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{{Infobox company|
{{Infobox company
|company_name = Vocus
| name = Vocus
| logo =
|company_logo = [[Image:Vocuslogo.png]]
| caption =
|company_type = [[Public company|Public]]
| trading_name = <!-- d/b/a/, doing business as - if different from legal name above -->
|traded_as = {{Nasdaq|VOCS}}
| native_name = <!-- Company's name in home country language -->
|slogan =
| native_name_lang = <!-- Use ISO 639-2 code, e.g. "fr" for French. If there is more than one native name, in different languages, enter those names using {{tl|lang}}, instead. -->
|foundation = 1992
| romanized =
|location = [[Beltsville, Maryland]]
| former type =
|key_people = Richard Rudman, CEO & Chairman
| type = [[Public company|Public]]
|num_employees = 900+
|industry = Technology
| traded_as = {{NASDAQ|VOCS}}
| industry = [[Technology]]
|products = Internet software & services
| genre = <!-- Only used with media and publishing companies -->
|owner =
|revenue = US$114.8 million(2011)
| fate =
| predecessor =
|homepage = {{URL|http://www.vocus.com}}
| successor =
|}}
| foundation = {{Start date|1992}}
| founder =
| defunct = <!-- {{End date|YYYY|MM|DD}} -->
| location_city = [[Beltsville, Maryland]]
| location_country = [[United States]]
| locations =
| area_served = Worldwide
| key_people = Rick Rudman, CEO
| products = Marketing and public relations [[software]] & services
| production =
| services =
| revenue =
| operating_income =
| net_income =
| aum = <!-- Only used with financial services companies -->
| assets =
| equity =
| owner =
| num_employees = 1,200
| parent =
| divisions =
| subsid = PRWeb<br/> [[Help a Reporter Out|HARO]]<br/> North Social<br/> [[iContact]]
| homepage = {{URL|www.vocus.com}}
| footnotes =
| intl =
| bodystyle =
}}


'''Vocus''' is a [[marketing]] [[software industry|software company]] based in [[Beltsville, Maryland]], [[United States]], serving clients worldwide. In addition to its proprietary web-based marketing [[software]] suites, the company owns online marketing and publicity services, including PRWeb, [[Help a Reporter Out]] (HARO), North Social and [[iContact]]. Vocus was founded in 1992 by Rick Rudman and Bob Lentz and is a [[public company|publicly held company]]. The company operates additional offices in the United States, Europe and Asia.
'''Vocus''' is a publicly held company that provides [[Application service provider|on-demand]] software for [[public relations]], <ref> http://voices.yahoo.com/vocus-public-relations-software-brings-media-world-2351352.html </ref> marketing and communications professionals. Their software provides [[news monitoring]] and management, [[social media]] monitoring and management, [[press release]] distribution and reporting and analytics, and includes a [[media contacts database]]. Vocus software is used by more than 4,000 organizations worldwide, and is available in seven languages. Vocus is based in [[Beltsville, Maryland|Beltsville]], [[Maryland]], but has offices throughout Europe and Asia. According to the Washington Post index, Vocus is one of the top 125 public companies headquartered in Washington D.C. and its suburbs.


==Products and services==
Vocus went public in 2005.
Vocus provides [[marketing]] and [[public relations]] services to businesses, using a [[cloud computing|cloud-based]], or [[software as a service]] (SaaS) model.<ref name=Kelly>{{cite news |title=VOCUS INC. Lanham, Maryland PR Software Helps Companies Polish Their Image With Efficiency |author=Brad Kelly |url=http://w3.nexis.com/new/docview/getDocForCuiReq?lni=4TFR-7MW0-TX4P-W11C&csi=8204&oc=00240&perma=true |work=[[Investor's Business Daily]] |date=16 September 2008 |accessdate=25 January 2013}}</ref><ref name=Sentementes/> The company's integrated services help businesses market their services to [[customer]]s through [[social media]] monitoring and engagement, [[search engine marketing]], [[email marketing]] and media [[publicity]] services.<ref name=Sentementes/><ref name=Payton>{{cite news |title=Vocus: Small Businesses Shouldn’t Have to Piecemeal Their Marketing |author=Susan Payton |url=http://smallbiztrends.com/2012/07/vocus-small-businesses-shouldnt-have-to-piecemeal-marketing.html |work=[[Small Business Trends]] |date=8 July 2012 |accessdate=24 January 2013}}</ref><ref name=Kelly/>


Vocus' software is distributed in seven languages. {{As of|2012|07}}, it is used by more than 120,000 organizations worldwide,<ref name=Payton/> including commercial businesses and governmental, educational and non-profit organizations.<ref name=Kelly/>
==History==
1992: Vocus is co-founded by Rick Rudman and Bob Lentz.


