detailed analytics, which gives you insights like the number of connection requests sent or the current Social Selling Index. If you’re interested in social selling, you should consider a tool that focuses on boosting the LinkedIn SSI score.
Cons
With Octopus CRM, you won’t be able to use multichannel outreach because the tool only supports LinkedIn automation. This means there’s no email automation, which is a large outreach channel and should be used paired with LinkedIn for better results.
Additionally, because it is an extension, this could potentially mean it’s less safe to use and might be detectable by LinkedIn.
Note: Octopus CRM does not support sending LinkedIn InMail messages.
Conclusion
We believe that Octopus CRM is missing a lot of key features that can affect the safety and effectiveness of your outreach. The fact that it does not have email automation could be a potential deal breaker. A good LinkedIn bot should have as much as native features as possible, so be sure to look for an all-in-one bot.
4. Salesloop
Best for someone who’s looking for a done-for-you deal.
Salesloop is a fairly new cloud-based bot that focuses on automating LinkedIn.
Pros
Salesloop has a simple 2-step drip campaign for LinkedIn. It works with LinkedIn Premium and LinkedIn Sales Navigator. Unlike Skylead, it does not support Recruiter profiles. As for campaigns, Salesloop lets you create them via a CSV file with a couple of text personalization variables.
If you’re new to automation, they also offer a done-for-you deal, which can simplify your outreach effort. However, you’d have to pay a large sum for the service.
Cons
Salesloop does not have Smart sequences because it does not support email automation to begin with. In fact, it does not support many prominent LinkedIn actions as well. Salesloop can only send invites to connect and drip messages.
Additionally, Salesloop does not integrate with any CRM, which can slow down workflows for those who utilize a number of different tools.
Conclusion
After analyzing the Salesloop bot, we found that if you want a comprehensive tool, this is not a perfect choice for you. Missing email automation and limited LinkedIn actions can potentially slow down your outreach efforts, which is the opposite of what a LinkedIn bot should be doing.
5. Phantombuster
Best for data extraction and data scraping.
Phantombuster is an extension-based sales and marketing bot that automates the scraping of publicly available data from LinkedIn and other platforms.
LinkedIn Follower Bot
With LinkedIn bots, you can automate everything, even who you want to follow and unfollow on LinkedIn. Phantombuster has a browser-based feature that focuses on that. It’s called the LinkedIn follower bot, and it’s here to get your prospects to notice you and warm them up for further outreach.
Pros
Phantombuster is not a full-package LinkedIn automation bot. However, it can come in handy if you want to scrape certain leads from LinkedIn or anywhere else. Moreover, the tool offers an email enrichment feature, which means it can find email addresses for you. However, it does not support email verification, which can affect your email account’s safety and increase bounce rates.
Cons
Even though this bot automates certain LinkedIn actions, it also does not have Smart sequences. Apart from that, email outreach is not possible since there’s no email automation, so you can’t create complex sequences.
Lastly, Phantombuster is an extension that can affect the overall safety of your account and potentially lead to restrictions.
Conclusion
After reviewing Phantombuster, we came to the conclusion that it can be useful as an additional outreach tool. It saves your automated scraped data in the form of CSV files or JSON formats. This means you can upload and download lead lists to some other tool and create outreach campaigns.
6. IFTTT
Best for the automatization of numerous activities on different platforms.
IFTTT is an extension-based bot that automates activities on WordPress, Facebook, Twitter, Evernote, and others.
Pros
The IFTTT bot can automate certain activities, such as sharing links, publishing content, and updates across named platforms.
Cons
IFTTT does not automate any form of LinkedIn messages.
Conclusion
After looking at this simple bot, we can tell you from our humble opinion that it is not for those who want to use LinkedIn and email outreach for results. However, it can come in handy as a content management tool that saves time by automating posting and similar social media activities.
7. GetProspect
Best for getting quality prospects.
GetProspect is an extension-based bot that acts as an email finder & verifier and extracts useful prospect data.
Pros
GetProspects bot, as the name suggests, wants to assist you in finding high-quality leads. This includes a list of leads with information such as name, profession, LinkedIn URL, and finally, email. It has a large B2B database, a lead enrichment feature, a native CRM, and the Google Sheets add-on.
Additionally, Get Prospectscategorizes leads and can arrange them according to previously set criteria. You can later export these files and use them in other tools.
Cons
Although the tool focuses on email features, it does not support LinkedIn automation. This means there’s no way of sending any kind of messages on LinkedIn, creating drip campaigns, and utilizing multichannel Smart sequences.
Conclusion
In our honest opinion, this tool can be useful if your primary goal is reaching out by email. But, if you wish to expand to LinkedIn, you would have to get another tool for automating LinkedIn since there’s nothing you can do with the provided LinkedIn profile URLs unless you want to reach out to those prospects manually. We all know by now that this defeats the purpose of automation bots. So, if you want more from a tool, then keep looking.
8. Lead connect
Best for simple drip campaigns on LinkedIn.
Lead Connect is an extension-based bot that connects to LinkedIn basic or Sales Navigator profile types.
Pros
Lead Connect offers a simple drip campaign with a few available steps. On the other hand, the bot offers various templates, but the number of available templates depends on the pricing plan you choose.
One notable feature of Lead Connect is the ability to integrate with any workflow and toolvia an API key. You can even gain access to the email discovery feature, but you’d have to pay extra to use it.
Cons
Lead Connect doesn’t support Smart sequences as Skylead does. Additionally, it doesn’t support a Recruiter account type, which narrows down your outreach and campaign creation choices.
Lastly, this bot does not support image & GIF personalization of any kind, which can affect your response rate significantly.
Conclusion
We believe that the tool is missing some key outreach features. If you’re looking to supercharge your outreach efforts, we consider this bot to be incomplete, so you should keep looking for more features in one tool.
9. Linkedprospect
Best for automated prospecting.
Linkedprospect is a cloud-based bot that focuses on LinkedIn automation.
Pros
Linkedprospect helps you with finding prospects and sending automated message sequences to those prospects on LinkedIn. The tool can also send bulk messages and offers a Boolean search tool and a Headline generator tool.
Cons
The tool does not support email automation, which, as we’ve learned so far, only slows down outreach and overall results.
Conclusion
If you want to get your money’s worth, you should opt to look for tools that have it all.
10. UseViral
Best for LinkedIn promotion.
UseViral is a social media marketing service that allows you to boost your networking platform profiles to gain more virtual trust and authority.
Pros
If you’re looking to build your network and become a thought leader, you can use this bot to add more followers, further boosting your profile. You can connect UseViral with multiple platforms, including Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, of course, and more. It automates sending connection requests.
Cons
It is not recommended to use such bots as they can be unsafe and appear scammy. Despite the large number of followers you gain, there’s no engagement, as all of these followers are usually fake. Thus, it is easily detectable and can damage your reputation.
Conclusion
We advise you not to use profile-boosting bots, as they can tamper with the safety and trustworthiness of your account. Try social networking without scams.
11. SidesMedia
Best for adding exposure to your social platforms.
SidesMedia is a social boosting tool that offers multiple platform options.
Pros
If you’re looking for extra exposure on your social platform, LinkedIn included, then you can use SidesMedia. They claim to offer real engagement on multiple platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, and more.
Cons
Again, using social media boosting platforms can be tricky despite the outrageous claims that they can offer real engagement. You should be cautious when it comes to buying followers, likes, and connections.
Conclusion
Just like UseViral, we share the same opinion. To emphasize, we strongly disagree with using social media boosting platforms. You should opt for an organic and real approach in order to gain a huge, thought-leader following. Focus on building strong relationships rather than taking shortcuts. On the other hand, you can use LinkedIn bots to assist in your quest.
12. Crowdfireapp
Best for social media management.
Crowdfire is an app that’s used for growing the online presence of individuals and businesses.
Pros
The Crowdfire app offers a series of features that help users manage and optimize their social media accounts, LinkedIn included. You can schedule and publish content and track the numbers for each post. Additionally, you can find and manage followers who are not engaging with you and focus on building those relationships.
Cons
Apart from scheduling content posting, you won’t be able to reach out to your target audience or send bulk messages via LinkedIn and email. To put it differently - no automation means no successful outreach.
Conclusion
In our honest opinion, you can use this tool to establish your thought leader persona on LinkedIn, but apart from that, you won’t be able to use this tool for multichannel outreach.
13. Planable
Best for content scheduling and detailed planning.
Planable is a social media collaboration tool that helps manage the entire content creation process.
Pros
With Planable, you can obviously plan, create, collaborate, approve, and schedule content. The tool is designed to support the entire content management process with ease and simplicity. Using such a tool can help with saving lots of time and focusing on other tasks instead.
Cons
Although it can be useful for content management, it is not a tool for outreach.
Conclusion
After reviewing the app’s abilities, we believe that it can be useful for those who want to establish a strong social media presence and optimize their marketing strategy seamlessly. This includes LinkedIn, of course. You can gain a strong following if you manage your content and post it continuously. You can use LinkedIn connection bots simultaneously to aid in growing your network.
14. Evaboot
Best for data scraping on Sales Navigator.
Evaboot is an extension-based bot that offers a powerful Sales Navigator data scraping tool.
Pros
This bot can extract, clean, and enrich Sales navigator search results, which you can later export and use with other LinkedIn bots to create outreach campaigns.
Cons
Evaboot is simply not made for outreach but rather focuses on the initial steps - lead generation. The fact that it can only extract data from Sales Navigator search results is also a downside.
Additionally, there’s a safety concern due to its extension nature, so LinkedIn might discover your activity and restrict your profile.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a tool that generates leads exclusively, then Evaboot is for you. However, if you’re interested in multichannel outreach, keep looking.
15. Aeroleads
Best for finding quality leads and for prospecting efforts.
Aeroleads bot has an email discoveryfeature that not only retrieves business emails but also LinkedIn connections. Therefore, they provide additional data points that can be used in crafting your outreach strategy. Finally, you can export the collected data and use it as you please.
Additionally, they have a large email database with personal and business emails and phone numbers. Lastly, the tool not only discovers but also verifies emails.
Cons
If you’re looking for a LinkedIn bot that covers most of the outreach process, Aeroleads is simply an incomplete tool. With no LinkedIn and email automation, you won’t be able to send drip message campaigns or create Smart sequences.
Conclusion
Again, if you’re looking for a tool that covers most of the outreach process, including email discovery & verification, then you should be looking at a different feature set in a LinkedIn connection bot.
16. Lempod
Best for increasing user engagement on LinkedIn.
Lempod is a part of the Lemlist family and a Chrome extension that focuses on LinkedIn post engagement.
Pros
Firstly, Lempod is easy to use and a great tool if you want to increase LinkedIn post views with automatic likes and comments. The Lempod bot has a User Satisfaction Index and a Popularity Index, which can help with tracing engagement and user involvement in your LinkedIn content.
Secondly, their LinkedIn Engagement Pods marketplace connects other LinkedIn content makers with you, which allows for mutual engagement. Lempod can also automatically leverage colleagues' networks, further boosting your LinkedIn reach.
Cons
The tool is made for engagement and not multichannel outreach. Plus, as an engagement tool, it lacks certain characteristics, such as the ability to personalize your audience and automate scheduling posts.
Conclusion
To sum up, if you’re looking to boost your network and meet with other content creators, you can use Lempod for those purposes. However, if you want to use LinkedIn and email automation for outreach, then you should consider another bot.
17. Linkboost
Best for qualified LinkedIn engagement.
LinkBoost is an engagement and profile-boosting platform made for users who want to find their engagement niche.
Pros
If you’re a thought leader who wants to expand your network even more, or you’re just beginning your journey, LinkBoost can contribute to your engagement efforts. You can even join relevant engagement pods and link up with people interested in the same content as you.
Cons
Unlike Lempod, LinkBoost doesn’t have certain parameters (e.g., a User Satisfaction Index and a Popularity Index) that can help with tracking overall engagement success. Ultimately, the tool is not made for multichannel outreach.
Conclusion
Lastly, if you’re looking for supercharged outreach and scaling your business, this is not a tool for you. It’s made for individuals who want to reach out to a similar audience and expand their network. A pro tip is to use LinkedIn bots for making solid connections on LinkedIn as well as promoting your content.
18. Social Pilot
Best for social media planning and management.
Social Pilot is a social media management and analytics app that connects with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, TikTok, and more.
Pros
You can easily plan and schedule content-posting activities with Social Pilot. What makes it stand out from similar apps is the fact that it has a great analytics section, where you can track your success and optimize your content plan accordingly. There’s also a Smart AI Assistant that can help with time management even more.
