ABM Strategy: Choose LinkedIn Sales Navigator Advanced Over LSN Core

To start and maintain a truly robust and effective Account-Based Marketing strategy, you have to bring some powerful tools to the game. 

Second only to HubSpot in Growth’s ABM tech stack toolbox is LinkedIn Sales Navigator Advanced software. And it’s particularly important to choose the Advanced version over the LSN core for two main reasons that we’ll get into.

(If you already know all about why LinkedIn is imperative to your ABM efforts, go straight to why you need LinkedIn Sales Navigator Advanced over the regular version of LSN).  

But First: Why LinkedIn for ABM

Your target accounts (that you’ve already established in your own ABM strategy) will likely have a presence on the world’s largest professional network platform, and you definitely want to be where they are. 

LinkedIn Sales Navigator boosts the alignment of your sales and marketing teams by giving them both a shared view of your ideal customer profile which helps them engage efficiently with those target accounts on LinkedIn.  

With LinkedIn Sales Navigator in your ABM tech stack, you can:

• Pinpoint Ideal Clients with Advanced Account Searches:
  •  Industry
  • Company Size
  •  Location
  • Company Headcount
    
    
• Identify Buyer Journeys + Decision Makers Using Search Filters & Smart Links:
  •  Industry
  • Seniority Level
  • Function
  • Company Name
  • Company Type
  • Company Headcount
    
    
• Gather Data on Specific Content Your Target Audiences Engage With And Shares - Create and save a list of identified leads who share your content and hashtags and engage with your brand on LinkedIn. 
  
  
• Determine Potential Advocates + Critics Of Your Brand Among Your Target Accounts - Use keyword searches to find advocates (those you’ve worked with before/share your tech stacks + objectives) versus critics (those who work with your competitors/use a competitor’s tech stack, etc.) so time and energy are spent on the exact right accounts. 
  
  
• Calibrate Inbound Website Traffic with Who’s Viewed Your Sales Profiles - If a target account decision-maker goes to your salesperson’s LinkedIn profile and then to your website, that’s green flag buyer behavior that needs attention right away. This tool alerts your teams so they can act quickly and engage in the conversation. 

So, as you can see, having LinkedIn Sales Navigator is key to all the things that make an ABM strategy work: 

• sales + marketing sharing the same data
• targeting specific North Star accounts for outreach
• serving those accounts with helpful, relevant inbound content

But Why Choose the Advanced Version? 

Because of this vastly important #1 tool you need in your toolkit: HubSpot. 

LinkedIn Sales Navigator Core and Advanced cost the same at $149 per month for your entire business, but the advanced version allows you to perform two key activities that drive a robust ABM strategy:

• sync your LinkedIn activity, metrics, and data with your CRM
• use advanced CRM integrations that can help you automate and keep track of your campaigns

And that’s HUGE. 

Of course, as HubSpot Platinum Solutions Partners, we recommend HubSpot, but you can sync with any CRM you’re using. 

And whoa, wait. If you’re not using a CRM, it’s a must-have to run a successful marketing campaign of any kind nowadays. Our ultimate guide to buying a CRM for your business gives you a run-down on your options and how to choose the right tool for your business. But, if you need more, talk to us about how we can help.