===Software===
2005: Vocus' IPO (initial public offering).
The company offers three web-based packages: the "Vocus Marketing Suite", the "Public Relations Suite" and a "Government Relations Suite".<ref name=Payton/>


The "Vocus Marketing Suite" is a software suite that combines online marketing and publicity services.<ref name=Costa>{{cite news |title=Become a Marketing Powerhouse With Vocus All-in-One Marketing Suite |author=Charles Costa |url=http://www.smallbiztechnology.com/archive/2013/01/handle-all-your-online-marketing-tasks-with-this-one-suite.html/ |work=[[Smallbiz Technology]] |date=28 January 2013 |accessdate=1 April 2013}}</ref> It was first released in October 2011.<ref name=Garrity>{{cite news |title=Cloud-Based Marketing Suite Comes into Vocus |author=Michael Garrity |url=http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2011/10/06/cloud-based-marketing-suite-comes-into-vocus.aspx |work=[[Website Magazine]] |date=6 October 2011 |accessdate=24 January 2013}}</ref><ref name=Kiefer/> In January 2013, as a result of the acquisition of iContact, Vocus added email marketing integration to the software suite,<ref name=Kiefer>{{cite news |title=Vocus releases updated marketing suite |author=Brittaney Kiefer |url=http://www.prweekus.com/vocus-releases-updated-marketing-suite/article/276156/ |work=[[PRWeek|PRWeek US]] |date=16 January 2013 |accessdate=24 January 2013}}</ref> expanding it into a [[Cloud computing|cloud]] marketing product.<ref name=Proffitt>{{cite news |title=Everything-as-a-Service: It's Happening Right Now |author=Brian Proffitt |url=http://readwrite.com/2013/01/16/everything-as-a-service-its-happening-right-now |work=[[ReadWrite]] |date=16 January 2013 |accessdate=24 January 2013}}</ref> In 2013, Vocus also introduced Buying Signals, a feature that allows marketers to identify potential customers by monitoring social media conversations.<ref name=Kiefer/><ref name=Costa/>
2006: Vocus acquires [[PRWeb]], an online visibility service.


Vocus also provides a "Public Relations Suite", which allows users to distribute press releases, access a database of bloggers and journalists, and monitor and analyse news and social media sites.<ref name=Lewis>{{cite news |title=Vocus' PR suite info is user friendly and easy to export |author=Tanya Lewis |url=http://www.prweekus.com/vocus-pr-suite-info-is-user-friendly-and-easy-to-export/article/238802/ |work=[[PRWeek|PRWeek US]] |date=30 April 2012 |accessdate=1 April 2013}}</ref>
2007: Vocus is the first PR software Vendor Awarded 2007 SIIA [[Codie Awards|Codie Award]] for Best Business Productivity Solution.


The company's "Government Relations Suite" manages government contacts and analyzes lobbying activity.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hoovers.com/company-information/cs/company-profile.Vocus_Inc.6f546b18b5d790a2.html |title=Vocus Inc. Company Information |date= |work=Hoovers.com |publisher=Hoover's Inc. |accessdate=9 April 2013}}</ref>
2008: Vocus launches its Summer ’08 release, which incorporates video clips into the news monitoring service and [[natural language processing]] to help determine sentiment of news coverage.


===Services===
2009: Vocus launches its Spring '09 release, which features enhanced reporting capabilities, a fully configurable home page, and integrates social media monitoring.
Since 2006, Vocus has expanded its services through a series of [[Mergers and acquisitions|acquisitions]], including PRWeb, HARO, North Social and iContact, which Vocus has continued to operate under the existing [[brand]] names. Vocus also offers [[Information technology consulting|consulting]] services to support the use of its software products.<ref name=VocusConsulting>{{cite web |url=http://www.vocus.com/content/prprofessional.asp |title=Consulting Services |date= |work=vocus.com |publisher=Vocus |accessdate=11 February 2013}}</ref>