Cons
Social Pilot is not a LinkedIn and email outreach tool.
Conclusion
If you’re looking to organize your content posting activities on LinkedIn and not think about whether your content is posted or not, you can use Social Pilot to boost your LinkedIn presence. Hence, you can use this tool to establish a solid LinkedIn presence, and Skylead can help with LinkedIn automation and cold email outreach.
19. WeConnect
Best for automating some LinkedIn actions.
WeConnect is a cloud-based tool that automates some LinkedIn actions.
Pros
You have the ability to send messages to LinkedIn group members. Apart from that, you can also A/B test your content, which is a perfect feature for those who are still trying to find their perfect approach. This bot also supports the auto-endorse and post-engagement features, along with Zapier and API integrations.
Cons
WeConnect does not have the Post engagement campaign option or Image & GIF personalization. Smart sequences are also out of the question because there’s no Email automation. Also, there’s no Email discovery and verification feature. However, you can find all of these features and more at Skylead.
Conclusion
Finally, if you’re looking to put all manual tasks on autopilot, you should be looking for a solution that can actually perform most of the tasks without having to pay extra for certain services you can get with just one tool.
20. Buzzli
Best for creating LinkedIn content.
Buzzli is an AI-powered platform that automates the content creation process on LinkedIn.
Pros
You can use Buzzli to expand your reach and engagement while creating top-notch, SEO-friendly content with artificial intelligence. Use the Topic generator to find what you want to talk about and generate away! You can also use the Improve LinkedIn post option for a bigger engagement boost.
Cons
Buzzli is not a LinkedIn and email outreach tool.
Conclusion
To sum up, if you're looking to boost engagement, you can use Buzzli and its AI-powered features to help create true thought leader content.
21. Podawaa
Best for increasing your LinkedIn’s reach.
Podawaa is an extension-based bot that helps you expand your engagement on LinkedIn by automating comments and likes.
Pros
Similar to Lempod, Podawaa helps you connect with other users on LinkedIn so you can interact with each other, creating more engagement. Hence, you get to personalize your audience and receive relevant and real comments and likes on your LinkedIn content.
Cons
This is not a LinkedIn and email outreach tool.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a platform that helps you engage with real people on LinkedIn, Podawaa can give your profile the right push toward growth. Also, it could be useful for LinkedIn marketing. However, if you’re looking to automate LinkedIn and email outreach, you should be looking at other bots for LinkedIn.
22. Zopto
Best for social selling, multi-channel outreach, and free tutorials.
Zopto is a cloud-based automation software made for social selling.
Pros
Unlike other tools, it offers a Twitter integration for automated platform engagement. With this integration, you are increasing your chances of getting noticed by automating certain Twitter actions, further expanding your outreach efforts.
Apart from automating LinkedIn, the tool offers email enrichment, which means it can fetch and verify business emails like Skylead. You can also A/B test your messages and enjoy an integrated inbox feature.
Lastly, the platform can schedule posts and gather data from LinkedIn group members to create a campaign lead source for a more specific outreach.
Cons
Zopto does not have a native image & GIF personalization feature, which adds up to the already costly monthly subscription. Apart from that, their inbox is limited to LinkedIn messages only, which makes it harder to navigate multichannel sequence campaigns. Lastly, Zopto does not support team management.
Conclusion
We believe that a good tool should have a large number of native features to avoid paying more for extensions. Another reason is that these extensions are less safe to use because they are easily detectable by LinkedIn’s surveillance. Opt for safety first and a comprehensive tool that covers all the features you need.
23. Luna AI
Best for creating, editing, and sharing outreach content.
Luna AI is a LinkedIn growth tool that uses artificial intelligence to create and fetch content and data.
Pros
You can use this tool to generate content for LinkedIn posts and emails using AI. Luna AI also acts as a prospecting tool, and it helps with finding the right leads.
Cons
Luna AI can’t create campaigns and perform a large portion of actions that other LinkedIn bots can. Moreover, it has no Smart sequences and no email automation.
Conclusion
While the tool can help with prospecting, generating leads, and content creation via AI, it is still missing crucial parts of LinkedIn and email automation. Opt for a bot that can do it all!
24. Taplio
Best for personal branding.
Taplio is an extension-based bot designed to help with LinkedIn growth. It was purchased by Lemlist and is now part of the Lemlist family.
Pros
The tool was created to help users with content creation and distribution. Therefore, you can use it to grow your personal brand with AI-powered suggestive features. The tool generates content for you, and it helps you get inspired with an AI-picked inspirations library.
Cons
This tool is not for outreach as it does not support LinkedIn automation, such as sending messages and crafting campaigns or email outreach.
Conclusion
Taplio looks like a good feature to use if your main focus is growing your brand on LinkedIn. It can be useful to thought leaders ready to create impactful content. Nonetheless, if you’re looking for all-around outreach, this extension is not your cup of tea.
25. Waalaxy
Best for its voice cloning technology which allows sending voice messages and air calls.
Waalaxy is an extension-based software solution for prospecting and generating leads on LinkedIn. It might not be the safest option since a code is inserted, which allows the software to act like a bot.
Pros
Waalaxy supports all LinkedIn profile types: LinkedIn Premium, Sales Navigator, and Recruiter. It can even create campaigns from a LinkedIn group member search, which might come in handy if this is your LinkedIn lead generation strategy.
As a multichannel outreach tool, Waalaxy supports an integrated inbox (although they charge extra to use it), which allows easy lead navigation. Lastly, it uses voice cloning technology to allow users to send personalized voice messages on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Voicemail.
Cons
As we’ve mentioned earlier, if you want to use the integrated inbox feature, Waalaxy is charging extra, apart from the usual monthly subscription. This means that there are hidden costs for a feature that is native to the majority of tools.
Besides, with no smart sequences, it might be hard to combine multiple outreach sources. When using LinkedIn, Waalaxy does not give you the option to send free or paid InMails, as Skylead does. This can significantly lower your outreach numbers.
Lastly, your personalization options are minimal. Since the tool does not have a native image & GIF personalization, this just means more extensions and more additional costs.
Conclusion
Safety should be your primary concern when it comes to bots for LinkedIn, so try avoiding extensions. Given these points, we believe that a tool should have all native features, and with Waalaxy, you’d have additional costs.
26. Reply.io
Best for all-around social automation.
Reply.io is an extension-based tool that focuses on email outreach - finding prospects and their data.
Pros
Reply offers social automation, which includes email, LinkedIn, voice calls, and WhatsApp. When using LinkedIn with Reply, you can send connection requestsand regular and InMailmessages. You can also automate certain actions like view profile and follow.
Apart from image & GIF personalization, Reply lets you use video personalization for a better response rate and generally more successful outreach. They also offer multi-channel sequences, where you can create drip campaigns and watch as your prospects convert one by one.
Cons
However, with Reply, not everything is as promised. There are multiple features you can use only if you pay extra. For example, if you want email automation or email verification & discovery, you can get them as third-party services from different software providers. This can significantly add to your monthly costs and complicate the outreach process.
Conclusion
Finally, if you're looking for something more intuitive and user-friendly, opt for a more comprehensive, all-in-one kind of solution.
27. Dux-Soup
Best for beginners who want to incorporate LinkedIn bots into their cold outreach.
Dux-Soup is an extension-based tool that supports basic LinkedIn automated actions via LinkedIn Premium, Sales Navigator, and Recruiter.
Pros
Unlike some other tools, you can use Dux-Soup to create a Recruiter campaign as well, which is an option not all bots have. The interface is user-friendly and simple, and you can send free and paid InMails in your campaigns.
Cons
Despite the pros, Dux-Soup is missing crucial outreach features like Image & GIF personalization and Smart sequences. Apart from that, you can’t create post engagement campaigns only from your own posts.
Lastly, the fact that it’s a Chrome extension can damage your account’s health and safety, which makes the bot detectable, and LinkedIn could restrict you.
Conclusion
Based on our knowledge, the best LinkedIn automation tools are safe and comprehensive, so if you’re looking for safety-first solutions, you should go cloud-based instead.
28. Expandi
Best for LinkedIn and email automation.
Expandi is a cloud-based solution with both LinkedIn and email automation.
Pros
They are the second bot on the market to introduce the smart sequence feature after Skylead. Plus, they offer additional automated actions such as auto skill endorsement and automated post likes.
One more thing to note is that, like Skylead, and Zopto, Expandi has the option to create LinkedIn Recruiter campaigns. You can also integrate the tool with other tools using only Zapier webhooks. Lastly, if you wish to learn more, you can always access their free tutorials.
Cons
Although the notable features might sound pretty good, the bot could be considered incomplete without the Email Discovery and Verification feature. To clarify, multichannel outreach should contain a find & verify feature. If it doesn’t, you’ll miss an opportunity to contact a lead via email if he’s not responding on LinkedIn. However, this bot has the option to scrape publicly available data and fetch personal emails, but only if you’ve connected with the lead.
After a lot of tests, we’ve discovered that not having a native Image & GIF Personalization feature could be a potential downside. Here’s how. In this case, these features are outsourced to Hyperise, which means apart from the regular subscription, you’d have to pay a hidden fee.
Note: Hyperise does not offer unlimited feature access.
Conclusion
After testing different bots for LinkedIn, we’ve found that although Expandi has a lot of built-in features, it is missing some key elements that support a strong and successful outreach. Why settle when you can have more in just one tool?
29. Dripify
Best for its many integration possibilities.
Dripify is a cloud-based automation solution that supports LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Recruiter Lite, Premium, and free LinkedIn accounts.
Pros
The Dripify bot allows users to automate a majority of LinkedIn actions as a part of their sequence with conditions. These actions include viewing profiles, endorsing skills, as well as sending connection requests and regular messages.
Dripify, just like many other tools, integrates with over 10,000+ software thanks to webhooks so that you can expand and optimize your outreach according to your work habits.
Cons
Firstly, despite the fact that Dripify has the smart sequence feature, to use it, you would need to pay extra and acquire a more expensive pricing plan. Even if you get one, you won’t be able to send free or paid InMails. Additionally, you can’t create campaigns with a Sales Navigator leads list or from a LinkedIn post, like with Skylead, which can narrow down your targeting options.
Lastly, with Dripify, there is no email automation or email discovery & verification, for that matter. If you’re on the lookout for an all-in-one tool, Dripify should not be your first choice.
Conclusion
All in all, hidden costs are never a good thing, and that’s precisely why you should opt for automation tools that cover a wide range of services under one monthly subscription.
30. Linked Helper 2
Best for automating LinkedIn.
LinkedHelper2 is a desktop app that focuses on generating leads and automating LinkedIn.
Pros
Linked Helper 2 offers the ability to create Recruiter search campaigns to help recruiters get to top talent. One of the pros is that Linked Helper 2 has an internal CRM, so you won’t need to integrate it with any other CRM. Finally, you can use filters to view your contact information history, search by tags, and add notes.
Cons
Safety should always come first when it comes to LinkedIn bots. This is a desktop app, which means it does not have a dedicated IP address. Additionally, the automation won’t work when your PC is off. There are no Smart sequences, an A/B testing option, or email automation, which can significantly downsize your outreach chances of success. Hence, you’d have to pay extra for Image & GIF personalization, as Linked Helper 2 outsources those services to Hyperise.
Conclusion
As we’ve said, we advise you to look at bots that don’t demand so many add-ons and third-party extensions. This means more funds and a scattered outreach. For that reason, look for a streamlined tool that has it all.
31. TexAu
Best for data scraping and some automated LinkedIn activities.
TexAu is an extension-based tool and a desktop app that is mainly used as a data scraper.
Pros
This bot can scrape data from almost any source. That includes Google, Facebook, LinkedIn groups, LinkedIn search results, LinkedIn profiles, YouTube, Twitter, and Quora.
Lastly, the software offers an email enrichment feature that analyzes LinkedIn profiles and finds and verifies business emails.
Cons
Many TexAu users have reported frequent bugs and a lack of learning materials for beginners. Another downside is that it seems to be difficult to set up a proxy. Lastly, TexAu does not support Smart sequences, which can, as we’ve learned, largely improve your outreach efforts.
Conclusion
Our journey with LinkedIn bots led us to the conclusion that you should be able to trust in your tool’s effectiveness. Therefore its features should be bug-free and trustworthy.
32. MeetAlfred
Best for social selling on LinkedIn.
MeetAlfred is a cloud-based tool that focuses on social selling on LinkedIn with automated social media features, such as Instagram and Twitter.
