Editor’s Note: Related Tickers: Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB), LinkedIn Corp (NYSE:LNKD), Yelp Inc (NYSE:YELP), ReachLocal Inc. (NASDAQ:RLOC)
Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg spoke out publicly in favor of immigration reform, echoing an advocacy of his Filipino friend, journalist Jose Antonio Vargas. Appearing at the debut screening of Vargas’ autobiographical documentary “Documented” on Tuesday, Zuckerberg appealed to the American government to grant immigrants citizenship. “This is something that we believe is really important for the future of our country — and for us to do what’s right,” Zuckerberg told several hundred attendees, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.
LinkedIn jumps into sponsored content (BtoB Magazine)
LinkedIn Corp (NYSE:LNKD)’s July announcement that it will now allow the publishing of “sponsored content”—a new ad unit enabling companies to share such business content as presentations, videos and company news—is good news for b2b marketers and LinkedIn, according to marketing experts. The service is still new, so it’s hard to tell how popular it will be, but sponsored content posts are already popping up on feeds across the network. “The biggest advantage to marketers is LinkedIn Corp (NYSE:LNKD)’s superaccurate database of employment information,” said Brian Carter, author of “LinkedIn for Business: How Advertisers, Marketers and Salespeople Get Leads, Sales and Profits From LinkedIn” (Que Publishing, 2012). “Most people on LinkedIn enter their accurate job title and company. That means you’re more likely to get your ad in front of the people you want to reach.”
Yelp and ReachLocal form exclusive partnership to own home services industry (VentureBeat)
Yelp Inc (NYSE:YELP) is on a mission to dominate local services. Yelp and ReachLocal announced an exclusive partnership today that will enable users to book home services directly on Yelp. Yelp has made a major push this year to become a place where people actually do business, rather than just research. Millions of people use Yelp to search for repairmen, home cleaners, interior designers etc. By partnering with ReachLocal, Yelp visitors will be able to see current appointment availability and to book and buy home services through a company’s Yelp Inc (NYSE:YELP) profile, instead of having to reach out to the business independently.
Facebook testing ‘trending topics’ (CNBC)
Facebook Publishing Optimizer PostRocket To Shut Down On August 15 (TechCrunch)
PostRocket, a startup that helps customers optimize their Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) posts for maximum exposure and engagement, has announced that it will be shutting down on August 15. The company was incubated by 500 Startups, and it raised a $610,000 seed round from Polaris Ventures, 500 Startups, and various angel investors. The PostRocket team previously managed the Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) presence of the musician Pitbull, and it dropped out of Babson College to participate in the incubator. In an email that was sent to PostRocket customers yesterday, co-founder and CEO Tim Chae wrote: “When we first started PostRocket, we wanted to not only help marketers like you succeed in Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) marketing, but do so with an exceptional product and service to back it. We were never able to reach the high bar we set for ourselves.”
LinkedIn transformed into a better lead-generation tool (Charlotte Business Journal)
LinkedIn Corp (NYSE:LNKD) is going through massive changes this year — most recently, the integration of CRM features to manage contacts and schedule reminders; the purchase of Slideshare and Pulse, a talent pipeline feature for recruiters; and the removal of “Top Trending” articles in favor of exclusive influencer content. Even if you don’t have time to keep up with the deluge of changes, there are three simple best practices that many companies are still not taking advantage of for their company page on LinkedIn Corp (NYSE:LNKD). You should:
1. Fill out your company profile completely
2. Learn to use groups effectively
3. Shift “how can I sell?” to “how can I provide value?”