PRWeb is an online [[press release]] service. Press releases published by PRWeb are distributed through news sites and appear in search engine results, allowing businesses to distribute news directly to the [[mass media]] and customers.<ref name=BizJournal2006/><ref name=Nichols>{{cite news |title=Pioneering company takes its next step Ferndale’s PRWeb sold to national company |author=Kate N. Nichols |url=http://www.nwbmonline.com/content/newsm/news.asp?show=VIEW&a=454 |work=[[Business Pulse Magazine]] |date=September 2006 |accessdate=24 January 2013}}</ref>
2010: Vocus acquires two software makers to expand its client base in Europe and Asia. It agreed to pay as much as $10.8 million for Riorges, France-based Datapress. It also paid an undisclosed sum for China-based public relations software maker BDL Media.


[[Help a Reporter Out]] (HARO) is an online service designed to help [[journalist]]s locate and connect with sources for stories. Originally created as a [[Facebook]] group in 2008, HARO quickly outgrew the platform, and now operates through its own [[website]] and daily [[newsletter]].<ref name=BizJournal2010>{{cite news |title=Vocus acquires Help A Reporter Out |author= |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2010/06/07/daily47.html |work=[[American City Business Journals|Washington Business Journal]] |date=10 June 2010 |accessdate=24 January 2013}}</ref><ref name=Dybwad/><ref name=Buskirk>{{cite news |title='Help a Reporter Out' Crowdsources News Sources |author=Eliot van Buskirk |url=http://www.wired.com/business/2009/09/help-a-reporter-out-hits-paydirt-crowdsourcing-news-sources/ |work=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |date=14 September 2009 |accessdate=15 February 2013}}</ref>
2010: Vocus acquires HARO, known to its subscribers as [[Help a Reporter Out]], which connects journalists with potential sources, experts and industry spokespeople.


North Social, a [[social media marketing]] company, designs customizable [[Application software|apps]] for businesses to manage and promote their company's presence on Facebook. Its services allow users to customize Facebook pages, integrate services from other websites and organize [[Promotion (marketing)|giveaways]].<ref name=Clabaugh2011>{{cite news |title=Vocus makes another social media buy |author=Jeff Clabaugh |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2011/02/24/vocus-makes-another-social-media-buy.html |work=[[American City Business Journals|Washington Business Journal]] |date=24 February 2011 |accessdate=24 January 2013}}</ref><ref name=Wauters>{{cite news |title=Vocus Buys Facebook Apps Maker North Social For $7M In Cash + $18M Earnout |author=Robin Wauters |url=http://techcrunch.com/2011/02/25/vocus-buys-facebook-apps-maker-north-social-for-7m-in-cash-18m-earnout/ |work=[[TechCrunch]] |date=25 February 2011 |accessdate=24 January 2013}}</ref>
2010: Vocus launches its Summer 2010 edition, which includes expanded social media monitoring.


[[iContact]], an [[Bulk email software|email marketing software]] company, designs software to help small and medium-sized businesses manage email, Facebook and [[Twitter]] campaigns. iContact's services are available through the "Vocus Marketing Suite" or as a separate service.<ref name=Ranii/><ref name=Kiefer/>
2011: Vocus acquired North Venture Partners, LLC (North Social) on February 24. <ref> http://www.google.com/finance?cid=699347 </ref> By the end of this year, 36,000 customers had purchased Vocus products and services. <ref> http://www.google.com/finance?cid=699347 </ref>


==History and acquisitions==
2012: Vocus acquires [[iContact]] <ref> http://www.google.com/finance?cid=699347 </ref>, a provider of e-mail and social-networking marketing services.
===Early history===
Vocus Inc. was founded in 1992 by [[chief executive officer]] Rick Rudman and his business partner, Bob Lentz.<ref name=WashingtonTimes2006/> The two had previously been investors at First Data Software Publishing, which they co-founded in 1991 to develop software supporting [[political organization]]s' external communications. Rudman and Lentz bought out the firm's other two partners and quit their jobs to relaunch the company as Vocus.<ref name=Goo>{{cite news |title=Vocus Is the Envy Of Tech Start-Ups; Software Firm Has Clients and a Plan |author=Sara Kehaulani Goo |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-452690.html |work=[[The Washington Post]] |date=27 June 2001 |accessdate=25 January 2013}}</ref><ref name=Neilson>{{cite news |title=Software companies vie for lobbyists' business |author=Becky Neilson |url=http://w3.nexis.com/new/docview/getDocForCuiReq?lni=4019-CJ60-00J4-Y0TG&csi=153182&oc=00240&perma=true |work=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]] |date=13 October 1999 |accessdate=25 January 2013}}</ref>


