Time is a major factor in social media marketing strategies. LinkedIn is one of the most challenging social platforms for marketers.
The challenge of time is only one aspect of LinkedIn marketing. You also have challenges like competition and algorithms to overcome.
When creating your LinkedIn marketing strategy, you need to create realistic expectations. For instance, it’s highly unlikely that you can manage the whole of your LinkedIn marketing without help. That would be unrealistic.
You are probably going to need to find some third-party automation to help you overcome the challenges of time, competition, and even algorithms.
It’s also unrealistic to expect that all third-party automation services that cater to LinkedIn engagement are reliable and safe.
If anything, reliability, safety, and security in these service providers is the exception rather than the rule. Therefore, we like to give our readers some knowledge about these types of services, and a heads-up about the riskier ones.
The following will discuss LinkedIn automation, the importance of choosing a safe and reliable third-party automation service, and which ones made our list for being the most reliable and safe.
Now, let’s look at the best cloud-based LinkedIn automation tools that are the safest and most efficient.
The Best Cloud-based LinkedIn Automation Tools
Meet Alfred
Meet Alfred isn’t just one of the top LinkedIn automation tools on the market, it’s also easy on your pocketbook. You don’t have to spend as much money with this tool. So, your LinkedIn engagement won’t break the bank.
This one is great for helping you find the perfect keywords to use, and finding the right profiles to target, so that you can connect to the right people who will engage with you.
The Advantages of Using Meet Alfred Include:
- Multiple campaign sequence options
- Dynamic analytics
- Loads of integrations
- Built-in safety limits for usage
The biggest disadvantage is that the starter plan is quite limited. Another disadvantage is that it won’t take debit cards as payment unless you have the Mastercard option on it. They will also take American Express.
This tool is also known for its CRM function and its ability to help you maximize your connection conversions and engagements. Additionally, you can send bulk messages to your connections. If that’s too pushy for you, then you can opt to send out personalized messages with this tool.
One thing that most users like is the auto-detection of LinkedIn warnings based on specific factors like going over your limits based on your LinkedIn membership level.
You have to decide if the disadvantages are deal-breakers or not. Otherwise, this is an excellent LinkedIn automation tool.
Dux Soup
Dux Soup is considered a dynamic and powerful tool for LinkedIn automation. It’s also a safe and secure option that makes the safety of your account a priority.
One of the most specific features offered by this service is its lead generation tool that helps you get more leads for your brand.
More than That, This Is a Very Popular Automation Tool for Several Reasons.
- It’s easy to use, so even novice LinkedIn users and marketers can use it.
- It allows you to automate endorsements for connections, message LinkedIn users, and visit profiles.
- Dux soup has great customer support.
- You have plenty of ways to integrate your account.
- Ease of prospect management.
Just like most things in life, with the upsides come the downsides. One downside of this tool is that it won’t work 24/7 because it’s browser-based. However, you can leave LinkedIn open in your browser if you want it to work 24/7.
It’s one of the few safe browser-based LinkedIn automation tools.
This tool could use some improvements to its interface, but otherwise, it’s an excellent solution.
Zopto
Zopto is a LinkedIn automation service that brings an excellent reputation to the table, which is why it’s popular.
This one is cloud-based, not too expensive, and efficient for automating your LinkedIn activities. You are in charge of who engages with you once you tell the tool what kinds of customers you want to see your offerings.
You can get real, genuine leads that can be converted into loyal customers. That means you’re also increasing your presence, reputation, and revenue.
Some Positive Aspects of Zopto Include:
- Easy targeted audience customization
- A/B testing function
- New features often being developed and added
- Advanced filters for targeting
One of the negatives of this tool is that you can’t stop a campaign once you start it until your prospect responds to it. Also, the initial setup can be a challenge.
This company has a live dashboard from which to work, so you can do more than usual.
Phantombuster
Phantombuster brings a lot to the table with multiple solutions. They cleverly call the automation phantoms, which offer over 20 categories on the site. Therefore, you can imagine that they have put a lot of effort into what they offer.
If you need some help with lead generation, their phantoms can do that for you. So, whether you are an agency, sales team, or digital marketer, this system can make things a lot easier for you.
Plus, there are over 100 more phantom solutions in the Phantom Store that can be used for powerful outreach and the enrichment of your current leads.
Some of The Best Things About Phantombuster:
- It helps you quickly grow your LinkedIn network
- Offers easy integration with any other tools
- You can use the free plan forever
- It offers some data scraping on LinkedIn and other social media outlets
- You can build your engagement through automated endorsements of your connections.
The less than good things about this tool is that technical support isn’t great, and the APIs are difficult to work with.
Otherwise, the pricing is acceptable and fair and the service works well enough that their users are satisfied.
