What are the benefits of combining a CRM system with LinkedIn?
The latest data about Linkedin show that the portal brings together 546 million LinkedIn users in more than 200 countries. Thanks to the tools it provides (and the connection to CRM), you can gain new business opportunities and build relations with potential customers.
Acquiring valuable contacts
In 2014, LinkedIn launched Sales Navigator. It is a tool for contacting retailers with potential customers. By connecting your CRM system to LinkedIn with the help of Sales Navigator you will obtain the leads you want – just specify the criteria and the system will search the database and provide you with the list of expected results.
Do you think it’s an unpopular solution? What would you say if we told you that it is used, for instance, by NBA teams? The employees of Sacramento Kings admitted that the contacts acquired through LinkedIn are 3-2 times more valuable than those acquired from other sources.
Why is Sales Navigator better than simply using the portal’s search engine? It has several functions that make it easier for a lead to qualify. For example:
- it recommends leads in terms of sales preferences, sales history, and interaction with potential customers,
- it indicates, among other things, potential customers similar to LinkedIn users who have previously subscribed to the service.
Creating a group of potential consumers
Linkedin allows you to analyze the data you collect from users’ profiles. For example, you can create different target groups with the help of both its advertising system and Sales Navigator. What can you do? Create a database based on:
- positions in the company,
- specific skills listed in the profile,
- professional experience (years of work, etc.)
Any information contained in the profile can be used as a basis for targeting messages. This will allow you to better customize your offer and help the artificial intelligence of our CRM system (Salesforce Einstein) determine which leads are most promising.
Sounds too good to be true? The aforementioned Sacramento Kings basketball team, thanks to the implementation of Sales Navigator and customizing its offer, sold 50% more tickets for matches than assumed in the plan.
Development of an advanced database
LinkedIn has more than half a billion users. Each of them has an average of 400 contacts. This gives the platform a huge advantage over other social media in generating leads for B2B. According to Kissmetrics, as many as 80% of them come from LinkedIn
It is enough to make good use of this data, e.g. by screening the necessary information and collecting it in the database of your CRM system.
With widgets that link LinkedIn and Sales Navigator to CRM, you can search for points of contact between you and your consumers. When you write a message, you will have access to e.g. the history of previous contacts with a given person or their professional path until now.
Additionally, TeamLink allows you to work on your team’s network of contacts in LinkedIn. This is important for gathering information and determining the optimal route to reach a particular customer or group of customers.
After all, personalization of the contact is most important at the initial stage of the relationship. A message which looks like mass mailing will only anger the recipient. CRM data will allow you to show off your knowledge about your interlocutor.
Automatic updates
By connecting your CRM system to LinkedIn, your contacts will be updated automatically. This is ensured by the CRM Sync built into the Sales Navigator. So you don’t have to worry about your team working on different lead data and downloading data from outdated profiles. No more outdated contact details!
Creating statistics
Sales Navigator data will enrich your data in CRM, so the analysis will be more accurate. Information from LinkedIn may contain e.g. the number of messages sent via InMail.
In this way, communication is no longer dispersed. In the work of a modern salesman, one of the main problems is mastering the communication channels. After all, customers are everywhere and talk to us from wherever they are: on Facebook, Twitter, Messenger or Linkedin.
A CRM connection with Linkedin will help you integrate data about sent InMails – i.e. Linkedin messages – directly into your system. That’s why your employees won’t miss anything.
Collecting and analyzing statistics from the Sales Navigator will help you determine the ROI of your Linkedin activities. You can see the exact sales results, determine the quality of leads and plan the next steps. The statistics are updated daily at midnight.
Salesforce and Linkedin – perfect partners
Customers expect an intelligent approach to sales and relationship building. As many as 80% of them hope that the products offered to them by the sellers will be tailored to their needs. This cannot be done without collecting and analyzing the relevant information.
Implementation of the Sales Navigator from LinkedIn on the Salesforce platform is a tested solution that will allow you to have a better understanding of their needs.
Returning to the common opinion about Linkedin: it is not true that there is no traffic or activity on this portal. More than 100,000 specialist articles are published there every day. Not to mention simple status updates!
When it comes to establishing relations, 80% of Linkedin’s users believe that the contacts they have made here are crucial for their career development.
If that’s what users say, it’s time to get in touch with them.
Author
- Product Marketing Manager
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She has been involved in the IT industry and Salesforce for three years. At the moment, she works on business development, generating leads, organizing business events and widely understood product marketing. She supports Craftware’s sales team reaching new customers and building long-term relationships with them. A certified Pardot specialist, a tool for automation of B2B Salesforce marketing.