In its early years, Vocus developed software to help [[political action committee]]s and [[grassroots]] organizations track and organize donors and contacts.<ref name=Neilson/><ref name=Huslin>{{cite news |title=Vocus Puts Playtime on the Agenda |author=Anita Huslin |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/26/AR2007082601091.html |work=[[The Washington Post]] |date=27 August 2007 |accessdate=25 January 2013}}</ref> In 1997, the company expanded its services to offer [[public relations]] software, including a product developed specifically for clients outside of the political sector, to help them manage external communications.<ref name=Huslin/><ref name=Goo/> In 1999, Vocus discontinued the use of packaged software products, choosing instead to offer its software over the [[Internet]].<ref name=Huslin/>
==Products and services==
Vocus sells its software to [[public relations]], marketing and communication professionals to help them engage [[journalists]] and [[social networks]], identify online influencers, monitor the effectiveness of their communication programs, and protect and promote their [[brand]]. Its software includes five primary components: Media Outlets and Media Contacts databases with Living List updates <ref> http://voices.yahoo.com/vocus-public-relations-software-brings-media-world-2351352.html </ref>, news monitoring and management, social media monitoring and management, reporting and analysis, and press release/pitch distribution. The software is sold in various editions based on buyer size and needs.[http://www.vocus.com/content/publicrelations.asp] Products are also sold as stand-alone components.


===2000s===
Vocus' also offers an edition of its software exclusively for [[government relations]] professionals and [[political action committees]].
During the 2000s, the company continued to expand its public relations services. In October 2002, Vocus announced the release of its [[application programming interface]] (API), built using [[MSXML|Microsoft XML]], which allowed companies to integrate Vocus software with other business productivity applications.<ref name=Muse>{{cite news |title=Vocus Unveils API for PR Automation Suite |author=Dan Muse |url=http://www.internetnews.com/asp-news/article.php/1475831 |newspaper=InternetNews |date=3 October 2002 |accessdate=24 January 2013}}</ref>


In 2005, Vocus held its [[initial public offering]], selling 5 million shares of stock and raising a total of $45 million.<ref name=Sentementes/><ref name=BizJournal2005>{{cite news |title=Vocus raises $45M in stock offering |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2005/12/05/daily18.html |work=[[American City Business Journals|Baltimore Business Journal]] |date=7 December 2005 |accessdate=24 January 2013}}</ref> The same year, Vocus was ranked number 50 on ''[[Washington Business Journal]]'s'' list of the fastest growing companies, after its revenue grew 32.5% from 2004 to 2005.<ref name=BizJournal2005/>
==PRWeb==
PRWeb is a company owned by Vocus that generates online visibility and [[publicity]] to organizations big and small through online press releases, <ref> http://www.nwbmonline.com/content/newsm/news.asp?show=VIEW&a=454 </ref> distributed by PRWeb to major [[search engines]], online news outlets, and journalists and [[bloggers]] via [[RSS]] feeds and through its website. PRWeb has more than 25,000 customers. Distribution partners include Yahoo! News, Google News, Topix.net, and Excite News.


Vocus purchased PRWeb, the press release service, in 2006 for $28 million in cash and stock.<ref name=BizJournal2006>{{cite news |title=Vocus pays $28M in cash and stock for PRWeb |author= |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2006/08/07/daily17.html |work=[[American City Business Journals|Washington Business Journal]] |date=8 August 2006 |accessdate=24 January 2013}}</ref><ref name=WashingtonTimes2006>{{cite news |title=Vocus buys PR Web to distribute online |author= |url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2006/aug/28/20060828-101127-3905r/?page=all |work=[[The Washington Times]] |date=28 August 2006 |accessdate=24 January 2013}}</ref><ref name=Nichols/> The acquisition allowed Vocus customers to access PRWeb's online press release distribution services.<ref name=BizJournal2006/><ref name=WashingtonTimes2006/> The following year, in 2007, Vocus established a partnership with the [[Associated Press]], allowing Vocus users to distribute press releases within the AP network.<ref name=BBJ2007>{{cite news |title=Vocus inks agreement with Associated Press |author= |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2007/03/19/daily21.html |newspaper=[[American City Business Journals|Baltimore Business Journal]] |date=21 March 2007 |accessdate=24 January 2013}}</ref>
===PRWeb History===


