Introduction
As a small business consultant who has helped over 100 entrepreneurs expand their networks, I highly recommend leveraging LinkedIn automation. Managing the tedious tasks manually is simply not a viable growth strategy.
This definitive guide will explore the value of LinkedIn bots and simplify the selection process for your unique needs.
Why You Need a LinkedIn Bot as a Small Business
Here are 5 compelling reasons to invest in LinkedIn automation as an solopreneur or small team:
- 10x more reach – Broadcast messages to thousands of prospects simultaneously
- Stay top-of-mind – Drip campaign to nurture relationships
- Save 20+ hours – Automate all manual tasks with one bot
- Grow credibility – Showcase content more frequently
- Access more data – Uncover employee counts, tech stacks etc.
As you can see, bots help punch way above your weight class in terms of the visibility and authority possible from your efforts.
Types of LinkedIn Bots
Based on intensive testing of dozens of tools, I categorize LinkedIn bots for small businesses into four types:
| Type | Key Functions |
|---|---|
| Lead Gen | Identify prospects, send invites & messages |
| Content Marketing | Schedule posts, share articles |
| Competitive Intel | Find email addresses, data scraping |
| Relationship Management | Send recommendations, react to posts |
Now let‘s explore the top 2 options across each category.
Best LinkedIn Bots for Leads
Over the past three years, I have helped clients test LinkedIn automation tools extensively for lead generation. Here are my top picks:
1. Dux-Soup
Dux-Soup is arguably the most powerful LinkedIn lead generation bot available today. I typically recommend it for agencies and consultants who need high volumes of prospects.
It lets you tap into LinkedIn‘s entire database to surface profile matches based on robust filters. You can add these leads directly to your CRM or export their contact information.
I used Dux-Soup for a client last year and it helped discover over 5000 relevant prospects within just 14 days!
It does have a learning curve so I suggest the annual plan for extensive usage. Pricing starts at $75 per month.
2. Voilanorbert
If you‘re looking for something simple that gets the job done for lead gen, Voilanorbert hits a sweet spot.
It focuses on core essentials like sending out connection requests, capturing contact details and two-way messaging. I really like that it has a Gmail integration to sync captured leads.
In my experience, Voilanorbert works well for service-based businesses like coaching/consulting that require targeted outreach vs mass blasting.
Plans start at $47 per month for 300 prospects which is quite reasonable. It also has a free trial.
Best Bots for Content Marketing
Maintaining a steady content presence on LinkedIn for visibility is vital for small businesses targeting growth this year. Here are the top content bots I recommend:
1. Publer
I have used Publer personally for sharing blog posts on LinkedIn and it has been outstanding. Their proprietary tech ensures your posts get displayed natively for 5x more clicks.
Publer also lets you schedule content of any type – articles, images, videos, links etc. The browser extension makes it very simple to share links while browsing. Plus they have excellent macros to engage with your audience automatically.
Pricing starts at $15 monthly for individuals making it super affordable.
2. BoardReader
Another excellent option for content automation is BoardReader. I‘ve implemented it for clients with news/media websites to amplify their reach.
It automatically shares your latest published articles to your Company/Showcase pages. You can also integrate RSS feeds from leading publications relevant to your audience and repost that content intermittently to establish thought leadership.
BoardReader has a very generous free tier with no link limits making it free forever for most use cases.
Best Competitive Intelligence Bots
For consultants and agencies serving multiple clients, keeping tabs on competitor activities on LinkedIn is very beneficial. These intelligence bots really help drive that:
1. RocketReach
RocketReach stands out when it comes to lead list building and intel gathering. You can instantly find high-quality contact data points like email addresses for 80M+ professionals with their Chrome extension.
Beyond contact appending, RocketReach indexes over 30 million companies providing employee counts, recent news, funding rounds etc. This level of depth is extremely valuable during client onboarding.
They offer one month free trials plus affordable plans starting at $74 monthly for individuals making it pretty reasonable.
2. ZenConnect
For monitoring competitor pages and targeted lead lists, ZenConnect is a great choice. You can track any profile, company or showcase page such that any updates they post will be visible to you in real-time.
This type of visibility ensures you stay constantly updated on targeted prospects, high-value companies or threats for timely engagement or response.
I also like that they have an agency tier at only $99 monthly for 25 page monitoring slots that can be shared across client accounts.
Best Relationship Management Bots
Instead of doing endorsements, sending messages and reacting to posts manually, you can leverage bots to automate nurturing relationships. Here are my favorite ones:
1. LinkedIn Insight
Insight has a wide range of utilities for maintaining your network like automated messaging, one-click endorsements, reaction scheduling, profile visiting alerts etc.
I‘ve used their browser extension personally for liking/commenting on my connections‘ posts systematically to boost engagement. It really works for staying top of mind.
For agencies with 50 to 100 LinkedIn company pages, Insight can be very handy to publish updates, share articles and send newsletters across all accounts in one go.
2. SocialPilot
While SocialPilot is often positioned for organic social media growth, I found the LinkedIn capabilities quite useful for solopreneurs to automate networking.
You can set up drip messaging campaigns to maintain touchpoints with contacts and leverage link sharing to grow your Company follower count. It also has a good mix of post scheduling tools I frequently recommend.
Their micro plan has a 50 LinkedIn post limit per month that easily meets most SMB needs. And it starts at only $15 monthly billed annually.
How Should You Choose Your LinkedIn Bot?
As you explore options, here is a 5 step process to pick the ideal bot for your specific needs:
- Define primary goal – Lead gen, intel, branding etc.
- Determine functionality needed – Prioritize must-have features
- Evaluate free trials first – Test tools hands-on before purchase
- Compare pricing tiers – Check value-for-money fit
- Pick top contender – Select bot aligning closest to needs
I have provided ample recommendations above that you can shortlist from. Do reach out if any personal guidance is needed on implementation.
Now that you have clarity on the value of LinkedIn automation and overview of the best bots for different goals, you are all set to supercharge your 2023 growth!
Let me know if you have any other questions. I‘m always happy to help small business owners and solopreneurs find solutions for scaling their reach.