Pros
All connections are stored in one convenient place - MeetAlfred’s native CRM. With this bot, you can personalize messages, and all prospect responses can be found in an integrated inbox.
MeetAlfred also offers an email outreach feature. However, it can only send emails to your 1st-degree contacts, whereas Skylead can find, verify, and send emails to anyone.
Cons
MeetAlfred does not support progressive features such as smart sequences and email discovery & verification. Additionally, the tool doesn’t support a LinkedIn Recruiter account, and there’s no native image & GIF personalization. However, it supports Hyperise for an additional fee per month.
Conclusion
After researching and testing, we found many negative user feedback about the MeetAlfred bot. Also, the additional cost aspect is not a good thing, as you should opt for keeping all your native features under one solution.
33. LaGrowth Machine
Best for automated outreach.
LaGrowth Machine is a LinkedIn and email outreach platform with lead enrichment and actionable analytics.
Pros
With LaGrowth Machine, you can automate your outreach and create sequences with a series of actions. Another notable feature is the lead enrichment feature. You get to manage your leads effectively and get useful reports. Lastly, you can integrate with almost any other tool thanks to Zapier webhooks.
Cons
Despite the fact that the bot can perform so many actions, a crucial part is missing - the option to hyper-personalize your messages. We know that using them can significantly boost response rates. What's more, no native image & GIF feature can only lead to paying extra for a third-party service, which is something you should avoid doing.
Conclusion
Go for a tool that offers more features in one place without the need to pay for add-ons and third-party apps.
Frequently asked questions
If you’re still unsure of whether you need a LinkedIn bot or some things still might be unclear, we’ve prepared a list of FAQs just to be sure we’ve covered the basics.
Does LinkedIn allow bots?
The answer is no. LinkedIn does not support bots. This is why they constantly make an effort to impose limitations on their users (e.g., the number of connection requests per week). Their algorithms analyze user behavior and can restrict certain profiles only to send them to LinkedIn jail.
Is LinkedIn automation illegal?
It’s not illegal. However, LinkedIn does not like its users to use automation tools. That's why all account activity is under surveillance, and if LinkedIn notices something suspicious (e.g., excessive use of automation), they might restrict your account. Be sure to pick a tool that has your safety in mind.
How to tell if someone on LinkedIn is a bot?
Fake bot profiles usually lack crucial information, or the data provided is nonspecific and vague. This could mean no educational background, nonsense job titles, and missing or incomplete work histories. Watch out for a small number of connections, stock profile photos, no recommendations, and stolen identities as well.
Does LinkedIn block bots?
LinkedIn does not block bots but doesn’t support their usage, either. The platform fights against browser plug-ins, crawlers, browser extensions, or third-party add-ons by imposing certain limitations, such as limiting the number of sent connection requests and InMail messages.
Does LinkedIn have bots?
Yes. LinkedIn presented an AI-writing tool that is meant to help LinkedIn users create posts. However, the built-in LinkedIn AI bot is not a classic automation tool and cannot send connection requests and messages but rather just generates AI-powered post content.
Is using LinkedIn bots safe?
Depending on which bot you choose, using LinkedIn bots can be safe. In fact, some tools have multiple protectionlayers that battle against LinkedIn’s limitations. This includes a dedicated IP address, human-like behavior, and priorly set limits and delays that shield any account using a LinkedIn bot.
Ready to automate your LinkedIn outreach yet?
Our journey with LinkedIn bots began with a simple curiosity, and it led us to a series of surprising discoveries that we’ve shared with you. And now that we’ve reviewed the LinkedIn bots' potential, the options you have, and the FAQs, it’s safe to say that you are fully equipped to make a well-informed decision - Skylead! 😆
We’re kidding (or are we?!)
In all seriousness, having a comprehensive, all-in-one tool and getting your money’s worth is important. LinkedIn bots are a good investment and can significantly improve your business. If you choose correctly, that is. If you’re comfortable using your newly acquired tool, you can focus more on making top-performing results. Your competitors won’t stand a chance!
Now go, automate away, and remember to choose wisely, as it may determine the next successful phase of your business.
Need more guidance? Chat with us! Say hello to Skylead’s support team, and let them help you start your7-day free trial now!
If LinkedIn prospecting, lead generation, and even marketing automation are a part of your job, you’ve probably heard of Dux-Soup. This tool helps you to find and engage with your target audience in real-time and on autopilot.
However, there is a lot of discussion about whether Dux-Soup is safe to use for your LinkedIn account, how effective it is, or if there is any better alternative. So, to resolve any mysteries revolving Dux-Soup, in this article, we cover everything you need to know, including:
What Dux-Soup offers;
How much Dux-Soup subscriptions cost;
Is using Dux-Soup really safe;
And the best Dux-Soup alternatives with the feature comparison table.
Let’s dive into it.
Dux-Soup or alternatives?
LinkedIn automation software, Dux-Soup, helps sales teams, recruiter specialists, and outbound marketers find LinkedIn prospects, reach them on autopilot, and close deals. In other words, it optimizes outreach workflow by streamlining some of the time-consuming tasks on LinkedIn.
These tasks include:
Scanning your target audience’s LinkedIn accounts;
Sending connection requests, LinkedIn InMails, and regular LinkedIn messages;
And auto endorse feature.
Dux-Soup also offers drip outreach campaigns that allow you to send messages and follow-ups in a simple sequence. In addition, you can add up to 12 messages in the campaign and set delays between them. However, these features are only available for Turboplan subscribers.
Moreover, Dux-Soup is able to find email addresses of your 2nd and 3rd-degree connections. However, you will need to buy additional Dux-Soup points to do so. Prices of these points range from $11.91 for 100 emails, to $135.44 for 2000 emails.
For all those who wonder how it works, this LinkedIn automation software is a chrome extension. To clarify, you need to create your account and install a chrome extension to use it. Moreover, you need to keep your PC and browser on to run successfully.
If you use any CRM, like Pipedrive or Hubspot, you can integrate it via Zapier. If you need help with integration, you can always contact the Dux-Soup support team.
Lastly, Dux-Soup is considered one of the simplest LinkedIn lead generation software, as it doesn’t offer many prospecting and outreach features. So it’s suitable for small businesses that are just getting started and freelancers who are beginners.
Chrome extension disadvantages
Being a chrome extension, Dux-Soup does come with some severe drawbacks.
Firstly, chrome extensions are unsafe since they automatically inject the code into LinkedIn. This code injection would’ve been fine if this social media platform didn’t like its users to use any LinkedIn automation. Thus, by injecting the code into this social media platform, LinkedIn can register if you’re using automation software. Furthermore, you risk getting your LinkedIn profile restricted.
Moreover, this LinkedIn automation tool doesn’t offer a dedicated IP to shield your activity.
Secondly, chrome extensions cannot work unless your PC or laptop is on. This means you cannot set the software to run in the background, turn off your computer and forget about it for the day.
Apart from these disadvantages, chrome extensions don’t offer an advanced reporting system or integrated inbox, nor do they mimic human-like behavior.
Due to the previously-mentioned limitations, you might find worth in exploring cloud-basedLinkedIn automation tools. In other words, a cloud-based solution provides a dedicated IP address, doesn’t inject any code, and mimics human-like behavior. What’s more, with this type of automation, you can manage multiple accounts, have an integrated inbox, and, most importantly, it works even when your PC is turned off. What’s better than that? 🙂
Dux-Soup pricing
Dux-Soup offers 3 pricing plans and sub-plans, depending on team size and available features.
Individual Pricing Plan
Individual
Main features
Price per seat / month (ex. VAT)
Free
Visit profiles only;Search by tags;
$0
Pro Dux
- Scan & visits profiles;- Send connection requests;- Sends follow-up messages;- Sends direct LinkedIn messages & InMails;- Auto endorse;- Auto profile tagging;- Data export/import;
$11.25
Turbo Dux
- Scan & visits profiles;- Send connection requests;- Sends follow-up messages;- Sends direct LinkedIn messages and InMails;- Auto endorse;- Unlimited drip campaigns;- Integrations;- Reports;- Auto profile tagging;- Data export/import;
$41.25
Dux-Soup charges Individual pricing plans monthly or yearly, as per your choosing. In addition, if you’re looking to use the free version, you’ll soon notice that you cannot do much with it. So, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid version if you wish to use this software for real outreach.
Team pricing plan
Team
Main features
Price per seat / annually (ex. VAT)
Pro Edition
- Scan & visits profiles;- Send connection requests;- Sends follow-up messages;- Sends direct LinkedIn messages & InMails;- Auto endorse;- Auto profile tagging;- Data export/import; - Dux-Soup VIP customer support;
$135
Turbo Edition
- Scan & visits profiles;- Send connection requests;- Sends follow-up messages;- Sends direct LinkedIn messages and InMails;- Auto endorse;- Unlimited drip campaigns;- Integrations;- Reports;- Auto profile tagging;- Data export/import; - Dux-Soup VIP customer support;
$495
To clarify, Team plans are only charged annually and use a tiered pricing model. For example, choosing between 1-10 seats will cost you $135 per seat. If, however, you select a seat number between 11 and 20, you’ll pay $121.50 per seat, etc.
Agency pricing plan
Agency
Main features
Price per month total (ex. VAT)
Pro
- Scan & visits profiles;- Send connection requests;- Sends follow-up messages;- Sends direct LinkedIn messages & InMails;- Auto endorse;- Auto profile tagging;- Data export/import; - Dux-Soup VIP customer support;
$337.50
Turbo
- Scan & visits profiles;- Send connection requests;- Sends follow-up messages;- Sends direct LinkedIn messages and InMails;- Auto endorse;- Unlimited drip campaigns;- Integrations;- Reports;- Auto profile tagging;- Data export/import; - Dux-Soup VIP customer support;
$412.50
Pro and Turbo Agency sub plans have 10 and 30 prepaid accounts, respectively. You can always add more seats, which will be charged additionally. However, if you do not use some seats, you cannot refund them.
7 best Dux-Soup alternatives
Dux-Soup is a beginner-friendly LinkedIn automation tool with very limited features. However, if you wish to really step up your outreach game and protect your LinkedIn profile, we suggest trying out one of the following Dux-Soup alternatives.
Skylead
That’s us - Hello! It’s nice to meet you 🙂
Skylead is a LinkedIn Automation & Cold Email Software that helps sales teams, recruiters, and alike streamline tedious outreach tasks. It even serves as marketing automation, helping individuals with backlink outreach and network expansion.
It’s not like we’re praising Skylead for no reason, but it really is the best alternative to Dux-Soup on the market. Let us explain.
Firstly, Skylead is a cloud-based solution. It means it doesn’t inject any code into LinkedIn, so this social media can’t notice the automation. Most importantly, your LinkedIn profile gets threefold security:
You get a dedicated IP that shields your activity;
Skylead mimics human-like behavior, making it impossible for LinkedIn to detect it;
And your profile starts from warmup mode, slowly increasing the activity over time.
In addition, with Skylead, you get to manage multiple accounts. Moreover, you get an integrated Smart Inbox to see all your correspondence with the lead from any platform.
Skylead integrates with LinkedIn Premium, Sales Navigator, Recruiter, and Recruiter Lite. Therefore, anyone can use it to close deals - from sales teams, recruiters, marketers of any small businesses, agencies, and even freelancers. That said, you can create outreach campaigns based on 6 sources:
CSV file with native or custom variables to increase response rate or acceptance rate.
Lastly, while we’re still on the integration train, you’d be happy to know that Skylead can integrate with any other app via API, Zapier, or Integromat. You can even integrate it with your favorite CRM, like Pipedrive or HubSpot.
Sounds amazing, right? We’re just getting started. 😀
Let’s cover other amazing features of Skylead.
Change your LinkedIn outreach game with Smart Sequences
Unlike Dux-Soup's simple outreach campaigns, Skylead offers Smart Sequences - a ground-breaking algorithm that performs actions according to your lead's behavior. In other words, Smart Sequences gather all outreach activities in one place and execute them depending on your leads’ actions.
The true benefit of this unique algorithm is that it optimizes your workflow by streamlining all time-consuming tasks in real-time. Skylead then continues executing further actions depending on your lead's behavior, thanks to If/Else conditions.
In addition, Dux-Souplimits your drip campaign to a maximum of 12 messages. However, with Skylead, you can send an unlimited amount of LinkedIn messages, InMails, and emails and perform other actions in a sequence.
Whatsmore, you also get advanced analytics and reporting for each step and action in a sequence. To be precise, you can analyze:
Graph Metrics for visual representations of the ratio between the actions;
Table view for spotting trends that happen during specific days;
Sequence steps to examine steps in detail.
