Nowadays there are lots of tools with LinkedIn messaging automation features. These programs range from simple scraping to outreach features, helping you find contacts and send bulk messages to prospects’ inboxes. Some of them also include AI content generation, which can further simplify the entire process.
While most of these programs are fantastic in their own regard and can significantly boost your marketing efforts, using them comes with a caveat. Basically, data scraping and automated engagement go against LinkedIn’s policies and can (and sometimes do) lead to a potential ban. Because of that, it’s vital that you proceed with caution when implementing these solutions.
Keep reading for my explanation and advice.
LinkedIn Data Scrapers
LinkedIn data scrapers are comprehensive tools that begin with scraping data off of LinkedIn but also often include the ability to send bulk messaging. They extract first-degree connections and even second and third-degree contacts from the social media platform, including users’ emails, company names, industry, and other relevant data.
Most of these third-party software works as basic scrapers, but some of them also offer unique templates for more sophisticated search and extraction. LinkedIn extractors introduce additional safety measures that reduce the likelihood of getting caught and, thus, violating LinkedIn’s terms of service–although there is never any 100% guarantee!
PhantomBuster is an advanced all-in-one tool that can be used for major social networks, search engines, and other popular communication channels. The automation software comes with 100+ premade automations that allows you to jumpstart your outreach campaign. The marketing tool also offers a high number of integrations with other programs.
The software offers several incredible LinkedIn automation features and tools, including profile scraper, search-to-lead outreach, search exporting, profile ULR finder, and more. PhantomBuster’s hybrid approach and premade templates ensure you won’t get caught during the scraping process as software extrapolates information slowly, over a long period.
If you want to learn more about the auto limited features, I suggest you contact the customer support team. PhantomBuster has incredible team plans, domain safety, and native integration that is suitable for any company and entrepreneur.
Your sales team can implement this software for just about any prospecting process. Its main features include email finder and verifier, email extension finder, email warm-ups, simple drip campaigns, and sales CRM. With over 5,000+ integrations and an API, you can easily integrate this cloud-based tool into your current workflow.
Among other things, Snov.io can tap into thousands of LinkedIn profiles and extract emails from them with a click of a mouse. All information is fed into the platform’s dashboard, and you can utilize this data to run any type of campaign. Besides emails, the advanced tool can also extract brand names and users’ positions in their respective companies.
The thing I love about Evaboot is its simplicity. The cold outreach tool comes with a Google Chrome extension, allowing you to instantly prospect contacts while visiting a user’s page. Evaboot extracts an enormous number of data, including user name, job title, public LinkedIn URL, time in position, number of connections, industry, and company website, just to mention a few.
Another nice thing about this reliable tool is that it automatically cleans all data, removing punctuation and emojis. With its advanced filters, you can pinpoint specific contacts that will provide the most value for your drip campaigns. Besides simple scraping, Evaboot also relies on its algorithms to find trickier data.
Wiza is a perfect solution for marketers who want additional accuracy during their lead-generation process. The software corroborates business emails in real time, ensuring that you have the most precise data possible for your cold email outreach. Besides emails, the software can also extract phone numbers, names, and other relevant information.
When the program is done with its prospecting efforts, you’ll get a clear breakdown of data within the dashboard. The cloud-based software cleans information so you can automate your email campaigns and achieve faster results. The program has received excellent reviews, comes with an affordable price, and can be a real game changer for anyone using social media platforms.
Unlike the previous section, these tools don’t work as automatic scrapers. Instead, they offer somewhat different functionality that would make them great in conjunction with outreach software. In other words, these lead generation tools allow you to build a LinkedIn account and grow followership.
Taplio is, first and foremost, an AI content generation software. The all-in-one LinkedIn automation tool allows you to create incredible LinkedIn posts as well as outreach emails. Like most other generators that utilize artificial intelligence, Taplio comes with a virtual assistant that helps you improve each sentence and generate even more value from your content.
I love the program’s scheduling feature; use it to streamline your daily posting and carousels. You can also tap into post-engagement features that help you interact with other LinkedIn users.
Of course, Taplio comes with tools that simplify your outreach messaging. The software creates a list of all LinkedIn users who have interacted with your posts, allowing you to engage them through personalized messages and continue communication.
As the name suggests, Lempod provides you the ability to create your own “engagement pod” in LinkedIn, where those that join the group automatically engage with each other’s content. It can be used by teams of people or even employees within the same company as part of an employee advocacy effort.
Lempod is the only tool of its kind for LinkedIn and really for any social network, as engagement pods that are famous amongst Instagram influencers often take place in messages on Telegram boards.
LinkedIn Automated Outreach
Using any of the following tools on this list increase your risk of being banned from using LinkedIn, so while I have experimented with some of them to understand what they are, I rarely use them. My general rule is to avoid anything that can potentially endanger my brand and my LinkedIn presence, which might happen when you use the following software and are not careful.
Instead of implementing these marketing tools for your market effort, I suggest hiring a virtual assistant to find new LinkedIn connections and then you personally contact them or have them create personalized messages based on a template you create. It’s much better to employ a person who can perform a manual outreach and create personalized messages than risk getting flagged and having a LinkedIn prospect see through the fact the message is automated.
Further Reading: 10 Unconventional Ways How to Message Someone on LinkedIn If You Are Not Connected
With this cloud-based software, you can send outreach messages to hundreds of users within seconds. The tool generates smart sequences and sends automatic connection requests to a list of users, thus increasing your number of contacts. By introducing this powerful automation tool to your sales process, you can significantly boost your outreach efforts, although at a lower conversion rate.
