If you’re trying to squeeze more out of your LinkedIn network, you’ve probably run into the same headache: a pile of contacts, but no real way to organize or target them without a lot of manual work. Maybe you’re in sales, recruiting, or running outreach for your own business — either way, you want a process that actually works and doesn’t eat up your day.
That’s where Octopuscrm comes in. It promises to help automate LinkedIn tasks like messaging, visiting profiles, and — the part we care about here — segmenting and targeting contacts. But does it work? Can you actually create useful segments and run targeted campaigns, or is this just another tool that looks slick but falls apart with real-world use?
Let’s walk through the step-by-step process, with honest tips on what to do, what to skip, and what to watch out for.
Step 1: Get Your LinkedIn Contacts into Octopuscrm
First things first: you need your LinkedIn contacts inside Octopuscrm before you can do anything else.
Connecting Octopuscrm to LinkedIn
- Install the Chrome Extension: Octopuscrm is a browser-based tool, so you’ll need to install their Chrome extension. There’s no standalone app.
- Log in to LinkedIn: You have to be logged into your LinkedIn account in the same browser for Octopuscrm to work.
- Open the Octopuscrm dashboard: The extension adds a sidebar to your LinkedIn interface.
What works: The integration is pretty painless, and if you’re already on LinkedIn, you’re halfway there.
What doesn’t: If you bounce between browsers or devices, you might find this annoying. No mobile support.
Importing Contacts
- Go to 'My Network' or a Search Results page on LinkedIn. Octopuscrm can only “see” contacts that are visible on the page.
- Click 'Select All' in the Octopuscrm sidebar. It’ll grab everyone currently shown.
- Scroll down to load more contacts. LinkedIn only loads chunks at a time, so you’ll need to scroll and repeat if you want more than a few dozen.
- Add to a Campaign or List. Octopuscrm calls these “campaigns,” but think of them as basic lists.
Pro Tip: LinkedIn tries to limit automation. Don’t blast through hundreds at once or you risk getting your account flagged.
Step 2: Segment Your Contacts
This is where most people get tripped up, because Octopuscrm doesn’t have the fancy segmentation of a full-blown CRM. You have to get creative.
Segmenting Options
- By Campaign/List: The main way to segment is by adding contacts to different campaigns. There’s no built-in tagging system, but you can create as many campaigns as you want.
- By LinkedIn Filters: Before importing, use LinkedIn’s search and filters (location, industry, title, etc.) to display just the people you want. Then import that filtered group into a specific campaign in Octopuscrm.
How to Actually Do It
- Think about your segments ahead of time.
- Examples: “Marketing Directors,” “NYC Connections,” “Past Clients,” “Leads from Event X.”
- On LinkedIn, use search and filters.
- Narrow down your list. The more specific, the better.
- Import that filtered group into a new campaign in Octopuscrm.
- Name the campaign something obvious. You’ll thank yourself later.
- Repeat for each segment you want.
- Don’t try to do everything at once. Start with your most important group.
What works: This manual approach is clunky, but it gets the job done if you’re organized.
What doesn’t: If you want advanced segmentation (like “everyone who engaged with my last post and is in healthcare”), you’ll hit a wall. Octopuscrm isn’t a database; it’s more a set of buckets.
Step 3: Target Your Segments with Actions
Now you’ve got your segments (campaigns/lists). Time to actually do something with them.
Bulk Actions Available
- Send Personalized Connection Requests
- Send Bulk Messages to 1st-Degree Connections
- Visit Profiles Automatically
- Endorse Skills Automatically
Sending Targeted Messages
- Pick your campaign/segment.
- Choose “Send Message” or “Send Connection Request.”
- Write your message.
- You can use merge fields like {firstName} to personalize (but don’t rely on this to sound human).
- Set the daily limit.
- Stay well under LinkedIn’s limits. Octopuscrm lets you throttle sends, which is smart.
- Start the campaign.
- It’ll run in the background as long as you keep Chrome open.
Pro Tip: Always double-check your message. Typos or weird merge fields make you look like a spammer.
What Works
- Personalization, even if basic, goes a long way.
- Following up with a second message a few days later is easy to set up.
What Doesn’t
- No real A/B testing or analytics. You won’t know which message works better except by gut feel or tracking replies manually.
- No drip campaigns across multiple channels (it’s LinkedIn-only).
Step 4: Track Results — But Don’t Expect Miracles
Octopuscrm gives you a basic activity log — how many messages sent, how many invites, etc. You can export this data if you want to keep your own records.
What You Can Track
- Number of messages/requests sent
- Number of profiles visited
- Campaign-level stats
What You Can’t
- Actual replies or conversions (unless you check LinkedIn manually)
- Open rates (LinkedIn doesn’t provide this info)
- Advanced analytics (think HubSpot, not Excel)
If you want deep tracking, you’ll need to use another tool or do it the old-fashioned way — by hand.
Step 5: Clean Up and Iterate
Once you’ve run a few campaigns, you’ll hit some obvious snags:
- Some contacts won’t respond.
- You’ll have stale segments.
- Your campaigns will get cluttered.
How to Stay On Top of It
- Regularly remove or update old campaigns.
- Export campaign lists if you want a backup.
- Tweak your segments if you notice patterns.
- Maybe “NYC Connections” is too broad — split it up by industry or job level.
- Don’t be afraid to delete and start over. It’s faster than overthinking.
Pro Tips and Pitfalls to Avoid
- Stay human: Even if you can blast out messages, LinkedIn users hate spam. Personalize and don’t overdo it.
- LinkedIn Limits: If you get greedy with automation, LinkedIn will notice. Keep it slow and steady.
- Segment before you import: Octopuscrm can’t magically sort your contacts after the fact, so do the filtering on LinkedIn first.
- Test your process: Run a small batch before going big. Better to screw up with 10 people than 200.
Keep It Simple and Iterate
There’s no magic bullet for LinkedIn segmentation — not in Octopuscrm, and not anywhere else. The trick is to keep things simple: create clear segments, target them thoughtfully, and adjust as you go. Don’t get lost chasing perfect lists or trying to automate every last thing. Start with your most valuable contacts, see what works, and build from there. That’s how you actually get results — not just a fancier spreadsheet.