Moreover, with Skylead, you can A/B test each part of the messages and see which one works best for you.
Increase conversion rates with email outreach
Dux-Soup specializes in LinkedIn outreach alone. However, we all know that email is an essential means of communication. So, the best sales approach is to multichannel your outreach. That’s why Skylead introduced an Email Outreach, allowing you to expand your reach to leads who aren’t active on LinkedIn. With this functionality you will increase response rate and the conversion rate, as well.
Decrease a bounce rate with email discovery & verification feature
Dux-Soup offers an email finder feature. However, there is no say if these emails are verified. Thus, the validity of these emails might be compromised, and you can end up with a high bounce rate and damaged domain.
With Skylead, you can find and verify leads' business emails with any connection type from the chosen lead source. In addition, Skylead can find and verify an unlimited number of emails, whereas, with Dux-Soup, you can only find 2000.
Lastly, unlike Dux-Soup, Skylead doesn’t charge extra for Email Discovery & Verification features. In other words, you can find and verify as many emails as you’d like at no additional cost.
Increase your response rate with hyper-personalized images & GIFs
Did you know that you can increase the response rate and the acceptance rate by simply incorporating a personalized image or GIF? Yes, it’s true. This feature demonstrates the alternative sales approach and shows that you’re a human, not just another salesperson.
That’s why Skylead offers Native Images & GIFs Hyper-Personalization feature, so you can stand out in the crowd and need not pay for this feature to other platforms to do so.
Connect with your leads faster by sending 500+ invites a week
With Skylead, you can send 500+ invitations per week and thus avoid LinkedIn’s limits. This way, you can reach leads faster than with any tool on the market. Most importantly, you’ll also achieve your sales quota by closing more deals per month.
Pricing
Skylead is an All-In-One tool that costs $100 per seat a month. However, unlike other LinkedIn outreach tools on the market, and from this list, Skylead doesn’t limit the number of features you can use.
In addition, we offer different video and article tutorials, as well as sequence and message templates to get inspired.
Lastly, Skylead has a very dedicated customer support team that is ready to help anyone with the questions they might have.
Zopto
Next in line for the best alternative to Dux-Soup is Zopto. This tool is another cloud-based Dux-Soup alternative sales teams use for LinkedIn prospecting and lead generation.
Firstly, Zopto supports LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Recruiter, or Premium accounts. Moreover, being a cloud-based solution, it offers integrated inbox and integrations with Hubspot, Pipedrive, or other CRMs via Zapier or API.
Secondly, feature-wise, Zopto has an email discovery functionality, named Email Enrichment. However, unlike Dux-Soup, it can verify them. Sadly, Zopto limits how many leads you can enrich with the email, depending on the pricing plan, whereas Skylead doesn’t.
What differs between Zopto and Skylead is that with Zopto, you can create and schedule LinkedIn posts and like Tweets on autopilot.
However, Zopto doesn’t have Smart Sequences like Skylead, which is a significant disadvantage. Instead, it offers a simple 4-step drip campaign with no conditions available.
Zopto offers 3 monthly-subscription-based plans.
Personal: $215 / month for 1 account
Grow: $344 / month for 2 accounts
Agency: $860 / month for 5+ accounts
As you can see, Zopto estimates their pretty basic lead generation tool at the highest price on the market. So if you're considering Dux-Soup alternatives, you should analyze this and other tools' cost VS features ratio to make the right decision.
WeConnect
WeConnect is another cloud-based LinkedIn automation tool that can be used with either LinkedIn Premium, Sales Navigator, or Recruiter Lite accounts (it doesn’t support Recruiter accounts).
Firstly, WeConnect offers an integrated inbox where you can see all your messages. In addition, you can integrate WeConnect with any tool using API or Zapier and streamline your workflow to the fullest.
As for other exciting features, WeConnect offers A/B message testing like Zopto and Skylead.
Sadly, WeConnect, an Expandi alternative, doesn’t offer advanced features like Post Engagement Campaigns, Image & GIF personalization, or Smart Sequences. Even if they claim they have Smart Sequences, they do not since this sequence doesn’t have conditions, as Skylead does. Instead, they offer a simple drip campaign with a different action, including:
Profile visit;
Post like;
Invite to connect;
Follow;
Regular and free InMail messaging;
Message group members.
Lastly, the significant disadvantage of WeConnect is that you cannot use a multichannel outreach. In other words, it doesn’t offer Email Discovery & Verification and Email Automation features.
If you need some basic LinkedIn outreach campaign, such as from LinkedIn, Sales Navigator, Recruiter Lite search, or CSV, then WeConnect could work for you for $49 per user/month.
Lead Connect
Another Dux-Soup alternative is Lead Connect - a chrome extension you can use with LinkedIn Premium or Sales Navigator accounts.
Even though it’s not a cloud solution, you can use it to create a campaign via CSV file. In addition, Lead Connect offers a drip campaign with a few features and steps available:
If you don’t know what to write in a message, Lead Connect has got your back. They offer various templates to get inspired. However, you should know that the number of templates available depends on your chosen pricing plan.
Lead Connect has integration with Hubspot, or you can connect it with any other CRM via Zapier. Moreover, it’s integrated with other email discovery tools, such as Hunter.io, so you can find your prospect’s emails. Sadly, you’d need to pay an additional cost for it.
Unfortunately, Lead Connect doesn’t have Smart Sequences, Image & GIF Personalization, nor does it support Recruiter.
Price-wise, this tool offers 4 plans depending on the number of invites and messages you can send and templates you can use per day:
Free
Professional: $25.95 per month
Grow: $45.95 per month
Ultimate: $85.95 per month
Linked Helper 2
As opposed to Dux-Soup, Linked Helper 2 is a desktop-based tool. In other words, it’s a bit safer since it doesn’t inject code into LinkedIn. However, this kind of software still doesn’t offer a dedicated IP address, nor can you manage multiple accounts. Furthermore, you need to keep a PC on to work.
With Linked Helper 2, you can create Recruiter search campaigns. In addition, all contacts are kept in Linked Helper’s CRM, and you can search them by tags and add notes.
Sadly, Linked Helper 2 doesn’t offer a list of advanced cold outreachfeatures other tools have, such as:
Smart Sequences;
Image & GIF personalization;
Post-engagement campaign;
A/B testing;
Email Automation;
Linked Helper 2 is affordable, and you can get some basic lead generation features for $15 a month. Needless to say that they limit this plan based on invites and messages you can send a day.
If you wish to get rid of this limit, you can opt-in for a $45 subscription with unlimited basic features.
Meet Alfred
Another cloud-based LinkedIn outreach tool that salespeople use for lead generation is Meet Alfred. What separates Meet Alfred from other tools is that it mainly automates social media activities such as scheduling Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn posts.
Even though they point out Email Outreach as their second main feature, it's worth noting that it is incomplete. To clarify, with Meet Alfred, you can only send emails to your 1st-degree connections. This means that if the prospects don't accept your LinkedIn invitation, you won't be able to reach them via email. So, you can't use multichannel to its fullest potential.
In addition, like other tools mentioned above, you can connect Meet Alfred with other software via Zapier's webhooks.
Unlike Skylead, Meet Alfred doesn't have Smart Sequences but offers a simple drip campaign with more steps available than Zopto. Other disadvantages include a lack of email discovery and verification features. In addition, it doesn't have native Image & GIF personalization. However, since they are integrated with Hyperise, you can pay an additional monthly amount for this feature.
Price-wise, Mee tAlfred offers the following plans:
$49 for single users and limited features;
$89 for Sales Navigator users;
$699 for large sales teams.
Salesflow
A cloud-based solution, Salesflow, is a tool that isn’t compatible with Recruiter, unlike other solutions from our list. So you can create the campaigns only from Sales Navigator or LinkedIn search results.
You can also import a CSV file with the customer’s info and create a campaign sequence based on that source. Speaking of campaign sequences, like Zopto, Salesflow doesn’t offer Smart Sequences. However, you can send as many LinkedIn messages as possible, whereas Zopto limits you to a 4-step campaign sequence. Moreover, they offer some message templates should you need any inspiration.
When connection requests, with Salesflow, you can send 400 invites per month.
In addition, Salesflow doesn’t have an Email Outreach feature, nor does it have Email Discovery & Verification. So, you cannot use multichannel outreach to the fullest.
Lastly, it provides CRM. However, if you don’t find it adequate, you can always integrate it with other tools via Zapier.
SalesFlow users can opt-in for one of the 3 pricing plans, depending on the number of users and features available:
For small businesses €89 per user/month;
Teams can choose from €71, €57, and custom price per month, depending on the number of users;
If you wish a Done-For-You subscription, prepare for a €429 per user / month;
The Agency plan comes with custom pricing.
How to cancel Dux-Soup?
If you wish to try out any of the LinkedIn automation tools listed above, you need to cancel your Dux-Soup subscription first and link your LinkedIn account to other software.
Here’s a short tutorial on how to do it.
To cancel your subscription, you need to access your Dux-Soup dashboard. Simply click the Dux-Soup extension at the top of your browser, and click the Dux-Dash button.
Then, from your dashboard go to Manage Account & Subscription.
Then click the Dux-Soup subscription button.
Lastly, click the Cancel Subscription button. Yes- it’s that easy.
Final thoughts and feature comparison
As mentioned, Dux-Soup has a so-called feature starters pack for LinkedIn lead generation, outreach, and prospecting. However, if you wish to step up your game, it might be time to move on to the next LinkedIn automation tool on the market.
Thus, here is the table with full feature comparison to help you choose the best alternative.
And remember, it’s about your business needs. So, take time to analyze the features, check for limitations, and integrations, calculate the price VS features ratio and inspect LinkedIn profile compatibility. Only then will you be able to find the right tool for your cold outreach that will help you with your outreach conversion rate.
Enjoy the research!
If you have any questions about Skylead, feel free to contact our support team via chat. They’ll be more than happy to meet you and help. Or simply dive right in and try Skylead yourself by starting a 7-day Free Trial.
According to the ManpowerGroup surveyfrom Q3 2021, 69% of companies and talent acquisition specialists around the globe reportedtalent shortage. Moreover, according to Officevibe*, some top candidates have a 10-day windowbefore landing a job.
Now, with the short time frame and a small pool to pick highly-qualified candidates from, talent acquisition specialists are in a difficult position. If they wish to hire the best employees, that is. This is more than enough reason to roll your sleeves and research talent acquisition and how to ace it.
So, if you wish to help your company, and find the best talent out there, then get ready for the jolly ride. We will uncover everything there is to know about talent acquisition and reveal tips to help you hire the best talent out there.
What is talent acquisition?
Talent acquisition is a process of recognizing and gathering the top employees for the company. In other words, talent acquisition means finding and nurturing the right employees according to the company’s needs.
The importance of talent acquisition has become evident to companies all over the globe, regardless the size. The reason is that talent acquisition specialists:
Attract the most skilled employees on the market to fill the key roles according to company culture and strategy. This ultimately leads to the company’s improvement and reaching the desired results;
Nurture and keep employees motivated, which leads to high retention rates and company advocacy;
Develop and provide education to help employees reach their professional goals;
Find the right employees and therefore save hiring time and money in the long run;
Are advocates for the company and provide the best hiring experience, thus creating a competitive advantage in the labor market;
Establish a talent pool for future hires, thus being prepared in advance.
And we just named a few 🙂
Recruiting and talent acquisition are often mistaken for one another. Yet, these two are the different sides of the same coin. Moreover, talent acquisition and recruiting may or may not be a part of the same sector. However, they are closely tied and cannot work without one another, which will cover in a second.
Talent acquisition VS recruitment
What is the Difference Between Recruitment and Talent Acquisition?
Talent acquisition is much more than just recruiting. It is a strategy on how a company should present itself in the labor market and become an ideal place to work in. Furthermore, the talent acquisition team is responsible for everything talent-related, including but not limited to:
how to source the talent;
supervise hiring;
hire themselves in some cases;
identify future leaders for the organization;
lastly, they are responsible for screening candidates for leadership positions and the ones who need diversified training.
As opposed to the strategy, recruiting is the sole action of filling job vacancies and short-term company hiring requirements. In other words, recruiters:
Find candidates or screen job applications;
Interview candidates;
Evaluate and select;
Hire candidates.
What is a talent acquisition specialist and what do they need for a job well done?
So what does the talent acquisition specialist need to have for the job? First, they need to have a psychology background and to know their way around people. Secondly, they also need to know how to nourish relationships inside and outside the company. Thirdly, they need to keep employer branding at the highest level.
