How to Automate Lead Gen for Scalable LinkedIn Campaigns
Searching for the ultimate guide to lead gen? You just landed on the right page. In this comprehensive walkthrough, I’ll share proven strategies to automate LinkedIn outreach, scale your prospect pipeline, and boost conversions. Along the way, I’ll introduce Closely, a leading LinkedIn automation tool that streamlines everything from audience selection to detailed analytics.
If you’ve ever struggled to manage manual prospecting, juggle multiple campaign steps, or sync leads across platforms, you’re in good company. Teams around the world rely on Closely’s flexible lead management and superior metrics dashboard to drive efficient, GDPR-compliant lead gen at scale. Ready to transform your outreach? Get Started with Closely Today.
What is Closely for Lead Gen?
Closely is a LinkedIn automation platform designed specifically for scalable lead gen. It empowers teams to create custom outreach sequences with multiple actions, filter leads to avoid retargeting, and sync data seamlessly with CRMs. By automating connection requests, follow-ups, and email touches, Closely frees up your sales team to focus on high-value conversations rather than tedious manual tasks.
Closely Overview: LinkedIn Lead Gen Platform
Founded in 2018 by a group of sales operations veterans, Closely set out with a clear mission: streamline LinkedIn outbound for growing teams. Frustrated by clunky interfaces and limited integration options, the founders built a user-friendly platform that combined powerful automation with deep analytics.
Since its launch, Closely has grown to support thousands of users across industries—agencies, startups, and enterprise sales groups alike. Key milestones include integration with major CRMs like Salesforce and HubSpot, GDPR compliance certifications, and the rollout of AI-powered personalization features that deliver more relevant outreach at scale.
Today, Closely is recognized as a go-to LinkedIn automation tool for teams aiming to elevate their lead gen efforts, reduce manual overhead, and make data-driven decisions.
Pros and Cons of Closely for Lead Gen
Pros:
1. Custom Sequences and Conditions: Build multi-step workflows tailored to your ideal prospect journey.
2. Robust Lead Management: Filter out unresponsive or duplicate leads and prevent campaign fatigue.
3. Superior Metrics Dashboard: Visualize campaign performance, test hypotheses, and iterate faster.
4. Seamless CRM Integrations: Sync leads in real time with tools like Salesforce, HubSpot, and more.
5. GDPR-Compliant: Automated data handling that meets EU privacy standards and builds trust.
6. Team Management Access: Control user permissions and maintain privacy across multiple campaigns.
7. Whitelabel Options: Strengthen brand identity when managing client accounts through a customized platform.
8. AI-Powered Personalizations: Scale outreach with dynamic, context-aware messages.
Cons:
1. Learning Curve: While intuitive, new users may need time to master the flexible campaign builder.
2. Credit System Complexity: Managing email, phone, and AI credits requires some initial planning.
Key Features for Lead Gen
Closely packs a host of features that address every step of the LinkedIn lead gen process. Below are the most impactful modules:
Custom Sequences with Multiple Actions and Conditions
Create dynamic funnels that adapt based on prospect behavior. Common sequence steps include:
- Connection requests with personalized note templates
- Automated follow-ups triggered by response status
- Email outreach via integrated email accounts
- Pause or reroute actions based on campaign conditions
Flexible Lead Management
Avoid wasting credits on unqualified or duplicate leads. Features include:
- Lead filtering by campaign history, region, or custom tags
- Retargeting prevention by excluding previous campaign contacts
- One-click CRM sync to update records as prospects progress
Superior Metrics Dashboard
Visualize every metric needed to optimize your lead gen strategy:
- Campaign overview with multi-variant comparisons
- Engagement funnel breakdown from request to meeting booked
- Prospect timeline showing each touchpoint and response
Closely Integrations
Connect with your existing stack to ensure smooth data flow:
- CRMs: Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Zoho
- Schedulers: Calendly, HubSpot Meetings, OnceHub
- Monitoring tools: Google Analytics, Slack, Zapier
- Inboxes: Gmail, Outlook, custom SMTP
Closely Pricing
Whether you’re an individual consultant or a multi-client agency, Closely offers plans to match your lead gen needs. For detailed feature comparisons, visit the pricing page.
Starter Plan
Price: $49/mo
- 1 LinkedIn account
- Unlimited email accounts
- Built-in whitelabel
- Ideal for solopreneurs testing LinkedIn automation
Growth Plan (Most Popular)
Price: $127/mo
- 3 LinkedIn accounts
- 3,000 total credits (emails, phone touches, AI personalizations)
- Built-in whitelabel
- Perfect for small teams scaling lead gen
Essential Plan
Price: $205/mo
- 5 LinkedIn accounts
- 5,000 total credits
- Advanced metrics and reporting
- Great for agencies handling multiple campaigns
Custom Plan
Price: $350+/mo
- Up to 10 LinkedIn accounts
- Adjustable credit limits
- Priority support and custom onboarding
- Best for enterprises with complex needs
Who Should Use Closely for Lead Gen
Closely shines across different use cases. Here’s how various audiences can benefit:
Sales Teams
Automate initial outreach and follow-ups, freeing reps to focus on demos and negotiations.
Growth Marketers
Test multi-variant campaigns, analyze data-driven results, and double down on what moves the needle.
Agencies
Manage multiple client campaigns under one roof with whitelabel options and centralized reporting.
Founders and Small Businesses
Leverage automation to build a predictable sales pipeline without adding headcount.
Boost Your Lead Gen with Closely
- Scalability: Launch dozens of sequences simultaneously without adding headcount.
- Efficiency: Automate rote tasks like connection follow-ups and email drips.
- Data-Driven Insights: Leverage detailed dashboards to refine messaging and targeting.
- Compliance: Stay GDPR-compliant with automated data handling and privacy controls.
- Customization: Tailor every step of your outreach based on real-time prospect actions.
- Integration: Sync seamlessly with CRMs, schedulers, and monitoring tools.
Customer Support
Closely’s customer success team is known for its responsiveness and deep expertise. Whether you need help setting up your first campaign or troubleshooting integrations, support tickets are typically answered within 4 hours during business days.
Support channels include live chat, email, and a robust help center with step-by-step guides. Enterprise customers benefit from dedicated account managers who ensure your lead gen workflows run smoothly at every scale.
Reviews and Ratings on Lead Gen Performance
Across review platforms, users consistently praise Closely’s intuitive campaign builder and analytics dashboard. Common praise points include the ease of creating multi-step sequences, granular lead filtering, and reliable CRM syncs.
Some users have noted that the credit usage model requires initial calibration to align with campaign volumes. However, this minor challenge is quickly addressed by Closely’s onboarding team, and most teams see ROI within the first month of use.
Lead Gen Education and Community
Closely maintains an active blog covering LinkedIn best practices, outreach case studies, and data-driven growth strategies. Monthly webinars dive deep into topics like hyper-personalization, multi-variant testing, and GDPR compliance.
The community forum brings together sales leaders, marketers, and agency owners. You can swap templates, share A/B test results, and learn advanced techniques directly from peers.
Conclusion
Automating your LinkedIn lead gen doesn’t have to be complex or risky. With features like custom sequences, flexible lead management, and a superior metrics dashboard, Closely makes it easy to scale outreach, analyze results, and drive predictable pipeline growth.
Ready to revolutionize your lead gen process? Get Started with Closely Today