===Recent history from 2010===
1997: Internet entrepreneur David McInnis launched PRWeb as a free online press release distribution service. <ref>[http://www.nwbmonline.com/content/newsm/news.asp?show=VIEW&a=454 Pioneering Company Takes its Next Step Ferndale’s PRWeb...]</ref>
The company continued to expand through acquisitions from 2010 onward. In 2010, Vocus acquired two software companies offering public relations services similar to Vocus': the French company Datapresse and the Chinese company BDL Media.<ref name=BizJournal2010/><ref>{{cite press release |title=Vocus Acquires Leading French On-Demand PR Software Company Datapresse |url=http://www.prweb.com/releases/Vocus-Acquires/Datapresse/prweb3901734.htm |publisher=PRWeb |date=10 April 2010 |accessdate=15 February 2013}}</ref><ref name=Clabaugh1>{{cite news |title=Vocus makes French, Chinese acquisitions |author=Jeff Clabaugh |url=http://w3.nexis.com/new/docview/getDocForCuiReq?lni=7Y92-W1K1-2RJT-T0P8&csi=302214&oc=00240&perma=true |work=[[American City Business Journals|Washington Business Journal]] |date=21 April 2010 |accessdate=25 January 2013}}</ref> The same year, the company also acquired the online service [[Help a Reporter Out]] (HARO).<ref name=Dybwad>{{cite news |title=Vocus Acquires HARO to Expand Journalist-Driven PR Service |author=Barb Dybwad |url=http://mashable.com/2010/06/10/vocus-acquires-haro/ |work=[[Mashable]] |date=10 June 2010 |accessdate=24 January 2013}}</ref><ref name=BizJournal2010/> In February 2011, Vocus announced it had acquired two [[social media marketing]] companies, Engine 140, which develops marketing software for use with Twitter, and North Social, developer of Facebook customization software.<ref name=Clabaugh2>{{cite news |title=Vocus acquires Engine 140 |author=Jeff Clabaugh |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2011/02/08/vocus-acquires-engine-140.html |work=[[American City Business Journals|Washington Business Journal]] |date=8 February 2011 |accessdate=24 January 2013}}</ref><ref name=Clabaugh2011/><ref name=Wauters/> In 2012, Vocus acquired the [[email marketing]] software company, iContact, for $169 million in cash and stock.<ref name=Ranii>{{cite news |title=Marketing firm buys Triangle's iContact |author=David Ranii |url=http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/02/29/1892060/marketing-firm-buys-icontact.html |work=[[The News & Observer]] |date=29 February 2012 |accessdate=24 January 2013}}</ref><ref name=Payton/><ref name=TBJ2012>{{cite news |title=Email marketing firm iContact sold to Vocus for $169M |author= |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/print-edition/2012/12/28/email-marketing-firm-icontact-sold-to.htm |newspaper=[[American City Business Journals|Triangle Business Journal]] |date=28 December 2012 |accessdate=24 January 2013}}</ref>


==Corporate overview==
2001: PRWeb began to move away from free distribution by offering a variety of distribution upgrades.
Vocus is led by chief executive officer and founder Rick Rudman.<ref name=Ranii/><ref name=Sentementes/> In 2011, the company reported a revenue of $115 million, up from $28 million in 2005.<ref name=Payton/>