Another thing someone needs to have is strategic thinking and the ability to know what the company needs or will need in the future.
As their job is to find top talents, talent acquisition specialists need to know how to do their research. Moreover, they need to know how to track job search impulses, set candidate alerts, and find perfect candidates for the job at the right time.
Lastly, it is always handy to have a set of sales skills for interviewing top-tier candidates. To clarify, the sales skills will help you get the employee that does not necessarily wish to change their job but would be just perfect for the role.
Process of talent acquisition
Talent acquisition includes the following stages:
Strategy Development
Establishing/Updating Talent Pipeline
Lead Generation
Recruiting
Interviewing
References Evaluation
Candidate Selection
Hiring ( and Onboarding)
Succession Planning
Let’s get into the details with every one of these activities.
1. Talent acquisition strategy development
Before developing any talent acquisition strategy, one must first define:
The company’s position in the market;
Budget available for talent acquisition activities;
Who the competitors are;
Competitors’ labor market behavior and their funding (if available).
Once you establish the previously mentioned, you can use that information to plan your strategy carefully.
There are two types of strategies that go hand in hand:
Employer branding strategy
Talent finding and acquiring strategy
The strategies can be any combination of activities. From participation in the job fairs and universities to boost your employer's brand awareness and gather early talents, or referral programs and sponsoring job fairs, for example. Only, whatever you decide your strategies are, be detailed, organized and mindful of your company’s industry, needs, and the budget.
2. Establishing talent acquisition pipeline
As talent acquisition strategy depends on talent pipelines, you need to create a mechanism to keep them full at all times. If your talent flow for every position in your company is continuous, you will always have someone to pick and choose from, should the need arise.
Otherwise, you need to discover what makes your pipeline “leaky” so you do not waste additional resources to fix the damage every time.
3. Lead generation
Once you have your strategies and talent pool in place, you need to define the online (and offline) channels you will use to find and generate your leads, aka candidates. Next, you need to write an alluring job post and an application form to start filtering out and identifying the best candidates. Lastly, distribute them across defined channels and according to your strategy.
4. Recruiting
If your company doesn’t have a separate recruiting sector, get ready to roll your sleeves. Recruiting is much more than just interviewing the candidates and choosing the right talent. Remember, they are also choosing you.
So apart from standard recruiting and evaluating the applications that landed in your inbox, you need to do something extra. Firstly, establish ways to create a positive experience for your candidates. Secondly, nurture them throughout the process. Lastly, keep the relationship with those who are not currently your ideal match but someday they might be.
5. Interviewing
This is where your psychological background and sales skills really shine. When interviewing the candidates, talent acquisition specialist should ask a series of questions related to:
the candidate's specialty;
problem-solving skills;
resourcefulness.
And not to forget, they need to figure out if the candidate has skills for any current or future positions.
Interviewing is usually held between 2 to 4 instances, depending on position seniority. However, talent acquisition specialists are trying to shorten the number of instances to provide as pleasurable an experience as possible.
6. References evaluation
Talent acquisition specialists often forget to cross-reference the information their candidates provide during the interview. Reference evaluating can provide another perspective on your candidate, confirm your thoughts and opinions, or provide additional information you wouldn’t find anywhere else.
7. Candidate selection
Talent acquisition specialists and recruiters lean on many metrics and systems to make data-driven decisions and select the top candidate for the job. Some of them include candidate scoring, internal evaluating systems, and even software that can do that for them. So be sure to research these systems and choose one which works best for both you and your company.
8. Hiring and onboarding
In some companies, talent acquisition teams also onboard new employees. Thus, apart from showing them around the office, or workflow, talent acquisition specialists are responsible for establishing new relationships. That said, incorporating efficient Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) can greatly facilitate talent acquisition specialists in streamlining the onboarding process, ensuring new hires are integrated smoothly into the company's ecosystem.
9. Succession planning
The last activity that talent acquisition specialists need to do is succession planning. a process of identifying and finding substitute candidates for the leadership roles within the company in case something unexpected should happen or in case of retirement.
Succession planning is beneficial due to several reasons. Firstly, the company is always ready for any unexpected events. Secondly, it encourages employee development within the organization. Lastly, succession planning allows filling the roles quickly without losing much of the workflow.
15 Tips and best-case practices to improve talent acquisition activities
1. Minimum requirements
When creating a job description, it’s best to define the minimum and the maximum requirements someone needs to have to be qualified for the initial interview. To clarify, the reason for the minimum requirements is that you might meet someone who doesn’t have the highest experience you need, but they might have it in the future.
This means you can put them straight into your talent pool and contact them at a later stage. Or perhaps the person with less experience is a perfect match according to other company parameters (e.g. cultural, behavioral), as opposed to the one with the maximum requirements.
2. Collaborate with other sectors
Every sector and job position within the company has its specialties and expressions different from what the talent acquisition team uses. It’s okay not to know them all, as long as you keep collaborating with the rest of the company during the previously mentioned process for individual positions.
3. Write job post that is alluring
With each vacancy comes a special job description. So, be aware of what kind of talent you wish to draw to your company and write job posts to appeal to them. Spice it up with some benefits, perks, and employer branding testimonies, and you’ll be good to go for initial lead generation.
4. Remote or hybrid workspace
To stay competitive in the labor market, you must keep up with the trends. And one of the most popular trends now is precisely Remote or Hybrid workspace. Be mindful of this, and if your company doesn’t offer a fully remote position, at least offer a hybrid position, so you don’t lose top talents over this.
5. Where to build a pipeline?
Different talent acquisition teams use different platforms to help them build their talent pipeline and keep track of the candidates. That said, the most widely used is LinkedIn Recruiter or Recruiter Lite, which allows you to get candidates inside the pipeline with just one click and to the appropriate pipeline stage.
6. Include your co-workers in the process
It’s nifty to discover alternative ways to find and generate your candidates. However, remember that you, as a talent acquisition specialist, are not alone in your company. Thus, think about creating a referral program for your employees.
Your co-workers are the next best thing to know what kind of personnel your company needs, and if you set proper awards, you are more likely to find the right candidates quicker. After all, there is a “Six degrees of separation*” theory stating that any person can be connected to any other person in the world through six intermediaries at most.
7. Don’t rush
Finding the right employee is not an easy task, especially if we talk about C-suite positions. Thus, take your time and do not rush any activity. If you are thorough and dedicate time to each part of the talent acquisition process, you will save resources in the future.
For example, most talent acquisition specialists use LinkedIn Recruiter, and the one thing they never rush is filtering the right candidates for the job. Thus, take advantage of every LinkedIn Recruiter filter and take your time zeroing in on the candidates you will reach out to.
8. Research your candidates
If, for example, you use LinkedIn to find candidates, you should consider the following advice.
Firstly, to laser-target your candidates, be sure to specify your search as much as possible. In other words, use filters to import the most relevant skills needed for the role.
Secondly, when looking at LinkedIn profiles, observe the diversity of interests a person has. The information you find will contribute to your company and imply what you need to do to achieve employee satisfaction.
Thirdly, if you are searching for the people to fill in higher-up roles, be sure to analyze the skills they possess that served them in the previous positions that can be usable for the one you are reaching out to.
Lastly, if, for example, you're searching for a team leader for your programming team, you might consider how the team could contribute to the team leader’s development.
9. Streamline a part of your talent acquisition process
If you headhunt using LinkedIn Recruiter, then you must’ve experienced how tiresome it is to reach out to every person on the list manually. Luckily, you don’t have to. You can streamline your outreach process by getting a solution to do it for you and thus save so much time.
Take Skylead, for example. You can create an outreach campaign quickly and easily. Firstly, take your LinkedIn Recruiter pipeline or talent pool URL with all the candidates you found by prospecting on LinkedIn.
Then, go to Skylead and paste it into the respective field. Be sure to name your campaign, and select the type of campaign.
Next, create your Smart Sequence steps and your messages. To clarify, Smart Sequences are Skylead’s groundbreaking algorithms. They allow you to use multichannel outreach and personalization at scale.
And you are done!It is that simple.
Skylead can also help you schedule your interviews from the Smart Inbox, so there is no need to navigate between the platforms.
10. Personalize your messages
Nobody likes getting generic emails, nor will your ideal candidates for the top-level job. Thus, to provide the best experience for your candidates, make sure to personalize your outreach according to their resume or LinkedIn profile. For example, include their name, position, or the skills that stood out to you the most.
11. Don’t forget to proofread
Typos, wrong names, and grammatical errors in your email can come across as unprofessional and can put your company in a bad light. So, to avoid this, edit, proofread your messages, and double-check contact information for any mistakes before sending.
12. Timing is everything
Good timing is a desired virtue for talent acquisition specialists to have. Timing to recognize and outreach candidates at just the right time according to their job search impulses.
However, there is one other timing equally if not more important than that - responding to your candidates on time. If you wait too long, especially if you hire management roles, you risk losing your candidate’s interest and someone else taking them over.
13. Choose your questions carefully
Sometimes the candidates won’t be as direct as you would like them to be. So, to get the information, you need to get creative during the conversation. The best-case approach here is to ask so-called probing questions to specify their response. In other words, you can ask them a series of questions like:
- Tell me, how did you manage a group of people to achieve the best productivity throughout the day?
- What objectives did you set for the group?
- How did you motivate them?
- What was the most difficult part of this task?
In addition, take note of what the candidate asks you in return, how they prioritize their interest for the role, and what they are curious about the company (benefits, conditions, market share, organization culture, etc.).
14. How should talent acquisition team choose the best candidate?
Selecting the right candidate for the job can be a hard decision for a talent acquisition specialist. If you are lucky, you can pinpoint the person you wish for your organization. However, what to do if you have two or more top talents in your hand?
Hire them all 🙂
Jokes aside, here is what you can do to ease your decision.
The first thing you need to pay attention to is authenticity and synchronicity between the candidate's personal preferences and the information you get from the interview. In other words, analyze verbal and non-verbal communication, and the thought process and write your observation down.
The other thing you can also do is to walk the candidates through questions about personal preferences of informal, trivial topics and get to the main questions later. Using this method, the candidate could reveal themselves through potential incoherence.
Once you have all data in place, choose the candidate with the smallest amount of discrepancy and highest compatibility.
15. Honesty is the best talent acquisition strategy
Somehow in the business world, we always come back to honesty, and talent acquisition is no exception. I mean, have you heard about Microsoft’s promise to disclose salary ranges in January 2023?
Many talent acquisition specialists are true advocates for honesty, and there are major reasons for that. Firstly, it adds to the authenticity. Talent acquisition specialists often share why they work in a particular company, their motives, and what motivates them the most to be where they are. This way, candidates can see the true passion in the conversation and wish to work in that company, as well.
Talent acquisition specialists and recruiters thus act as a live banner of the company. If the candidates do not resonate with the passion, it’s best to reveal it from the start - it will save you so much time in the future.
So, keep in mind that being honest and believing in your company is one of the best things you need to show to your candidates. Not only will you filter and acquire the best candidates, but you will also contribute to the Employer branding strategy.
Lastly, your honesty and passion will be such a strong argument that negotiations and whether someone wishes to work for the company won’t even be a question anymore.
Summary
Talent acquisition and the labor market are one of the most changed segments due to technological development in the last couple of years. Apart from company Goodwill, talent acquisition sectors are the ones that represent a company directly to the outside world.
Speaking from the company’s point of view, it pretty much became a standard to have talent acquisition specialists simply because of all the benefits it comes along: from resource savings to reaching higher goals by finding a perfect match and employee satisfaction.
However, none of it comes without the talent acquisition team’s hard work and activities that involve:
Strategy Development
Establishing/Updating Talent Pipeline
Lead Generation
Recruiting
Interviewing
References Evaluation
Candidate Selection
Hiring ( and Onboarding)
Succession Planning
And let’s not forget that our trusted talent acquisition specialists are go-to guys for everyone in the company. They are somewhat of our genie in the bottle for professional development.
Nonetheless, talent acquisition specialists can perfect their craft by following the tips and best-case practices mentioned above. Lastly, people are dynamic, so if you, as a talent acquisition specialist, help others develop their talents, don’t forget about yourself.
Wish to discover how to streamline your talent acquisition process? Check out Skylead and schedule a Demo!
We all know that LinkedIn is the #1 tool to find B2B sales leads. And with an impressive 810 million users, search filters, and many features such as business insights, how could it not be? However, finding leads who would be immensely interested in what you sell is not an easy task, even on LinkedIn.
