Microsoft Links Dynamics 365 to LinkedIn for Influencer Marketing

In the business world, the use of social media is becoming pervasive. Business networking site LinkedIn today has more than 500 registered users worldwide. It’s a place to collaborate, market, share content, maintain relationships and even sell. It’s dynamic and open, and its users engage with it on a variety of platforms, including mobile ones. Compared to these socially driven engines, many traditional business software solutions feel rather limiting and static. It’s not a surprise, therefore, that software companies are forging alliances with LinkedIn and other social media sites, particularly when it comes to customer relationship management (CRM) solutions and even employee advocacy.

Microsoft, which became LinkedIn’s parent company last year, recently announced that it’s adding integration between its business-focused software and the social network, starting with Microsoft’s CRM powerhouse, Microsoft’s Dynamics 365. The integration will draw on LinkedIn’s massive knowledgebases or workplace data, allowing users to bring in resume information and other details to inform interactions with potential customers. In addition, Dynamics’ recruiting tool will use LinkedIn’s profile information to expand its value to human capital management operations.

In a recent blog post, Microsoft EVP Scott Guthrie noted that today’s customers are looking to transform the very nucleus of their companies – the business processes and systems used to run operations, connect with customers and manage teams – to drive better business outcomes.

“But many of those systems, particularly the CRM and ERP systems of the past, are siloed, complicated and outdated,” he wrote. “The result: Customers are slowed down by fragmented, disconnected and unintelligent business applications that don’t give them a holistic view of their business.”

Sales people will be able to leverage their communications across email, CRM and LinkedIn to get contextual recommendations for the next best action within Dynamics 365 for Sales, facilitating introductions directly through the company’s network, and sending InMail, messages and customized connection requests. Sales professionals can better engage prospects with customized content throughout the account lifecycle, and build better relationships with existing customers.

The integration will be another excellent tool for the emerging practice of influencer marketing, which is comprised of new and innovative ways brands are engaging and influencing their audiences at a time where face time is at a premium and mostly exists within the realm of social media. Solutions providers such as JMRConnect are helping customers expand from keyword marketing to influencer marketing to ensure the right messages are added to business relationships at the right time. This should help increase leads and bring in new customers at an organic pace by maximizing the value of branded content. 

JRMConnect’s CEI platform was recently named among the winners of The Holmes Report’s 2017 North America In2 SABRE Awards. The solution was designed to help marketers maximize the value of the content they create and raise its organic visibility across public social forums, including not only LinkedIn, but also Facebook and Twitter. The platform aids in distributing content directly to a relevant audience in a way that prequalifies the content, making shaping influence easier.