Leadfuze
Leadfuze seems to have filled an underused gap in this market by providing real lead generation solutions and campaigns without using LinkedIn bots or automation. LinkedIn has been on the defensive lately, shutting down automation programs, so this may be a good thing.
So, you can safely and efficiently grow your leads without risking your LinkedIn and online reputation. The team behind this are professionals and have been in this industry for a long time.
A Few Benefits of Using Leadfuze Includes:
- It can check and double-check the validity of emails to prevent troublesome bounces
- You will be able to scrape around 1,000 quality leads in less than a day, feeding them into your cold email software
- Live chat makes getting your questions and concerns answered quickly
- It’s cloud-based, which is the most preferred type of service
The downsides are that it can be hard to use, and some list maximums are a bit confusing.
If you need help coming up with the proper campaigns to connect to your leads and locate your ideal target audience, this is a good tool for you. It’s certainly worth checking out. It’s being recommended by several users and professional review sites.
SocialPilot
Even though we are focusing on the best LinkedIn automation tools, SocialPilot is our pick for an efficient and effective all-in-one tool across social media networks.
It’s an option that will allow you to stand out on the LinkedIn platform. The features include an online scheduler, so you can set up your posts for the week, bi-weekly, monthly, or however you want. The only thing is to make sure you are being relevant and creating appealing content.
This service is ideal for digital marketing agencies and small businesses in the United States, but also India, Western Europe, Russia, and Germany. So, it’s essentially a great global option.
Some Positives About SocialPilot:
- Cloud-based, web-based, SaaS
- Mobile Android, iPhone, and iPad compatible
- Phone, chat, email, and help desk support
- Fair pricing
The one thing we found that could be a deal-breaker for some people is that there is no desktop version available with this service. If you have an iPhone, iPad, or Android phone or tablet, you can use this service. Alternatively, you can use it on the web.
UseViral
UseViral has been around for quite some time and has grown its client base consistently. That means a lot in this industry. It’s popular because it does help them grow across social media outlets, including LinkedIn.
This company helps you with connections and followers, which is a newer feature offered, but you won’t be sacrificing quality.
One of the best things about UseViral is that it’s safe, affordable, and it can be used for multiple ways to grow your LinkedIn.
The Positive Side of Use Viral:
- Safe and secure to use
- 24/7 support
- Affordable and competitive pricing
- Plenty of features
The negative side of this tool is there is no free trial, so you must buy a package to try it.
There isn’t anything we can find that would be a deal-breaker with this LinkedIn tool. It’s already popular, and its clients seem to be satisfied with their results and with the value of this tool.
SidesMedia
SidesMedia is another social media automation tool that has been around for some time. It’s built a reputation for being effective and efficient across social platforms. Due to its features, it works very well with LinkedIn.
We understand how important it is to feel confident about the services you use to grow and engage on LinkedIn. There are ample solutions to help you achieve success on the platform. For one thing, you can gain connections that you can convert into customers.
The Good Side of Sides Media:
- Customer support is good
- They have good pricing that is visible on the site
- Clients report good reviews and ratings about them
- They offer a lot of great opportunities for LinkedIn and beyond
The biggest downside is that there is no free trial.
We feel this is a good one-stop shop for what you need for LinkedIn and your other social media profiles.
Lead Connect
Lead Connect is the new kid in the industry, but it’s already making a splash. If we had to pick the best newcomer in this market, it would be this one.
Its goal is to bring clients to your LinkedIn account, which will result, increasing the chance of becoming a customer who buys from you. That is the ultimate goal when you have a product or service to sell.
One of the most effective features is the follow-up option that is probably the best tool to use. It is likely to improve your chances of turning visitors into new customers consistently.
This service is most suitable for sales people or marketing agencies who are seeking qualified leads on LinkedIn. These are people who need more outreach.
Some Pros of Lead Connect:
- Free trial to try before you buy
- Offers a free version
- Has a desktop app and cloud-based versions
- 24/7, chat, email, phone, and help desk support
- FAQ page, forum, and knowledge base
- Videos, documentation, webinars, and live training
The biggest downside to this service is that it isn’t compatible with all devices. For instance, you can’t use it on your Android or iOS phone or tablet. It won’t work on Chromebook or Linux desktops.
Mac and Window desktops are compatible.
Task Ant
Task Ant is helpful when you want to get attention from your target audience. Hashtags are relevant keywords with the # sign that helps when people search on social media, including LinkedIn, to find you.
This tool finds the best hashtags for your industry and niche to use on LinkedIn, but it also helps organize them into specific sets to use as needed. So, whenever you need a set you have created, it’s there for your content.
This platform is straightforward, and it’s easy enough for a novice to use. The dashboard features a very user-friendly interface. The idea behind this tool is to find, organize, use, and grow, all by using hashtags.
