Vocus (software)

===Early history===

Vocus Inc. was founded in 1992 by chief executive officer Rick Rudman and his business partner, Bob Lentz. 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.{{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 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924194552/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-452690.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 September 2015 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=27 June 2001 |access-date=25 January 2013}}{{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 |date=13 October 1999 |access-date=25 January 2013}}

In its early years, Vocus developed software to help political action committees and grassroots organizations track and organize donors and contacts.{{cite news |title=Vocus Puts Playtime on the Agenda |author=Anita Huslin |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/26/AR2007082601091.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=27 August 2007 |access-date=25 January 2013}} 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. In 1999, Vocus discontinued the use of packaged software products, choosing instead to offer its software over the Internet.

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.{{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 |access-date=24 January 2013}}

In 2005, Vocus held its initial public offering, selling 5 million shares of stock and raising a total of $45 million.{{cite news |title=Vocus raises $45M in stock offering |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2005/12/05/daily18.html |work=Baltimore Business Journal |date=7 December 2005 |access-date=24 January 2013}} The same year, Vocus was ranked number 50 on the Washington Business Journal's list of the fastest growing companies, after its revenue grew 32.5% from 2004 to 2005.

Vocus purchased PRWeb, the press release service, in August 2006 for $28 million in cash and stock.{{cite news |title=Vocus pays $28M in cash and stock for PRWeb |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2006/08/07/daily17.html |work=Washington Business Journal |date=8 August 2006 |access-date=24 January 2013}}{{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 |access-date=24 January 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120906194717/http://www.nwbmonline.com/content/newsm/news.asp?show=VIEW&a=454 |archive-date=6 September 2012 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}{{cite news |title=Vocus buys PR Web to distribute online |url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2006/aug/28/20060828-101127-3905r/?page=all |work=The Washington Times |date=28 August 2006 |access-date=24 January 2013}} The acquisition allowed Vocus customers to access PRWeb's online press release distribution services. The following year, in 2007, Vocus established a partnership with the Associated Press, allowing Vocus users to distribute press releases within the AP network.{{cite news |title=Vocus inks agreement with Associated Press |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2007/03/19/daily21.html |newspaper=Baltimore Business Journal |date=21 March 2007 |access-date=24 January 2013}}

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.{{cite news |title=Vocus acquires Help A Reporter Out |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2010/06/07/daily47.html |work=Washington Business Journal |date=10 June 2010 |access-date=24 January 2013}} In the same year, the company also acquired the online service Help a Reporter Out (HARO).{{cite news |title=Vocus Acquires HARO to Expand Journalist-Driven PR Service |author=Barb Dybwad |url=http://mashable.com/archive/vocus-acquires-haro/ |work=Mashable |date=10 June 2010 |access-date=24 January 2013}} 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, a developer of Facebook customization software.{{cite news |title=Vocus Buys Facebook Apps Maker North Social For $7M In Cash + $18M Earnout |author=Robin Wauters |url=https://techcrunch.com/2011/02/25/vocus-buys-facebook-apps-maker-north-social-for-7m-in-cash-18m-earnout/ |work=TechCrunch |date=25 February 2011 |access-date=24 January 2013}}{{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=Washington Business Journal |date=8 February 2011 |access-date=24 January 2013}} In 2012, Vocus acquired the email marketing software company, iContact, for $169 million in cash and stock.{{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 |access-date=24 January 2013}}{{cite news |title=Email marketing firm iContact sold to Vocus for $169M |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/print-edition/2012/12/28/email-marketing-firm-icontact-sold-to.htm |newspaper=Triangle Business Journal |date=28 December 2012 |access-date=24 January 2013}}

Vocus holds an annual users conference. In 2013, the conference was opened up to all industry communication professionals. The "Demand Success" 2013 conference took place June 20 and 21, 2013 and featured keynote speakers Arianna Huffington and Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men). The "Demand Success" 2014 conference took place June 5 and 6, 2013 and featured keynote speakers Randi Zuckerberg, Adrian Grenier and Judy Smith.

On October 14, 2014, Cision and Vocus announced a friendly merger of the two public relations companies.{{Cite web|title = Cision and Vocus Unite, Ushering in the Future of PR and Social Software {{!}} Cision|url = http://www.cision.com/us/about/news/2014-press-releases-2/cision-and-vocus-unite-ushering-in-the-future-of-pr-and-social-software/|website = www.cision.com|access-date = 2015-05-04}} Cision based in Sweden will relocate its headquarters to Chicago and so will Vocus from Maryland. The company is based out of Chicago and the combined entity is known as Cision.{{Cite web|title = » Cision to Retire Vocus Name|url = http://www.capitolcommunicator.com/cision-to-retire-vocus-name/|website = www.capitolcommunicator.com|access-date = 2015-05-04}}

Vocus was led by chief executive officer, Peter Granat. In 2013, the company reported revenue of $186.9 million, up from $170.0 million in 2012 and $114.8 million in 2011.{{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 |access-date=24 January 2013}}

The company headquarters are in Beltsville, Maryland. In the United States, Vocus also operates offices in College Park, Maryland; Herndon and Reston, Virginia and Ferndale, Washington. The company's international headquarters were located in London. As of October 2012, the company employed 1,200 people worldwide, 700 of whom were located in Beltsville.{{cite news |title=Vocus tackles digital marketing, hires hundreds |author=Gus G. Sentementes |url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/2012/10/13/vocus-tackles-digital-marketing-hires-hundreds/ |work=The Baltimore Sun |date=13 October 2012 |access-date=24 January 2013}}

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• [https://web.archive.org/web/20141011181653/http://www.vocus.com/ Vocus company website, in the week prior to acquisition by Cision]

Category:Companies based in Prince George's County, Maryland

Category:Software companies established in 1992

Category:Beltsville, Maryland

Category:Software companies based in Maryland

Category:Public relations companies of the United States

Category:2014 mergers and acquisitions

Category:Defunct software companies of the United States