The company headquarters are located in [[Beltsville, Maryland]], where Vocus operates a {{convert|93000|sqft|m2|sigfig=2|adj=on}} building modeled after [[Seaside, Florida]].<ref name=Payton/><ref name=PRWeb2010>{{cite press release |title=Vocus to Build Premier Work Destination with New Headquarters Office Location |url=http://www.dailyfinance.com/rtn/pr/vocus-to-build-premier-work-destination-with-new-headquarters-office-location/rfid316420610/ |work=[[Daily Finance]] |date=6 April 2010 |accessdate=24 January 2013}}</ref><ref name=Sentementes>{{cite news |title=Vocus tackles digital marketing, hires hundreds |author=Gus G. Sentementes |url=http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2012-10-13/business/bs-bz-vocus-hiring-beltsville-20121013_1_market-share-social-media-search-engine |work=[[The Baltimore Sun]] |date=13 October 2012 |accessdate=24 January 2013}}</ref> The office, an example of the [[New Urbanism|new urbanization]] style, is built to look like a town within an office building. The space includes recreation facilities, a spa and food services.<ref name=PRWeb2010/><ref name=Olabanji>{{cite news |title=Beltsville office space makes work enjoyable |author=Jummy Olabanji |url=http://www.wjla.com/articles/2012/11/beltsville-office-space-makes-work-enjoyable-82216.html |work=wjla.com |publisher=[[ABC News]] |date=18 November 2012 |accessdate=15 February 2013}}</ref> In the United States, Vocus also operates offices in [[College Park, Maryland]]; [[Herndon, Virginia|Herndon]] and [[Reston, Virginia]] and [[Ferndale, Washington]].<ref name=PRWeb2010/><ref name=BizJournal2005/> The company's international headquarters are located in [[London]].<ref name=BizJournal2005/> As of October 2012, the company employed 1,200 people worldwide, 700 of whom are located in Beltsville.<ref name=Sentementes/>
2005: PRWeb expanded its platform with [[Social Bookmarking]] technologies.

2006: PRWeb was acquired by Vocus, Inc., for approximately $28 million consisting of $20.8 million in cash and 494,543 shares of Vocus common stock.<ref name="acquisition">[http://www.washtimes.com/business/20060828-101127-3905r.htm Washington Times, August 29, 2006: Vocus buys PRWeb to distribute online]</ref>

2007: PRWeb announced a partnership with the [[Associated Press]] that would allow PRWeb users to distribute their news to top US news outlets.<ref>[http://www.prweb.com/releases/press_release_newswire/media_visibility/prweb514058.htm PRWeb Announces Media Visibility Package to Enhance Press Release Distribution]</ref>

2009: PRWeb launched its online news distribution service in the UK.

2012: PRWeb distributed a fraudulent press release announcing that [[Google]] had purchased ICOA, a Wi-Fi provider, for $400 million. The fake news story was covered by a large number of publications including the [[Associated Press]], which later retracted and issued a correction to its original story. Vocus CEO Rick Rudman issued an apology for the incident, promising improvements in PR Web's review processes and safeguards.<ref>[http://edition.cnn.com/2012/11/28/tech/web/google-icoa-fake-news/index.html "How a fake Google news story spread online"], ''CNN'', November 29, 2012. Retrieved January 30, 2013.</ref>


==References==
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
<references />

==External links==
==External links==
*[http://www.vocus.com Vocus] Official site
*[http://www.vocus.com/content/index.asp Vocus company website]
*[http://www.prweb.com PRWeb] Official site
*[http://www.prweb.com/ PRWeb company website]
*[http://www.icontact.com/ iContact company website]

[[Category:Companies based in Prince George's County, Maryland]]
[[Category:Companies based in Prince George's County, Maryland]]
[[Category:Software companies established in 1988]]
[[Category:Companies established in 1992]]
[[Category:Software companies based in Maryland]]
[[Category:Software companies based in Maryland]]
[[Category:Public relations companies of the United States]]
[[Category:Public relations companies of the United States]]

Revision as of 18:24, 22 April 2013

Vocus
Company typePublic
Nasdaq: VOCS
IndustryTechnology
Founded1992 (1992)
Headquarters
Beltsville, Maryland
,
United States
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Rick Rudman, CEO
ProductsMarketing and public relations software & services
Number of employees
1,200
SubsidiariesPRWeb
HARO
North Social
iContact
Websitewww.vocus.com

Vocus is a marketing software company based in Beltsville, Maryland, United States, serving clients worldwide. In addition to its proprietary web-based marketing software suites, the company owns online marketing and publicity services, including PRWeb, Help a Reporter Out (HARO), North Social and iContact. Vocus was founded in 1992 by Rick Rudman and Bob Lentz and is a publicly held company. The company operates additional offices in the United States, Europe and Asia.

