How to streamline your B2B LinkedIn account

As a B2B marketer, you know just how important it is to utilize the proper channels to help connect with others and generate leads that turn into income and profit.

Taking the time to streamline your LinkedIn account is one of the best ways to maximize your online reach and establish yourself as a professional in any market or industry of your choosing.

According to LinkedIn's Sophisticated Marketer's Guide to LinkedIn, 94% of B2B marketers use LinkedIn as a content distribution channel, compared to Twitter at 89%, Facebook and YouTube both at 77%, and Google+ 61% (foundationinc.co).

Knowing how to effectively and efficiently streamline your LinkedIn account can help you to take your business ventures to an entirely new level of success.

How to automate LinkedIn to help you save time

Automating your LinkedIn profile to help streamline your account, updates, and connections is one of the fastest ways to generate an online persona and establish yourself as a credible and authoritative source.

Why automate LinkedIn?

LinkedIn is the quintessential network for any and all professionals in the workforce. With millions of users logging in to their LinkedIn accounts each month, the platform has become a powerhouse for making new connections and networking.

Automating LinkedIn can help to improve your overall experience while also providing you with valuable insights into the connections you make. Using an automated solution or CRM system can assist with the process of fulfilling connection requests, sending requests or mass messages to specific recipients or even to all of your current connections.

Some benefits that come with automating your LinkedIn profile for business and even for personal workplace connections include:

• Save time: Automation helps you to save time while still maximizing your reach when it comes to seeking out new potential connections and contacts.
• Optimize connections: Using the right automation software or solution is a way to optimize the type of connections you make. Connect only with relevant contacts based on your current work experience and preferred markets or industries.
• Maximize your reach: If you are attempting to send an important message, doing so with automation software is a way to save time while maximizing your reach. Generate more leads and increase your chances of generating a higher ROI with automated solutions in place.

Things you can automate on LinkedIn

Before you begin the process of automating your LinkedIn profile and the updates you create or share, it’s highly advisable to familiarize yourself with the things you can currently automate on LinkedIn. It’s also important to keep in mind that each automation solution or service that’s currently available may or may not provide you with the option of automating a specific feature you’re interested in.

Before you begin the automation process of scheduling messages or sending connection requests, be sure to research and compare CRM solutions and LinkedIn automation services before settling on a program or software that is optimal for you and your needs.

1 - Scheduling status updates

If you have a busy schedule to tend to, creating status messages and sending out updates across all of your social media platforms can quickly become tedious and time-consuming. Scheduling your status updates with automation solutions and platforms for LinkedIn is one of the best ways to keep in touch with those who follow you, as well as your current connections without feeling bogged down with monotonous tasks.

Opting to schedule your status updates ahead of time is a way for you to create a digital and virtual calendar that will automatically publish your posts at specific times, set by you. Using the CRM program or software solution of your choice, you can set your status updates in advance to get all of your social media marketing done simultaneously, rather than tending to it manually during the day.

Having the ability to schedule status updates on LinkedIn (along with other social media platforms) is also a way to ensure that you remain visible within the site's ever-changing algorithm. When an individual or page posts infrequently or becomes dormant, it’s less likely to appear actively and regularly within another individual's newsfeed or homepage.

2 - Sending messages and follow-ups

Communication is key when it comes to establishing and building a professional reputation, even with networks and platforms such as LinkedIn. In order to truly establish a professional appearance and reputation, it’s important to communicate regularly with connections and respond accordingly whenever you receive a message.

Using an automation system or service, it’s now easier than ever to send messages along with potential follow-ups to questions or other email inquiries you receive on LinkedIn. Sending mass messages can help you to promote current sales or even the launch of a brand-new business without bogging you down or keeping you from tending to other aspects of running your business or brand.

Use LinkedIn message automation solutions to help with maximizing your online reach, while also providing you with valuable insight into the current responsiveness of each campaign or message you share. Use the information and B2B data you collect to better understand the proper methods of communicating to those you’re connected with.

3 - Viewing profiles

LinkedIn has a feature that provides users with a list of those who have recently viewed or accessed their own profile. If a user believes you may have viewed their profile, they are much more likely to request a connection, accept a connection, or even learn more about you and your brand themselves.

Using an automation service, script, or tool to view profiles regularly can significantly boost your visibility throughout LinkedIn. The more popular your page appears on LinkedIn, the easier it becomes to establish new connections and contacts.

Whether you are looking for new ways to sell and market a product or if you want to connect with others who are well-versed in your current industry, you can do so with automation solutions while searching for profiles on LinkedIn.

4 - Endorsing skills of your first-level contacts

Another way to put automation to use on LinkedIn is to use an automation service or CRM solution to endorse the skills of your first-level contacts. First-level contacts are individuals that you have either:

• Connected with personally.
• Accepted a connection request from directly.

By automatically endorsing the skills that your first-level connections have on their LinkedIn pages, you will help to boost your own online visibility, while also providing your contacts with a compliment. The more you endorse others, even if you are doing so automatically, the more likely you are to receive endorsements, referrals, and leads in return.

Things to watch out for when automating LinkedIn

Although it may be tempting to automate all of your actions while using LinkedIn, it’s imperative not to do so with any program or script not verified or well-known by LinkedIn itself.

Using unauthorized or "black hat" scripts and programs to boost your visibility or to spam users across the LinkedIn platform may result in the total and complete termination and deletion of your LinkedIn account.

It’s also important to remain mindful when sending mass messages or when sending automatic connection invitations. Here are some things to avoid:

• Avoid using robotic messages when requesting new friends, especially if you have a genuine interest in reaching out to those you are targeting. Try out a personalized approach when messaging people.
• Avoid spamming your current followers with multiple messages each week. Instead, reserve mass messaging campaigns for special times and promotional events.

A few important tips to remember when streamlining and automating any LinkedIn account:

• Use verified or well-known CRM solutions or automation software to streamline your LinkedIn account.
• Remain mindful whenever you are automating connection requests, status updates, and skill endorsements.
• Keep your target audience in mind when crafting messaging and copy to ensure you maximize your reach and appeal.

Takeaways

Streamlining your LinkedIn account can go a long way when it comes to establishing an online reputation, spreading the word of a business, and even making new lifelong professional connections.

With the right tools, software, and data driven marketing objectives, it’s possible to maximize your online reach while generating leads, revenue, and an increase in profits.

Author bio

Since 2003, Chris Makara has developed a broad digital marketing background with a focus on SEO, Social Media, Automation and Analytics. He is the founder of Bulkly, a social media automation tool for individuals and small businesses.