LinkedIn has become, by far, the largest professional networking platform out there today.

It’s where the decision-makers are and where the majority of users are focused on career and business instead of entertainment.

In other words, LinkedIn is where you need to be.

Why? Because it can generate more leads than any other social media platform and also provide a boost your sales.

It’s true that LinkedIn enforces privacy restrictions, preventing you from messaging just anyone on the platform, especially those outside your network.

The challenges of connecting to others without an introduction or sending them a cold friend request (today’s version of cold calling) are real.

Yet, LinkedIn provides a tremendous opportunity for social selling and still needs to be included in your social media marketing strategy.

So, how can you access those qualified leads if LinkedIn is a closed network?

The answer is to find the right LinkedIn tools for your needs, including the following five.

4. Dux-Soup

Dux-Soup excels at lead generation and is known as a database-building mega-tool.

It is an automation tool that searches the entire platform for profiles potentially interested in what you have to offer, visiting thousands upon thousands of them.

As a result, your reach is automatically expanded, all with just one simple click.

Dux-Soup, in return, provides you with complete information on all profiles visited, including phone numbers, email addresses, company locations, and affiliations.

This tool also lets those profiles know you were a visitor, alerting them of your visit or their inclusion in your search results. 

his alone often captures their curiosity and encourages them to click over to your LinkedIn profile and connect.

But there’s more. Dux-Soup, with its advanced algorithm, also does the following:

• Endorses the prospect’s skills.
• Follows prospect’s LinkedIn activity.
• Sends out personalized greetings for you.
• Interfaces with CRM software (if you have the higher tier of service).

As you explore various LinkedIn profiles of potential customers, you can also add helpful tags and notes that will allow you to reach out to them personally, creating a better way to manage relationships.

There is also the capability to set up an automated drip email campaign, and when a prospect responds, the drip campaign stops automatically.

One note of caution when using automated tools on LinkedIn.

Honestly, even with all these automation features, Dux-Soup doesn’t exactly guarantee instant results. It’s a bit of a dance—some people get curious and connect right away, while others ignore profile visits entirely. You’ll need to experiment with both your timing and your messaging, and honestly, sometimes it comes down to plain luck. The point is: don’t just set it and forget it and expect sudden floods of leads. There’s still real thought and trial-and-error behind the scenes.

Secondly, it’s worth mentioning that teams using Dux-Soup together need a game plan. If you’ve got three of you reaching out to the same group of prospects all at once, it’s easy to look like spam (not a good look). Assign territories, stagger your searches, or just talk to each other. It sounds pretty obvious, but you’d be surprised how many teams accidentally step on each other’s toes and end up burning out their outreach pool before things even get rolling.

LinkedIn prohibits the use of automated methods and bots to add or download contacts, send messages, or access various services. 

You can, however, still use automation tools with caution by:

• Not sending bulk messages.
• Limiting page views and connection requests per day.
• Avoid spamming.

5. Expandi

As mentioned above, LinkedIn frowns upon automated tools taking advantage of the platform and its users.

Expandi, however, differs from most in that it is compatible with LinkedIn Premium memberships.

It is also designed to work alongside LinkedIn Sales Navigator and also the platform’s Recruiter Premium Package.

Expandi’s advanced algorithm mimics our human behavior, preventing mindless blasting of messages in short bursts and instead inserts delays between those messages.

You are allowed up to 100 messages and 100 invites per day, and pending invites are withdrawn by autopilot.

That, along with a dedicated IP address, keeps you in the safety zone when it comes to LinkedIn rules.

In short, Expandi:

• Increases your contact list.
• Automates responses.
• Allows for smart targeting options.
• Assists in managing and tracking campaigns.
• Enables you to leverage analytics.
• Is compatible with LinkedIn chat.

An example of one way to use Expandi is to identify prospects engaging with certain LinkedIn posts, extract profile details, then target those prospects with new marketing campaign messages now or in the future.

Additional features of Expandi include:

• Webhooks, to link it to your other marketing tools.
• A dedicated Smart Inbox.
• Dynamic Personalization, using custom variables.

This cloud-based tool comes with a user-friendly dashboard and the ability to switch between LinkedIn accounts.

Just being on LinkedIn is not enough these days. 

You need a way to utilize this massive, professional social media platform to find qualified prospects and, ultimately, boost your sales. LinkedIn tools can help.

The five examples discussed above can identify more leads, consistently respond to those leads, and improve the success and effectiveness of your marketing strategies.

For more tools to help your marketing efforts and lead to higher sales, check out our list of the best SEO tools to boost higher results.

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