A Few of The Benefits of Task Ant:
- Content performance tracking
- Competitor tracking
- Find hashtags needed to find relevant connections and followers
Just like the rest, there are also some disadvantages you need to know about his tool. There aren’t many reviews online yet about this tool, but Scamadvisor reports it as safe.
This seems to be one of the simplest ways to grow and build your LinkedIn profile and presence.
What is LinkedIn Automation?
When you see the term ‘LinkedIn Automation’, it refers to specialized software that can automatically perform actions on LinkedIn that you would manually do for yourself on the platform.
The actions that this software can be created to do include liking, posting, requesting connections, sending messages, and other activities. It’s designed to save you time and to be more efficient than what you do manually.
The tools provided in these third-party programs can mimic human behavior and carry out the same normal engagements you would usually do yourself.
They can help you with running customized campaigns, collecting data, and integrating other forms of marketing tools to expand your campaign game.
Basically, the intention of LinkedIn automation tools is to make life easier for you, so you can accomplish your business goals.
Is Automation on LinkedIn Legal?
For the most part, using LinkedIn automation tools isn’t illegal, but it also depends on what actions the tools are making and how harmful they are.
LinkedIn is a social platform for professionals, so they need their platform to reflect that ideal. They are strict about stopping spam and the spammers behind it.
Therefore, it’s against their terms to use third-party programs on the platform. Just check out LinkedIn’s ‘Prohibited Software and Extensions‘ page.
So, it can cause you some problems on LinkedIn.
It is a legal issue if you’re using automated tools that spam your contacts or that perform data scraping. If you get caught, you can get banned.
Using LinkedIn automation tools with caution is crucial. That’s one reason it’s important to find the right automation tools that you can use the right way.
Factors to Consider Before Choosing LinkedIn Automation Tools
As we just mentioned, if you choose the wrong software, or fail to be cautious about how you use it, you can get tossed into LinkedIn jail, which means your account will be restricted for a period of time.
What’s worse, is that you could be permanently banned, and watch all your efforts get flushed down the drain. You will be risking your online presence.
You do want to make sure the third-party LinkedIn automation tool you choose is safe to use on your account.
Besides choosing the safest option, you also need to consider the two types of automation.
1) Browser-Based LinkedIn Automation Tools
In this program, you will get started by opening your browser and using an installed extension. These are not very advanced options.
These are easier to detect since they are dependent on your browser’s cache. When these use different IPs when they log in, it raises red flags. Also, you can’t run it 24/7.
2) Cloud-Based LinkedIn Automation Tools
Cloud-based LinkedIn automation tools allow you to easily integrate with your account. You simply log into your tool, set your parameters, filters, and what activities you want to have automated.
The advantages of using this type of LinkedIn automation are that it offers a dedicated IP, it’s more difficult to detect by LinkedIn’s algorithms, and it allows you to personalize your experience and your settings.
Other benefits include convenience, a higher level of safety, and getting more from them than the browser-based type.
The one thing that can be an issue is the higher expense of using cloud-based tools.
So, the main factor that makes a LinkedIn tool more effective is the ability to personalize your experience. You need a dynamic and advanced way to personalize your settings and activities.
More Things to Know About LinkedIn Automation Tools
Messaging Automation
Automated messaging may seem like a great tool, but you should be very careful about the tools that offer this feature. You want to avoid sending out mass messages to all your connections at one time. That’s considered spam, and it will get you banned from LinkedIn.
Connections
As for connections, LinkedIn allows you to obtain up to 50 connections per day using their LinkedIn Free version. If you’re using LinkedIn Premium, you can obtain between 100 ad 125 connections per day. Finally, if you pay for LinkedIn Sales Navigator, you can get between 200 and 225 new connections per day.
Just be careful to not send out all your requests simultaneously because that will raise red flags. Make sure you spread your connection requests throughout the day.
The best thing you can do is take care to read the terms of service on LinkedIn and follow them. You don’t want to take big risks on this platform since it’s a professional environment where people want to be treated respectfully and the platform itself expects professionalism from its users.
LinkedIn strives to protect its users with detection algorithms that find spam, suspicious activities, and anything that is malicious or harmful to its users’ accounts.
Conclusion
The smartest thing we can recommend is to be cautious about using automation or bots on any social media network. You must be especially careful on LinkedIn because the algorithms are strong and consistently updated.
If you get caught doing anything that is against this platform’s terms of service, it will adversely affect your reputation and your LinkedIn profile.
Plus, what marketers could get away with a few months ago is no longer an option across social media platforms.
Do your research and find your perfect method of engagement for LinkedIn.
Choosing a reliable and safe third-party cloud-based LinkedIn automation tool is a responsibility that you need to take seriously.
Choosing a risky LinkedIn automation service will get your account at least suspended, or at worst banned for life. Being wise about how you engage on social media, including LinkedIn, is how you protect your reputation.
Jonathon Spire
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