So, here is the question: As your sales quota depends on the perfect targeting, would you lean on LinkedIn as your only lead source? Would you decide not to do extra targeting work and risk getting the wrong sales leads or wasting time building campaigns that won’t convert?
Fear not. There is a way you can take your prospecting up a notch. How - by searching the sales leads all over the internet and discovering the ones that will match your ICP or buyer persona perfectly.
That is why, in this article, we will go over a couple of places outside of LinkedIn where you can find sales leads and improve your prospecting efforts.
So let’s put our detective cap on, and jump to it.
What you need to do before searching for the leads online
Unveiling the bigger picture
If you plan to find sales leads and do cold outreach, you should go all in and be prepared.
Cold outreach, aka outbound, is a powerful way to build relationships and close more deals if done right. However, one should not forget that cold outreach is just a portion of the bigger picture. In other words, there are a lot of things that should be working in the background.
So before you start to find leads online, here are the 3 mainthings you shouldprepare first.
1. Build your inbound strategy
Imagine a scenario where you outreached the lead, and they visited the website to learn more about the product. Perhaps they wanted to see or download templates and documents or chat with support.
However, the website they land on has no blogs, educational content, lead generation forms, nor the possibility to book a demo, and the chat is just the thought of the future. I can go on, but you get the gist. Your cold outreach, in this case, won’t be successful as the lead will perceive you as unprofessional or not credible. Consequently, you will waste your lead.
Whether we would like to admit it or not, inbound and outbound are mutually beneficial. One affects the other, and you should have both prepared for the maximum results.
2. Define your ICP and buyer persona
Both Ideal Customer Profile and Buyer Persona are the documents that dictate what type of company or a person you are going to outreach. Thus, defining both should be your first step before finding sales leads.
To clarify, the Ideal Customer Profile describes the company that would benefit the most from your product or service. These companies should have the fastest conversion cycle, highest LTV, highest customer retention, and are willing to refer your product or service to others.
On the other hand, a Buyer Persona describes your perfect decision-maker. In other words, a Buyer Persona is a collection of a person’s data such as age, location, likes, dislikes, goals, wishes, challenges, and motivations.
Ideally, both Buyer Persona and ICP should be based on existing customers and the data, as it will help you define these documents more precisely.
Education alert! We prepared step-by-step guides on how to create your ICP and a Buyer Persona, as well as free templates to get you started, so be sure to check them out.
3. Create the sales leads personalization document
Social Selling is about building relationships and helping your sales leads reach their goals with your product.
However, before doing so, you need to catch their attention and find the means to start the conversation genuinely. So, the big part of your research is finding the sales leads' details to help you personalize your cold outreach.
To personalize your outreach at scale, you would need to get crafty. In other words, while finding the perfect sales leads, you would need to research what they do, the content they published, or get more personal by finding their hobby.
This is where you will feel like a true detective. Start by creating an Excel file with the columns such as:
First name;
Last name;
LinkedIn profile URL;
Company.
Then, continue by inserting information, such as:
The topic of the content they published;
What stood out for you the most from the particular post;
School they went to;
Field of study;
Jobs they posted;
Company growth information;
Personalized message intro (the message you can create based on above mentioned);
In other words, create a column for everything you can come across while researching. The reason for this document is every piece of this document becomes actionable in your outreach. So, read on to see how you can use this document and benefit from it.
Hint: Before you start your outreach be sure you have your LinkedIn prepared to sell for you.
Why should you use other ways to find sales leads?
LinkedIn is still our #1 platform to generate leads. However, by taking different approaches to find sales leads outside of LinkedIn, you will gain even deeper insights into your potential ICP or Buyer Persona, which will help you maximize your sales efforts and results.
In addition, we will still show how to use these approaches in combination with LinkedIn and even outreach on autopilot to save 11 hours a week so you can focus on closing the deals.
26 ways to find sales leads outside LinkedIn
We are all about practical education. Thus, the approaches we will mention below have their purpose and certain information they can give away, which you can use in your outreach.
The information can be the company changes or giving away certain buying impulses you can use as your upper hand. Let's get to it.
1. Find sales leads via the job search websites
When a company is hiring, it usually means one of these 3 things:
They gained a bigger budget for the department;
Something is not right in the current process;
Or a person from the team is leaving for some reason.
Nonetheless, job postings are the result of the department change, and you should seize that opportunity. This is where recruiters usually spill the beans, so keep a lookout on the department and industry of interest.
For example, let’s say you are selling team management software for remote teams. You can go to any job search website like Indeed and filter the jobs by industry, job type, and by remote work.
This is a great place to find your ICP and go from there. In addition, if you have a LinkedIn Premium account, you can check out the company’s growth insight on LinkedIn and move on to find your decision-maker.
You can, of course, do this process on LinkedIn, as well. However, keep in mind that if your ICP are small companies, you might not be able to see their job posts unless you are their 1st-degree connection or they promote these posts on LinkedIn.
2. Sales leads from the companies that got fundings
Another great way to find your ICP is to research what companies recently gained some sort of funding. Since they have got money to invest, be sure that these companies’ priority is growth. So this is something to keep in mind for your outreach.
So, to find these companies, you can choose one of two ways. Firstly, you can use company data websites, such as Fundz, TechCrunch, or Crunchbase. Crunchbase is easier to find the information as you can filter the companies using the free Funding Rounds feature.
Secondly, you can google the companies using Boolean searchoperators.
Whatever approach you choose, making the connection with the person from the company that just got the funding and building the relationship can result in a long-lasting partnership.
3. Facebook - Where all sales leads are secretly active
Bet you didn’t see this coming, eh? 🙂 All jokes aside, Facebook is a perfect place to find your Buyer Persona. However, you just need to dig a little deeper to find them, and join a couple of groups here and there.
The first thing you need to do is to research and find the Facebook groups your sales leads follow. Then, join these groups and wait for approval.
From there you can find your sales leads by posts they published. The only thing you need to do is search the group by the keyword.
To clarify, you can search sales leads by, for example, the exact pain point they experience, or goal they wish to achieve.
From there you can respond directly in the comments, go to the profile and check for the email, or simply find them on LinkedIn and prepare their profile for the outreach campaign.
4. Finding sales leads on Twitter
A simple search on Twitter can go a long way. However, you would first need to write down keywords and hashtags you need to search to laser-target your sales leads. In addition, make a note of the various topics prospects tweet about.
Once you find them, you can either engage with them by retweeting the post, writing a comment, or finding them on LinkedIn and preparing them for the outreach campaign.
You could also search posts by competitors’ mentions and reach out to people who are not satisfied with them.
5. Search YouTube comments to find sales leads
Let's continue with the Social Media trend. Apart from Facebook and Twitter, you can find sales leads in the YouTube comments section too.
All you need to do is find the videos your sales leads might be watching and look down in the comments. In other words, try to find someone with the full name and a profile picture, take a screenshot, and find them on LinkedIn to prepare them for your outreach. It is a simple yet effective strategy as this way, you will laser-target your sales leads who like to chat online and share their thoughts.
Let’s say your sales leads are SaaS founders. Consequently, you would find a video in relation to SaaS, such as this one.
Next, scroll down, check the comment section, and try to find a couple of profiles with the real picture and a name.
Lastly, take a screenshot, and try to find them on LinkedIn.
6. Review websites
Speaking of people who are not pleased with your competitors, you can find them on listing websites too.
If, for example, your competitor is a software tool, you can use any SaaS review website, including:
Simply go to the review website of choice, find your competitor, and then search for people who posted negative reviews. Here is an example of a person who is not satisfied with calendar software.
7. Sales leads in website community
Website communities such as GrowthHackersor SalesHackersare another place where you can find sales leads. With plenty of topics to search from, you will be pleased with how many discussions and users you will come across.
For example, the nice thing about the GrowthHackers community is that you can find the user, see their publications, and topics they follow, and choose to follow them or contact them directly.
So, hit the internet and find the website community from your target industry.
8. Slack communities that sales leads are a part of
Now, this is what sales dreams are made of. If you thought those website communities were interesting, you would be ecstatic with the Slack channels! What’s interesting is that you can contact each member privately via chat.
There are different communities all over Slack, and you can explore and find the ones your buyer persona joined. For example, a B2B content director must be following the content trends, so you will most likely find them in the Superpathslack community under content-b2b channel.
What’s best is that Slack channels like RevGenius or Trenches are very educational, supportive, and welcoming. Thus, apart from finding sales leads, you can enjoy your stay and learn something along the way.
9. Discord - Unexpected place where you can find sales leads
Speaking of app communities, have you ever thought about Discord? It is a place where people can communicate with each other via either text or voice chat. Unlike Slack, Discord was initially created as an informal place to hang out with your friends or even play massive multiplayer online games.
However, Discord grew to be so much more. Now, it is a new hotspot where people all around the world gather to share their experiences and thoughts on various topics. Thus many so-called Servers, aka groups, emerged, and you will be able to find one to which your sales leads belong.
For example, here is what the Salesforce discord channel looks like.
10. Discovering startups
If your ICP are mostly startups, look no further than the websites such as ProductHunt, BetaList, AngelList or Crunchbase. BetaList is the place for recently launched internet startups. It cleverly segments startups by industries, so there is no way you won’t find the one you need.
Another advantage is that you can contact the founder directly by finding their social media account on the profile listed beneath the company description.
11. Researching the niche platforms to find perfect sales leads
Not all companies are alike, and there are a lot of niche businesses whose Buyer Personas have unique jobs. So it is important never to stop researching and visiting platforms where the target audience has their profile.
For example, if your target group is videographers or graphic designers, you would most likely visit Behance or Vimeo. On the other hand, if your sales leads are music artists, then SoundCloudis the place for you. Looking for developers? Give Githuba try.
If, for example, you are selling an invoice management tool and need to reach out to freelancers, go to Upwork. The more information you have on your sales leads, the easier it would be to start the conversation, such as:
Hey,
I have seen the ratings on your Upwork profile, they are amazing. I bet you get a lot of work as a freelancer. I was just wondering what tool for the invoice you use?
The possibilities are pretty much endless here.
12. Medium
Many people of all occupations share their stories and thoughts on Medium, and your sales leads could be one of them. To clarify, Medium is a blogging platform with over 100 million readers and 175,000 authors who are thought-leaders, journalists, and experts, so you have a deep pool of sales leads to search from.
Moreover, Medium is pretty easy to use. You just need to type the topic of interest in the search bar and browse through articles.
Once you find an interesting post, go to the author's profile. You will usually see their LinkedIn profile or other Social Media URL in the About section, so it is easy to qualify sales leads right away.
In addition, you can also see the comments and the profile of the person who posted that comment. Thus your sales leads could be one of them.
13. Generate sales leads from your customers
One of the most powerful ways to find sales leads is by asking your clients. In other words, you can reach out to your best existing customers and ask them if any of their business contacts would be interested in your product or service.
To clarify, we say this is the best option as once they give you a contact, you can mention this mutual connection and gain higher credibility and trust from the start. This is the oldest “trick” in the book and never fails to show results.
However, never forget the person who gave you the contact. To show gratitude, you could offer some sort of discount or similar incentives.
Outreach the sales leads by streamlining the process
Remember when we mentioned the personalization document with actionable data? Well, this is where you are going to use it.
To streamline your process and outreach the sales leads you found, you can create a new CSV file out of the information you gathered or use the existing ones. The only condition here is to insert a person’s LinkedIn profile and email address. If, however, you cannot find the person’s email address, you can use one of these ways to find emails yourself or let Skylead take care of that.
Skylead already offers the following native variables for the message personalization based on the sales leads’ LinkedIn profiles:
First name
Last name
Current company
Years in current company
Total career positions count
Total years of experience
College name
Occupation
Nonetheless, you can insert other information divided into columns, and Skylead will recognize them as custom variables. To clarify, here is what our Ivana has to say on Custom Variables:
So, your end CSV file can look something like this:
Creating a CSV campaign in Skylead
Once you create your CSV file, it’s time to launch the campaign and reach out to the sales leads you found.
To do so, first, go to your Skylead dashboard and click the Create New Campaign button.
From there, choose the Import type campaign and upload your CSV file. Then, name your campaign and click Next.
Next, set up your additional settings, such as date or email tracking metrics, and proceed.
Now you need to create a coherent action path that Skylead will follow - aka Smart Sequence.
Simply drag and drop actions and use different conditions based on their behavior to maximize getting in touch with your leads.
Discover numerous templates and step-by-step multichannel outreach strategies that helped us grow Skylead from 2500 to 10 000+ users in just months. Download our Free eBook now.