Like countless platforms, Waalaxy has recently introduced AI functionality to its workflow. Sophisticated technology, combined with robust search filters, helps you find the right prospects for your brand. The program also generates automatic bulk messages, which you can send via email or LinkedIn.
Expandi offers 8 advanced features that will streamline your scraping process. Once you get your first-degree contacts, the extension-based tool will clean up all the data so you can perform a more accurate outreach. Expandi will even send follow-up sequences on your behalf, further streamlining your prospecting efforts.
The tricky thing about this software is that it can circumvent LinkedIn’s connection requests, potentially getting you in trouble. Then again, if you want to supercharge your outreach campaigns, this is exactly the thing you need to do. Besides scraping information from business profiles, the software can also tap into LinkedIn posts, groups, and other sources to find relevant information.
Expandi works with any email provider and can ensure fantastic response rates. You can create up to 10 smart sequences that will be used in different situations, depending on users’ responses.
LinkedHelper relies on 31 stand-out features to find potential leads. The software allows you to automatically target your 2nd and 3rd connections by sending them personalized images and messages. The engagement tool will automatically send a message to anyone who connects with you, thus expediting the sales process.
LinkedHelper also features a built-in CRM system that further improves your outreach. If you don’t like its features, the software can be combined with tools like HubSpot and Zapier for even greater functionality. Besides streamlining your follow-up messages, you can also use the program to automatically like and comment on various LinkedIn posts.
Skylead performs the function of a multichannel lead generation platform. Marketers can go through LinkedIn search results and utilize custom variables to find ideal prospects for their brand. Your marketing team will also benefit from personalized connection requests, advanced security features, and high-converting message sequences.
By using this incredible software, you can gain much more profile views for your LinkedIn account. If you go with more expensive pricing plans, you can gain even more functionality with this platform, allowing more team management features and prospecting requests per week.
Further Reading: LinkedIn Lead Generation: 20 Strategies That Work in 2024
Dux-Soup is a perfect solution for various marketing and recruitment tasks on LinkedIn. With this tool for automation, you can find high-quality leads when using native LinkedIn, Sales Navigator, or Recruiter. Besides assisting your prospecting efforts, Dux-Soup helps with routine tasks such as endorsing profiles, commenting on LinkedIn posts, and sending template messages.
As one of the safest tools in this category, Dux-Soup stops any unusual activity while avoiding LinkedIn bans that are common during aggressive prospecting. The software comes with a 14-day free trial and tons of integrations that will help you build a professional network platform.
Further Reading: How to Network on LinkedIn from an Inbound and Outbound Perspective
Dripify is an ideal solution for sales teams, allowing them to get more potential leads over time. The automation software is perfect for drip campaigns, streamlining prospecting, and LinkedIn messaging. Before campaign creation, you can find ideal prospects with advanced filtering algorithms.
With this lead generation tool, you streamline your entire management process and internal communication. The all-in-one solution has an analytics dashboard that manages all your prospects and potential candidates (if you’re using the tool for recruiting). With its smart inbox, Dripify can handle external communication and send sequences.
Octopus can manage all your lead generation tasks, from prospecting to deal closing. By relying on this automation software, you can send connection requests to potential leads and circumvent the standard LinkedIn invitation limits. Octopus allows you to send thousands of outreach messages to 1st connections without ever getting flagged.
My favorite thing about this powerful automation tool is the way it handles funnels. There’s a breakdown of the different stages of the funnel and how many people you have at each step of the buyer’s journey. Combined with affordable tool pricing, Octopus CRM is one of the best ways to handle your outreach campaigns.
Further Reading: LinkedIn Invitations: All of Your Questions Answered
With this powerful automation tool, you can easily streamline your marketing efforts, influencer and recruiter campaigns. The program works for emails as well as LinkedIn InMail, and requires minimal campaign setup. I also like its A/B testing tools, sentiment tracking, and reporting features.
Zopto utilizes hundreds of data points to fine-tune your prospect filtering. Your marketing team can use various events to isolate ideal customers by analyzing LinkedIn post comments and likes, webinar and group attendance, and profile views. On top of that, the program is simply fantastic for streamlining your engagement.
FUrther Reading: What is a LinkedIn InMail and How to Leverage Them
This incredible automation software includes convenient features for tracking and engaging prospects through various channels. It’s one of the most advanced tools when it comes to communication and team management features, allowing you to monitor campaign progress from a single tab.
By memorizing the history of contacts, specifically leads’ search URLs and business emails, MeetAlfred can save a lot of valuable time for your sales team. I also like the program’s personalization features that allow you to fine-tune your messages for higher conversions. If you choose this software, make sure to get an annual subscription for some amazing discounts.
While these tools can provide enormous advantages to your marketing and sales team, boosting response rates across the board, they should be used in moderation.
I suggest you take it easy with auto prospecting on any social network. It also wouldn’t be bad to learn more about LinkedIn’s security features and things that can potentially get you flagged. In fact, the best course of action is to understand how these tools but implement the strategies with the work of human assistants as well as your own strategic use of time.
Remember, while you can scale your outreach efforts using these tools, you can’t scale the creation of deep human relationships that generate real business.
Hero Photo by Souvik Banerjee on Unsplash
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