Weekly Marketing News Recap: Social Media Continues to Shape the Future of Inbound Marketing

May 7, 2012 | by | Category:

In our marketing news recap, we take the time to report five of the most influential changes made in the world of B2B marketing. This week we will focus on the emerging trends in social search optimization and how certain network updates may cause some professionals to rethink their SEO campaigns. Below are some key highlights from this weeks’ leading news stories:

Facebook IPO: How could privacy concerns affect revenue?

Facebook recently set its share prices, valuing the company between $77 billion and $96 billion. However, many investors aren’t convinced Facebook has a sustainable business model, can keep growing or find new ways to generate revenue. The company is now faced with the task of supporting their agenda, combating privacy concerns in the process.

Key Findings:
• Bill Kerrigan, chief executive of the privacy company Abine, told The Washington Post that Facebook’s financial success requires it to collect more personal information and make it available to advertisers.
• Facebook is clearly aware of privacy concerns, especially after it settled with the Federal Trade Commision over complaints that it was making data public without user permission.
• Facebook listed “changes in user sentiment” in its S-1 filing, stating privacy and information sharing could have a bad effect on the company’s revenue.
• A recent Consumer Reports study found 3 million of the site’s 900 million users still have never set or didn’t know about Facebook’s privacy tools.

Evernote, Like Twitter, In No Rush To Go Public

Evernote CEO Phil Libin announced on May 3, 2012, that the company raised $70 million in funding that it didn’t need, in order to prepare for a future public offering. Evernote had already raised nearly $96 million from previous investors, with the goal to build a 100-year company. With investments rolling in, Libin projects the company will go live by the end of 2013.

Key Findings:
• Evernote raises $70 million from Meritech Capital, CBC Capital and several other key investors.
• Libin says he plans to build a 100-year company, and wants to isolate Evernote from market fluctuations.
• Evernote CEO says its investors are helping to build a large and durable company that goes public instead of being acquired by another business.
• The company plans to file for IPO by the end of 2013, which may make the company more worthwhile for companies to use in lead generation.

SlideShare And LinkedIn Sitting In A Tree…

SlideShare recently announced it was acquired by LinkedIn, increasing the reach of the largest professional social network on the internet. Company CEO Rashmi Sinha released the information on SlideShare’s official blog, calling the merger a relationship that will assist the company in seeing faster growth while helping LinkedIn become a richer website for employers and jobseekers alike.

Key Findings:
• The current SlideShare interface and experience will remain the same, continuing to allow users to upload, share and find presentations that help them grow professionally.
• Over time, Sinha says some new integrations will be implemented to take advantage of the great fit between SlideShare and LinkedIn.
• Sinha believes both companies will grow faster through the newly formed partnership.
• LinkedIn in association with SlideShare may grow into a hub of information, providing businesses opportunities to strengthen their B2B inbound marketing efforts through more structure lead scoring and generation practices.

On Foursquare, $10 Buys Instant Verification For Your Business

Foursquare announced on May 1, 2012, it will begin to charge businesses a fee of $10 to verify their pages online instantly. Organizations used to have to mail in their application and wait for approval before garnering the label, which typically took weeks to complete. This change in policy will help make the overall process simpler for business owners who want to take advantage of Foursquare’s active population.

Key Findings:
• The development may not create huge new revenue streams for the company, but it might encourage merchants to submit fees for instant approval.
• The simplified approval process would help businesses run specials more efficiently.
• Buyers will also be able to use the platform’s analytics dashboard immediately.
• A few weeks ago, Foursquare announced it had cleared the 20 million user mark, attracting nearly 750,000 businesses to its platform.

Foursquare Adds Another Search Feature: Check-In History

Foursquare launched its latest of several search features on May 4, 2012. The change continues to position Foursquare as a local search engine, providing users with a fully searchable history page. The page can help users review their entire check-in history, photos, tips and who of their friends accompanied them. The history page also comes with filters, helping users narrow results by location, friends and business categories.

Key Findings:
• Back in December 2011, the company hired a former Google senior engineer to boost its local search capability.
• In January 2011, Foursquare launched its Explore search tool, which turned the company’s website into a local search engine.
• Foursquare has also begun to add restaurant menus and partnered with OpenTable, so users can make reservations from the mobile app.