Finally, do not forget to create personalized messages for the actions, such as an invite to connect, LinkedIn InMail, LinkedIn message, or Email message. Here is where you can use native and custom variables you created previously, making your message look something like this:
And this is just one way you can use to outreach your sales leads in Skylead!
In conclusion
The sales industry is ever-changing, and we always keep discovering new ways to improve our outreach efforts.
However, one thing is constant - you need to care for your sales leads and wish to help them. Only then will you be able to make something meaningful and close the deals.
So, what’s better than finding the perfect sales leads and gaining immediate insight so you can have something to kickstart the conversation and continue to build a relationship.
Finding your sales leads is one of the most important steps, as it can make or break your outreach. Thus, you should go the extra mile to find the right company or a person for your business.
To do so, here are a couple of things you need to do before finding the sales leads:
Build your inbound strategy
Define your ICP and Buyer Persona
Create Sales Leads personalization document
When you prepare these three things, only then will you be able to proceed to find your sales leads. And to get creative, use the following websites, databases and communities to find your perfect leads and more information about them.
And once you find the best sales leads, Skylead will always be here to help you streamline the most time-consuming part of the sales process and personalize your outreach at scale for maximum results.
Whether a complete beginner in LinkedIn prospecting or an experienced sales rep in search ofa fresh approach, this LinkedIn Sales Navigator vs Premium comparison is aimed at giving insight into the valuable features of each plan, so you can make informed decisions on which subscription suits your LinkedIn lead generation best.
The majority of sales reps would probably tell you to use LinkedIn Sales Navigator right off the bat. This LinkedIn subscription was, indeed, originally created to help you find qualified prospects for your business through its advanced filtering options, placing prospects into lead and account lists for a more personalized approach, creating alerts so you know what your target users are up to, and many more that will be listed and thoroughly explained down below.
However, this doesn’t mean that LinkedIn Sales Navigator always wins in the LinkedIn Sales Navigator vs Premium “battle” or that merely investing in it will bring you the desired results. The majority of outcomes will depend on your social selling skills and certain market factors. Ours is to make a LinkedIn Sales Navigator vs Premium comparison. Yours is to pick which one makes sense for YOUR lead generation.
The one thing we know for sure is that you must give up your LinkedIn basic account. The free plan doesn’t support a higher number of searches, let alone anything more than that. If you wish to just be there on LinkedIn and wait to be discovered, sure, go ahead. Stick to your free plan. For anything more than that, you will need to upgrade to pretty much any other LinkedIn subscription.
Now, let’s see which one suits your business needs the most.
LinkedIn Premium: Best features for lead generation
LinkedIn Premium consists of two sub-plans, LinkedIn Premium Careers and LinkedIn Premium Business. The first one is created to help you get hired. The second one to build a strong LinkedIn network and advance your business. That’s why we will be focusing on LinkedIn Premium Business.
Both the LinkedIn plan price and the VAT depend on the country in which your account has been registered.
Our Team which is based in Serbia is approximately paying the following amount for each LinkedIn Premium Business.
monthly cost - around $60 per month + VAT as specified by our country.
annual cost - around $570 + VAT yearly as specified by our country.
Let's go through LinkedIn Premium Business features that are useful for lead generation.
Monthly InMail credit
LinkedIn Premium gives you 15 paid InMail credits per month that can be accumulated to up to 45 credits in 3 months. Any LinkedIn member can receive a paid InMail, but only LinkedIn Premium, Sales Navigator, and Recruiter plans can send them. Each time you get a reply, you get that InMail credit back.
Each Premium user gets 800 free InMails that can be sent only to members whose profiles are set to “open”. If you wish to be able to receive an InMail from any member on LinkedIn, set up your profile for it.
The number of Paid InMails varies depending on the plan. This is where Sales Navigator for sure wins the LinkedIn Sales Navigator vs Premium “battle” (more on this below). Since each LinkedIn member can receive a paid InMail, we advise our users to use it as the last resource. Therefore, Linkedin InMails are usually as one of the very last steps/conditions in our Smart Sequences. InMails also turned out to be a clever move if you want to get in touch with members, usually, decision-makers who are hard to be reached out to. Check out our InMail templates for sales to get inspired.
The “Who Viewed Your Profile” feature
If you are a Premium Business subscriber, you’ll have a detailed insight into LinkedIn members who viewed your profile. Maybe you appeared in their feed, their search results, maybe you came as recommended by someone, they were checking out your company’s website, or your profile was shown in the “People also viewed” or “People you may know” feature. Either way, they showed some kind of interest in you. Reaching out to them turned out to be a LinkedIn prospecting practice that brings results. This is where you can see Who Viewed Your Profile on LinkedIn.
Unlimited search
LinkedIn Premium offers unlimited search unlike LinkedIn basic that limits you to 10 searches per month. If you are a LinkedIn free plan user, you’ll need to wait until you can continue browsing other LinkedIn profiles.
Company insights
All LinkedIn Premium members can go to any LinkedIn company page and check out the company’s insights here. Companies that hire, grow, and receive funding are generally more likely to consider innovative solutions, hire counselors, and automate certain processes. That's why, taking into account specific company insights can be valuable for your next business move.
This can be useful for lead generation because you can see data such as:
Total employee count
Total employee growth in the last 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years
Employee distribution and head growth by function
And other data that could be significant for your lead generation.
LinkedIn learning
LinkedIn Learning is LinkedIn's free online learning platform. It provides video courses taught by industry experts available to LinkedIn Premium users. Their main goal is to provide different skill sets necessary for scaling up your business and for advancing your career.
This is what your LinkedIn learning platform dashboard looks like.
You can see the skills you choose to improve, you can add new skills on your right, while in the top right corner you will find the preset weekly goal. The weekly goal is not something that LinkedIn asks you to commit to, it is more of a personal goal you set for yourself.
Click on Learning history. Then, click on Show recommended courses. LinkedIn will suggest specific courses based on your professional path and the previously set preferences.
This is what LinkedIn’s top picks for me look like.
LinkedIn Sales Navigator: Best features for lead generation
In this LinkedIn Sales Navigator vs Premium comparison, we must highlight right away that LinkedIn Sales Navigator for sure has more lead-generation-oriented features since it’s been created specifically for it.
So, yes, to answer your question, LinkedIn Sales Navigator is for sure the most suitable for lead generation and sales in general by all parameters.
However, we decided to write this LinkedIn Sales Navigator vs Premium comparison so you can make informed decisions about whether to invest in something as advanced as Sales Navigator or stick to LinkedIn Premium features for lead generation. Why is that?
The truth is, that a great number of Sales Navigator subscribers don’t use the platform to its full potential. Some of them are not familiar with it enough. The others actually don’t need all super-advanced Sales Navigator features for their lead generation. And the Sales Navigator is pretty pricey…
When you upgrade to Sales Navigator from your existing plan, you will NOT be paying for both plans. This can be quite confusing for the first-timers since Sales Navigator seems like a completely different platform. However, you will have at your disposal all the above LinkedIn Premium features in addition to the following perks offered by Sales Navigator only.
Our Team which is based in Serbia is approximately paying the following amount for Sales Navigator Core.
monthly cost - around $79 per month + VAT as specified by our country.
annual cost - around $877 + VAT yearly as specified by our country.
Advanced filtering
The first benefit of Sales Navigator is its 29 Lead Filters and 15 Account Filters, out of which 27 total are Sales Navigator only. If your niche requires pretty specific lead profiles, Sales Navigator is the right subscription for you.
Saved search
The Saved Search option allows you to save specific criteria that get you as close as possible to your ICP and then send leads and accounts that match those criteria to one place. You can name your Saved Search in a way to help you distinguish between other saved searches you have. Every time you enter the Saved Searches dashboard, you will see the number of leads that were added since the last time you opened that specific saved search. You can also see when you last accessed that particular list.
Lead lists and account lists
Something similar to the previous feature is the Lead List and Account List options. Keep specific leads or accounts that match your lead generation criteria in one place and under one name.
Monthly InMail credit
The concept of free and paid InMail credits is the same as explained above. The only difference is that Sales Navigator offers 50 paid InMails credits that can be accumulated to up to 150 in 3 months. LinkedIn gives you back InMail credits each time a user answers. Additionally, each Sales Navigator subscriber gets 800 free InMail credits that can be sent only to users with open profiles. Therefore, LinkedIn Sales Navigator number of InMail credits for sure wins the LinkedIn Sales Navigator vs Premium battle.
Connect your CRM
Among the three plans, Sales Navigator Core, Sales Navigator Advanced, and Sales Navigator Advanced Plus, only the last two support the option of connecting your CRM. Once you’ve connected your database, Sales Navigator will match the list of leads with their LinkedIn profiles and enable you to perform any action you would normally be able to through a regular Sales Navigator. Sales Navigator supports the majority of CRMs. If you don’t have one or are not sure which one to consider, we’ve listed the top 10 CRMs on the market with all their advantages and disadvantages to help you out with this choice.
Set alerts for leads & accounts
Set alerts for leads and accounts of your choice, and Sales Navigator will make sure to regularly update you on every activity the platform finds relevant. It could be anything from job changes, post shares, growth insights for companies, etc. Save your leads into a lead or account list, bookmark them, leave a note, or reach out, directly from your feed. It is an excellent way to know what your leads of interest are up to and wait for the right moment to approach them.
View similar
The View Similar option is available for accounts only. It is the right choice once you’vedefined your ICP down to the smallest detail. Let’s say you found that ideal company that you would like to replicate if you could. In a way, you can. Click on the three dots next to the company name in the Sales Navigator search results. Choose View Similar. Sales Navigator will list other companies whose attributes match as close as possible the ones of the original one.
Leave notes
Sales Navigator gives you an option to leave notes next to the leads and accounts of your choice. This way, you know at any moment what stop they’re at on their buyer’s journey.
Set up your sales preferences
Sales Navigator offers the opportunity to set up your sales preferences and choose the types of leads and accounts you wish to see more of on your feed. This option will give you significant insight into people and companies from your target industries, without you having search them manually. Sales Navigator will automatically push up to 100 leads that match your Sales Preferences into a list named Recommended Leads. The system generates this list and automatically refreshes every week.
Blacklist specific leads and accounts
Blacklisting specific leads, accounts, or Lead or Account lists can be an excellent way to avoid certain leads. These can be people you already spoke to, your competitors, partners, existing customers, etc. Sales Navigator doesn’t have the Blacklist feature per se. However, you can create one by taking advantage of the possibility to exclude certain parameters or entire lists from your search.
Smart links
A Smart Link is a link to a document (PDF, Word, PowerPoint, or image file) or a downloadable (a video, zip file, CSV, etc.) that you can insert in a LinkedIn InMail message.
Only Sales Navigator Advance and Advance Plus support Smart Links.
The main advantage of the smart link is the option of tracking link clicks, the amount of time the recipient spent viewing the content, the date and the time that the recipient accessed the content, etc.
Also, if the user that clicked on your content logged into their LinkedIn account first, you will be able to see basic info from their profile such as name, title, company, and public profile picture. Additionally, you'll have the option of sending a free InMail, if they have an open profile, or a paid one.
If they didn't log into their LinkedIn accounts, they must insert their full name and email address before accessing your content.
This is an awesome way for sales and marketing teams to collect significant insights into people that are showing interest in their product.
LinkedIn Sales Navigator vs Premium: Downloadable comparison table
Summary
At the end of this LinkedIn Sales Navigator vs Premium comparison, we must emphasize that the choice of your LinkedIn Account will highly depend on your intentions on LinkedIn. Not all Sales Navigator users know these hacks nor are they taking full advantage of the platform itself.
Whether you opt for LinkedIn Premium or Sales Navigator after reading this LinkedIn Sales Navigator vs Premium comparison, or maybe even Recruiter, if you are searching for the best talent for your business, know that Skylead supports all three plans and can make your outreach faster and easier.
Skylead is an AI-inspired Sales Engagement Platform that takes over all boring and time-consuming sales tasks and allows you to focus on closing the deal.
Do you wish to know more about how to use Skylead? Are you curious how Skylead can get you faster to your sales goals? Check out our website or schedule a FREE demo appointment with our Sales Reps.
Creating the perfect call to action (CTA) for your email can be tough. It can ruin your outreach efforts or skyrocket your conversion.
In other words, if your call to action isn’t compelling, clear enough, or doesn’t resonate with the overall email message, it will go over your prospect’s head. As a result, your lead won’t perform the desired action, and you will lose that lead or have to work twice as hard to convert them.