Products and services

Vocus provides marketing and public relations services to businesses, using a cloud-based, or software as a service (SaaS) model.[1][2] The company's integrated services help businesses market their services to customers through social media monitoring and engagement, search engine marketing, email marketing and media publicity services.[2][3][1]

Vocus' software is distributed in seven languages. As of July 2012, it is used by more than 120,000 organizations worldwide,[3] including commercial businesses and governmental, educational and non-profit organizations.[1]

Software

The company offers three web-based packages: the "Vocus Marketing Suite", the "Public Relations Suite" and a "Government Relations Suite".[3]

The "Vocus Marketing Suite" is a software suite that combines online marketing and publicity services.[4] It was first released in October 2011.[5][6] In January 2013, as a result of the acquisition of iContact, Vocus added email marketing integration to the software suite,[6] expanding it into a cloud marketing product.[7] In 2013, Vocus also introduced Buying Signals, a feature that allows marketers to identify potential customers by monitoring social media conversations.[6][4]

Vocus also provides a "Public Relations Suite", which allows users to distribute press releases, access a database of bloggers and journalists, and monitor and analyse news and social media sites.[8]

The company's "Government Relations Suite" manages government contacts and analyzes lobbying activity.[9]

Services

Since 2006, Vocus has expanded its services through a series of acquisitions, including PRWeb, HARO, North Social and iContact, which Vocus has continued to operate under the existing brand names. Vocus also offers consulting services to support the use of its software products.[10]

PRWeb is an online press release service. Press releases published by PRWeb are distributed through news sites and appear in search engine results, allowing businesses to distribute news directly to the mass media and customers.[11][12]

Help a Reporter Out (HARO) is an online service designed to help journalists locate and connect with sources for stories. Originally created as a Facebook group in 2008, HARO quickly outgrew the platform, and now operates through its own website and daily newsletter.[13][14][15]

North Social, a social media marketing company, designs customizable apps for businesses to manage and promote their company's presence on Facebook. Its services allow users to customize Facebook pages, integrate services from other websites and organize giveaways.[16][17]

iContact, an email marketing software company, designs software to help small and medium-sized businesses manage email, Facebook and Twitter campaigns. iContact's services are available through the "Vocus Marketing Suite" or as a separate service.[18][6]

History and acquisitions

Early history

Vocus Inc. was founded in 1992 by chief executive officer Rick Rudman and his business partner, Bob Lentz.[19] The two had previously been investors at First Data Software Publishing, which they co-founded in 1991 to develop software supporting political organizations' external communications. Rudman and Lentz bought out the firm's other two partners and quit their jobs to relaunch the company as Vocus.[20][21]

In its early years, Vocus developed software to help political action committees and grassroots organizations track and organize donors and contacts.[21][22] In 1997, the company expanded its services to offer public relations software, including a product developed specifically for clients outside of the political sector, to help them manage external communications.[22][20] In 1999, Vocus discontinued the use of packaged software products, choosing instead to offer its software over the Internet.[22]

2000s

During the 2000s, the company continued to expand its public relations services. In October 2002, Vocus announced the release of its application programming interface (API), built using Microsoft XML, which allowed companies to integrate Vocus software with other business productivity applications.[23]

In 2005, Vocus held its initial public offering, selling 5 million shares of stock and raising a total of $45 million.[2][24] The same year, Vocus was ranked number 50 on Washington Business Journal's list of the fastest growing companies, after its revenue grew 32.5% from 2004 to 2005.[24]

Vocus purchased PRWeb, the press release service, in 2006 for $28 million in cash and stock.[11][19][12] The acquisition allowed Vocus customers to access PRWeb's online press release distribution services.[11][19] The following year, in 2007, Vocus established a partnership with the Associated Press, allowing Vocus users to distribute press releases within the AP network.[25]

Recent history from 2010

The company continued to expand through acquisitions from 2010 onward. In 2010, Vocus acquired two software companies offering public relations services similar to Vocus': the French company Datapresse and the Chinese company BDL Media.[13][26][27] The same year, the company also acquired the online service Help a Reporter Out (HARO).[14][13] In February 2011, Vocus announced it had acquired two social media marketing companies, Engine 140, which develops marketing software for use with Twitter, and North Social, developer of Facebook customization software.[28][16][17] In 2012, Vocus acquired the email marketing software company, iContact, for $169 million in cash and stock.[18][3][29]

Corporate overview

Vocus is led by chief executive officer and founder Rick Rudman.[18][2] In 2011, the company reported a revenue of $115 million, up from $28 million in 2005.[3]

