LinkedIn is a great lead generation tool; however, its nature and rules still call for additional instruments in order to get the necessary data while staying within the boundaries of what is allowed. In this article, we talk about the challenges of lead generation with LinkedIn and how proxies can help you.

LinkedIn lead generation: why scalability comes with problems

Lead generation is a core task and a need for every business. With LinkedIn having a huge base of active users and native tools and the platform itself claiming that it holds the first position for return on ad spend (ROAS) in B2B advertising and delivers an average of 113% return, it’s no wonder that it has become a top choice among lead gen solutions.

At the same time, lead generation with LinkedIn isn’t cloudless either. Manual generation isn’t an option as it is impossible to scale. Add here daily limits on profile views, number of connection requests, and messages. Also, if you try to reach potential leads from one account, in case of blocks or any account-related disruptions, your communication with customers-to-be would be lost, which would be a huge setback. On top of that, you need to either invest your time in the manual outreach – on a daily basis – or hire someone and pay them.

Automation, on the other hand, allows speeding up the process and increasing volumes, but here limitations and risks of bans enter the game. LinkedIn’s anti-detection systems work meticulously and analyse and compare a lot of data in order to verify your identity. First, your IP address – including location consistency and shared IPs. The account-to-IP ratio also gets attention as several accounts associated with the same address are a clear red flag and a reason for a ban.

Then, your behavioral patterns, such as speed, repetitive actions, and spikes of activity during a day, are also monitored, as well as device and browser fingerprints. Even the nature of your activity and its sudden spikes, in comparison to your account’s age, can trigger LinkedIn’s radars. Here, you can read more about what may trigger blocks, what to do to avoid them, and how to act in case you have already received a ban.

With such precise detection on numerous levels simultaneously, automation may sound even more impossible than manual outreach. That’s why you need additional tools that will help you not only get data, but do so while staying within the boundaries of the platform’s policy. Proxies are one of them.

How are proxies beneficial for LinkedIn lead generation

Disclaimer: DataImpulse encourages you to respect LinkedIn’s Terms of Service and avoid violating rules. Treat generated data according to CCPA, GDPR, or other data protection laws relevant for your country and niche. DataImpulse prohibits the use of our proxies for any illicit activities and does not bear responsibility for possible outcomes.

The important thing to understand is that proxies are not a sole player – they won’t cover all the needs lead generation comes with. Instead, they are an essential part of an infrastructure you need to generate leads effectively, legally, and quickly. You can read more on the topic in the dedicated article; for now, we will focus on proxies.

• Proxies provide unique IP addresses

LinkedIn monitors the account-to-address ratio, meaning that you can’t use the same IP address with several accounts without risking bans. However, buying several additional devices for LinkedIn only isn’t effective; instead, you can distribute traffic across multiple IPs to prevent address overlap across numerous accounts and falsely triggering anti-detection systems.

• Proxies allow for geoconsistency

When your actual location doesn’t match a place you set on LinkedIn, it raises suspicions. It may be a problem for those who travel a lot or operate in several locations, as you need to generate leads from different locations. Proxies allow you to channel traffic via IPs of a necessary location, making lead generation more precise.

• Reduce the number of matches of automated actions

Human actions aren’t perfect – you would pause for uneven time periods, move your mouse unconsciously, randomly visit pages or open links, etc. When you use automation tools, their actions are robotic, not chaotic. Modern tools fix it, add randomization to make their scripts look more human-like, and align with regulations. Proxies assist in it – they allow using IPs of different devices and locations, further helping to make traffic look natural and preventing detection systems from matching your actions together.

• Help with multiaccounting, scraping, and outreach

Proxies make it possible to scale lead generation by helping you maintain a consistent identity. Also, you can distribute traffic across multiple IPs and run several processes simultaneously to save time. They also pair with other tools like anti-detection browsers and automation scripts.

What proxies to choose for lead generation in LinkedIn

Authenticity and a clear reputation are what you need from proxies in terms of LinkedIn. You need your traffic to look as genuine as possible. That’s why residential or mobile proxies are a perfect choice. They are real addresses of household or mobile devices, respectively, and have a high trust level; therefore, they look safe for LinkedIn. DataImpulse also offers premium residential proxies for sensitive tasks like lead generation with LinkedIn. They are meticulously sorted so you have a pool of secure, clear-reputation, fast IPs at your service. The only downside of residential and mobile proxies is the relatively high price. Datacenter proxies are cheaper; however, antibot systems easily detect and block them, so it may be senseless. Free proxies won’t do, as not only do they offer zero authenticity, but they also come with huge security risks. You can find out more about it from this article.

Opt for sticky sessions and try to avoid reusing the same IP often.

Troubleshooting advice

Even good proxies won’t save you in case you act feverishly, without a strategy. There are some simple tricks that will save you trouble.

• Use different proxies for different accounts – don’t share the same IP;
• Maintain the same location and don’t switch it often;
• Scale gradually;
• Use other tools like anti-detection browsers, so that your fingerprints or cookies won’t betray you.

Also, there are some LinkedIn-specific rules to stick to – warm up your accounts and respect daily and weekly limits, especially if you’ve only signed up. React to warnings if you get them.

Remember that proxies don’t make you invincible – they are great helpers, but your behaviour and strategy are a pillar.

To sum up

​Lead generation changes with any Policy change and generally is demanding. Proxies aren’t a cure-all, but they are a crucial part you can’t omit. DataImpulse has more than four years of experience in data scraping, including lead generation, so we experience your struggles first-hand and, luckily, know a solution. With us, you can have 90+ million unique IP addresses from 195 locations and 24/7 human support to ensure lead generation is going on without obstacles. Contact us at [email protected] or hit the “Try now” button to start now.