Thus, in this article, we are diving deep into the meaning and importance of CTAs in emails and showing you how to craft a perfect CTA. In addition, we will provide you with the call to action examples that you can use as inspiration for your outreach.
What is a call to action?
A call to action (CTA in short) is a phrase that serves as a directive for target groups or leads to perform the desired action.
As a motif used for sales and marketing efforts, a call to action usually shows up in the ads, emails, websites, and other types of content geared towards the target group. For example, you’ve probably seen the following phrases in the ads a thousand times by now:
Watch;
Shop Now;
Buy;
Download, etc.
Yup, those are all CTAs.
Now, a call to action can manifest in distinct forms, such as:
A button on a landing page or ad;
Hyperlinked text on a landing page or email;
Long, plain text, often found in an email;
As a short sentence that acts as a preface to another call to action.
A perfect call to action helps you capture leads, directly influences and improves conversion, and drives other desired actions depending on the goal.
However, if we talk about B2B sales emails, crafting the call to action is more complicated than B2C. Why? Because you cannot just link the word Buy at the end of the email and expect people to... Well, buy it. In other words, you need to take an entire buying experience (longer than B2C one), sales funnel, and your message into consideration.
And yes, catchy email subject lines and attention-grabbing opening lines will help you increase the open rate and get your emails to be read. Still, a call to action combined with a well-crafted message will directly impact your desired action.
Email call to action types
Before jumping into actionable tips that you can use to craft the call to action for your email, let’s first look at what email call to action types are at your disposal. Instead of analyzing B2C CTAs, we will focus only on B2B calls to action that salespeople can use in emails.
1. Sign up
This call to action type serves as a little nudge. It is often used for Freemium services, so leads can understand what the product is all about. The good news is that this type of action doesn’t cost a person anything, and it is easier to achieve than a demanding conversion, such as starting a subscription.
2. Resource
Using this CTA, you are offering your potential clients the resource you think they will benefit from the most. In addition, the resource is often free, and if you get them to open your email and if you hit the right pain point with your message, you can expect a high resource visit rate.
3. Discovery
From time to time, you will need to send more information about your product/service. Luckily, you, a well-skilled salesperson, already have a special landing page that your trusted marketing team created for you that you can send out.
4. Schedule a meeting/demo
This is a type of CTA that you can use after the lead has responded to your cold outreach.
5. Free trial
Responding to this call to action, leads will have the opportunity to test out your product or a service, before deciding whether or not you wish to commit.
6. Subscription started
After the leads have tested your product, you will try to nurture them to start the subscription. In this case, you will use said CTA.
7. Follow-up
This Call To Action type serves as a reminder to the prospect they didn’t respond to your email or didn’t do the necessary action.
8. Review
If you wish to ask your customers to leave a review on a listing website, you will use this CTA.
9. Event promotion
Using this call to action, you can gather attendees for the upcoming special event, such as webinars, training, courses and gatherings.
Call to action (CTA) performance metrics
Crafting and using the right Call To Action in your emails can be effective. However, how would you know if the certain CTA actually worked and brought you the results? Why, with your trusted metrics, of course.
In addition, depending on the type of conversionyou wish to get, the metrics will differ. Thus, here is a table with metrics corresponding to the call to the action type.
CTA Type:
Metrics:
Sign up
Number of signups; Signup rate per month
Resource
Number of reads/views
Discovery
Number of landing pages visits
Schedule A meeting/Demo
Number of meetings scheduled and held per month
Free Trial
Number of Free Trials started
Subscription Started
Number of subscriptions started, LTV, Churn rate
Follow up
Response rate
Review
Number of reviews given
Event Promotion
Number of attendees per event
Finally, do not forget to use UTM parameters in your emails for the metrics that include website data.
Tips to create call to action
Like CTA in marketing, Calls To Action in sales emails need more thinking through, as well. In other words, they need to be easy on the eyes, clear, comfortable for the prospects to say yes to, and much more. Thus, here are the tips that will help you craft the best CTAs in emails that work.
1. Email message and call to action in synergy
We cannot talk about Call To Action and not mention your entire email message. Email messages and CTAs go hand in hand, and you cannot expect one to work without the other. After all, your email needs to help your prospect accomplish their goal or solve the problem.
So, you need to specify the pain point or goal you wish to address. Once defined, only then start crafting your CTA accordingly.
Example:
Let’s say you wish to book a meeting with the prospect and share how your service can help them precisely. Thus, your email and CTA can go something like this:
So don’t be the one who cannot see the forest from the trees and expect your CTA alone to work. Define your pain point message, and work on your Call To Action so they match.
Additional tip: You should always write your email message around your CTA. Let's say, for example, the idea is to book a meeting. Then you should write the email that gives the reason to the prospect to take that call.
2. Write call to action as a part of conversation
While we are still on the subject of an email message and CTA synergy, let’s glance at the previous example one more time.
Do you notice that we didn’t use a Call To Action such as Book A Meeting at the end of the email? Standard CTAs that you can find on landing pages or ads do not work well in sales emails as they create a sense of abruption in communication.
So we created Call To Action as a seamless part of communication. The reason is that these CTAs note better performance in sales emails. Why? The answer to this question is because of the social selling principles.
3. CTAs that are easy to say yes to
Sometimes getting the conversion is tough, and prospects often feel that you ask too much of them. This happens if we talk about conversions, such as starting a free trial or service subscription, in particular. So, the objective is to always craft your Call To Action as defined as possible.
Examples:
a.Does Thursday at 2 PM work for you?
b.Can you give me the contact information of a person who I can talk to about…?
c.If you are interested, just respond with “Yes” and I will send you the free audit of your business.
4. Use one clear call to action per email
Nowadays, we have a lot on our minds, and we process a large amount of information per day. So naturally, our attention span got shorter over the years. This goes with your prospects as well.
Thus, when writing an email, use only one Call To Action. Using multiple CTAs is one of the biggest email mistakes and can confuse your prospects. In addition, it can make them unaware of the next step and cost you the desired conversion.
5. The power of words
If, for example, we say I love your work, or I like your work, which one do you think is more effective? You are right - the first one is. You see, words alone bear meanings that can impact us emotionally and mentally. Therefore, choosing the spot-on words for your CTA can really make a difference in how your prospects feel.
So, to make your Call To Action more impactful, choose more uplifting words. In addition, always read your CTA and check how you feel afterward, as this way, you will get a sense of how your prospects will feel. Here are a couple of examples.
Instead…
Use This.
Read how our clients managed to…
See how others in your position managed…
Join our webinar to learn about…
Seize the opportunity to pump up your SDR skills with our webinar. Join us!
If you are interested to…
If your answer is “Yes, I want it!”...
6. Use first-person POV when possible
Personalization is everything when it comes to sales and marketing. If you are already personalizing your email outreach with variables such as name, occupation, or custom introduction, you might as well do it with your CTAs. Still unsure? Here is our leverage:
Company ContentVerve experienced a 90% increase in click-through rate by using the first-person point of view. They managed to do it by using the phrasing “Start MY free 30-day trial” instead of “Start YOUR free 30-day trial” *.
The reason why first-person point of view works is that your prospect will receive more personalized communication and will feel more connected to your brand.
7. A/B test your call to action
A/B testing is the only proof of outreach effectiveness, whether we talk about subject lines, messages, or opening lines. Thus, naturally, testing applies to the Call To Action as well.
In addition, if you use a sales engagement tool, such as Skylead, you can set up your email outreach testing as easily as 1, 2, and 3. Simply add your sequence steps, and message variants.
Once you launch the campaign and results start coming in, you'll see the step-by-step analytics showing which variant worked best.
Extra call to action examples
Now that you know how to craft your perfect Call To Action, let’s go over additional examples and reasons they work.
The one with the calendar
“What do you say? Would you be up for a quick chat? If your answer is “Yes”, here is a linkto schedule the time that suits you best. I’ll be the one waiting with the coffee :)”
So, we have a couple of benefits here. Firstly, this type of call to action is an easy win since your prospects are one click away from scheduling a call when it suits them most. Secondly, the other perk is that there is no back and forth communication if either party is not available at the other one’s proposed date. Lastly, speaking of “the words that have power’ implying the answer, such as Yes, will give a more positive connotation to the email.
As mentioned before, just be sure to give them a valid reason why they need to take the meeting, so by the time they reach your Call To Action, they will actually wish to take the meeting with you.
Additional tip: This CTA simply calls for a personalized image or a GIF at the end of an email. In other words, you can place your image holding a coffee cup with your lead’s name on it.
Stir the CTA pot with a pinch of the theme
Everybody loves when they notice a specific theme woven into the email that is tailor-made just for them. Hence, the best way you can do it is to find the idiom or a topic and build your Call To Action around it.
As an example, here is our idea for salespeople:
"Are you still interested in our offer, or did Elvis leave the building? I hope not, as I sure want to sing with you after you experience the amazing benefits of our product."
In addition, this particular Call To Action can be a good idea for the follow-up when the prospects haven't responded yet, and belong in the Free Trial or Subscription pipeline stage.
Call to action examples that offers empathy
Sometimes prospects may not know what exactly they are looking for unless you point it out. By describing the actual pain point and offering a solution immediately, you show your prospects that you are here to help.
Here are the two CTA variations you can use to share a resource or schedule a call.
a. Sometimes sales people cannot concentrate on closing the deals because of spending too much time manually searching for the prospects.
If this is you, then this read will help you greatly.
Check out our article on 3 things you should automate in your outreach.
b. Sometimes sales people cannot concentrate on closing the deals because of spending too much time manually searching for the prospects.
If this resonated with you Debbie, then, we need to talk. I can share a couple of tips you can apply to reduce manual work.
Does Wednesday at noon work for you?
Short and precise call to action example
If for some reason, you do not have a meeting scheduler, this CTA is for you. It is short and detailed since it offers the exact date and time.
I’d love to hop on a meeting and chat about how we can work together.
Does Tuesday at 1 PM sound good for a quick 20-minute call?
Specifying the exact CTA with time and date is always a win. However, there are two extra cherries on top of this CTA cake. Firstly, you show that you care about your partnership.
Secondly, there is any indication, a promise if you will, of how long the meeting will last. In other words, everyone likes short calls, especially the decision-makers. Also, if the future meeting lasts longer than 15 minutes, well then, things are looking up to close that deal.
Checking the status CTA
If you wish to throw a ball in your prospect’s courtyard, you can do so by asking them what is the next step on their behalf. As opposed to asking whether they will do something, you are asking them what they are going to do. Here are the examples:
a. Will your next action be {{Action}}? Or did I get that wrong? Just wanted to check if there is anything else I can help you with.
b. I wish to make the process super easy for you. Is there anything I can do so you can fully make the transition to our product?
By responding, the prospects keep you in the loop, and the conversation will move on. Furthermore, this example is the perfect idea for figuring out what stops them from starting the subscription process. In addition, this can be an example of the conversation-starting CTA as a part of the follow up email after you received no response.
Value exchange call to action example
If, for example, you have churned customers or the leads that never converted, you might want to think about offering a limited-time discount. In this case, you can use CTA such as:
Nothing feels more like Christmas than family, friends, and gifts. So, accordingly, we’ve prepared a special gift for you.
Let’s unwrap it together.
👉 Claim My 10% Discount
This Call To Action is motivating for a couple of reasons. Yes, you are offering a discount which can be alluring, but you are also personalizing with a first-person point of view. In addition, by choosing the word Claim and implying friendship, you show that something belongs to them. And it won’t take long until they take it.
Furthermore, you can create a similar Call To Action if you wish to ask your customers to write a review for your website or leave it on a listing website. It can go, for example, like this:
We value your opinion, and it would be amazing to hear your voice in the form of a review.
As a small gesture for your effort, we have prepared a $25 Amazon gift card that you can spend on your friends and family.
What do you say?
Would you be up for it? 👉Write My Review
In conclusion
It is important to look at your Call To Action as a part of the bigger picture. For example, the composition of still life entirely depends on beautifully painted fruits, flowers, and glasses. Thus the effectiveness of the entire email is decided by its subject, opening line, message, and CTA and can influence your overall lead generation. When perfectly crafted together, conversion is imminent.
Once you understand this, you can easily follow the tips for writing the perfect Call To Action:
Write Email messages and Call To Action in synergy;
Weave CTA as part of the conversation;
Create Call To Action that is easy to say Yes to;
Use one and clear Call To Action;
Choose your words in CTA carefully;
Use the first-person point of view where possible;
A/B test everything.
With these tips and examples mentioned above, your Call To Action will point out what is the most important to your prospects. In addition, your CTA will give your prospects the reason for conversion.