The company headquarters are located in Beltsville, Maryland, where Vocus operates a 93,000-square-foot (8,600 m2) building modeled after Seaside, Florida.[3][30][2] The office, an example of the new urbanization style, is built to look like a town within an office building. The space includes recreation facilities, a spa and food services.[30][31] In the United States, Vocus also operates offices in College Park, Maryland; Herndon and Reston, Virginia and Ferndale, Washington.[30][24] The company's international headquarters are located in London.[24] As of October 2012, the company employed 1,200 people worldwide, 700 of whom are located in Beltsville.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c Brad Kelly (16 September 2008). "VOCUS INC. Lanham, Maryland PR Software Helps Companies Polish Their Image With Efficiency". Investor's Business Daily. Retrieved 25 January 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Gus G. Sentementes (13 October 2012). "Vocus tackles digital marketing, hires hundreds". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Susan Payton (8 July 2012). "Vocus: Small Businesses Shouldn't Have to Piecemeal Their Marketing". Small Business Trends. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  4. ^ a b Charles Costa (28 January 2013). "Become a Marketing Powerhouse With Vocus All-in-One Marketing Suite". Smallbiz Technology. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  5. ^ Michael Garrity (6 October 2011). "Cloud-Based Marketing Suite Comes into Vocus". Website Magazine. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  6. ^ a b c d Brittaney Kiefer (16 January 2013). "Vocus releases updated marketing suite". PRWeek US. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  7. ^ Brian Proffitt (16 January 2013). "Everything-as-a-Service: It's Happening Right Now". ReadWrite. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  8. ^ Tanya Lewis (30 April 2012). "Vocus' PR suite info is user friendly and easy to export". PRWeek US. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  9. ^ "Vocus Inc. Company Information". Hoovers.com. Hoover's Inc. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
  10. ^ "Consulting Services". vocus.com. Vocus. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  11. ^ a b c "Vocus pays $28M in cash and stock for PRWeb". Washington Business Journal. 8 August 2006. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  12. ^ a b Kate N. Nichols (September 2006). "Pioneering company takes its next step Ferndale's PRWeb sold to national company". Business Pulse Magazine. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  13. ^ a b c "Vocus acquires Help A Reporter Out". Washington Business Journal. 10 June 2010. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  14. ^ a b Barb Dybwad (10 June 2010). "Vocus Acquires HARO to Expand Journalist-Driven PR Service". Mashable. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  15. ^ Eliot van Buskirk (14 September 2009). "'Help a Reporter Out' Crowdsources News Sources". Wired. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
  16. ^ a b Jeff Clabaugh (24 February 2011). "Vocus makes another social media buy". Washington Business Journal. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  17. ^ a b Robin Wauters (25 February 2011). "Vocus Buys Facebook Apps Maker North Social For $7M In Cash + $18M Earnout". TechCrunch. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  18. ^ a b c David Ranii (29 February 2012). "Marketing firm buys Triangle's iContact". The News & Observer. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  19. ^ a b c "Vocus buys PR Web to distribute online". The Washington Times. 28 August 2006. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  20. ^ a b Sara Kehaulani Goo (27 June 2001). "Vocus Is the Envy Of Tech Start-Ups; Software Firm Has Clients and a Plan". The Washington Post. Retrieved 25 January 2013.
  21. ^ a b Becky Neilson (13 October 1999). "Software companies vie for lobbyists' business". The Hill. Retrieved 25 January 2013.
  22. ^ a b c Anita Huslin (27 August 2007). "Vocus Puts Playtime on the Agenda". The Washington Post. Retrieved 25 January 2013.
  23. ^ Dan Muse (3 October 2002). "Vocus Unveils API for PR Automation Suite". InternetNews. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  24. ^ a b c d "Vocus raises $45M in stock offering". Baltimore Business Journal. 7 December 2005. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  25. ^ "Vocus inks agreement with Associated Press". Baltimore Business Journal. 21 March 2007. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  26. ^ "Vocus Acquires Leading French On-Demand PR Software Company Datapresse" (Press release). PRWeb. 10 April 2010. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
  27. ^ Jeff Clabaugh (21 April 2010). "Vocus makes French, Chinese acquisitions". Washington Business Journal. Retrieved 25 January 2013.
  28. ^ Jeff Clabaugh (8 February 2011). "Vocus acquires Engine 140". Washington Business Journal. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  29. ^ "Email marketing firm iContact sold to Vocus for $169M". Triangle Business Journal. 28 December 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  30. ^ a b c "Vocus to Build Premier Work Destination with New Headquarters Office Location". Daily Finance (Press release). 6 April 2010. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  31. ^ Jummy Olabanji (18 November 2012). "Beltsville office space makes work enjoyable". wjla.com. ABC News. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
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