Microsoft-LinkedIn Deal Will Impact Business

 

 

“Together we can accelerate the growth of LinkedIn, as well as Microsoft Office 365 and Dynamics as we seek to empower every person and organization on the planet.”
— Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella

By now you’ve surly seen the headlines. Over the past few weeks the Internet has been exploding with news detailing the Microsoft – LinkedIn merger. Officially announced through the Microsoft blog on June 13, “Microsoft Corp and LinkedIn Corporation on Monday announced they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Microsoft will acquire LinkedIn for $196 per share in an all-cash transaction valued at $26.2 billion, inclusive of LinkedIn’s net cash.”

This is largely celebratory news, especially for executives at LinkedIn because the company has been struggling as a standalone brand for some time. In February, the organization watched its shares plummet by a crippling 43 percent over the course of a single day. Yet despite that, Microsoft was willing to pay a 50 percent premium on the company’s shares, roughly valued at $131. Make no mistake, tensions are also on high as various studies have pointed out that the failure rate of mergers and acquisitions is typically between 70 percent and 90 percent.

LinkedIn’s shares skyrocketed after the announcement, but Microsoft did not enjoy the same fortunate upturn; its shares fell by approximately 3.6 percent in pre-market trading. Moody’s rating agency put Microsoft’s Aaa rating under review and is considering it for a downgrade following the merger. The reason for this review is because of Microsoft’s decision to purchase the social network entirely in cash instead of using shares in the company. This has ultimately forced Microsoft to take on more debt, and therefore, go under review.

Yet despite the complications, there is still much buzz and excitement — the acquisition is one of the single biggest tech mergers to ever take place in the industry. For Microsoft, it blows all others out of the water. Previous mergers with Yammer, Skype and Nokia pale in comparison to the $26-billion figure brought forth by the tech company. Even Facebook’s purchase of WhatsApp for $22 billion is topped by the recent merger. And now Microsoft has solid footing in the world of social media; no small feat.

Under the terms of the deal, which was partially revealed in an e-mail sent out to Microsoft staff by the company’s CEO, Satya Nadella, LinkedIn will retain its “. . . distinct brand and independence, as well as their culture. . .” The e-mail carried on to divulge the vision for the future of the companies.
This bring us to the ultimate question for the merger: How does this acquisition impact online business as we know it?

How the Merger Changes Online Business

Considering that Microsoft Office and many of its other services are utilized by millions of business professionals across the planet, the implications of integrating the benefits of the largest professional social network to ever exist are massive.

In Nadella’s e-mail to Microsoft employees, he stated, “This deal brings together the world’s leading professional cloud with the world’s leading professional network,” and that, “We are in pursuit of a common mission centered on empowering people and organizations. Along with the new growth in our Office 365 commercial and Dynamics businesses this deal is key to our bold ambition to reinvent productivity and business processes.”

He continued by saying, “Think about it: How people find jobs, build skills, sell, market, and get work done and ultimately find success requires a connected professional world. It requires a vibrant network that brings together a professional’s information in LinkedIn’s public network with the information in Office 365 and Dynamics. This combination will make it possible for new experiences such as a LinkedIn newsfeed that serves up articles based on the project you are working on and Office suggesting an expert to connect with via LinkedIn to help with a task you’re trying to complete.”

The merging of Microsoft and LinkedIn could completely transform the dynamic of work relationships and professional networks. Nadella and LinkedIn CEO, Jeff Weiner, proposed some of these possibilities in a conference call to investors. A few of these examples were that Office and Outlook could potentially keep LinkedIn profiles up-to-date and current, LinkedIn newsfeeds could pull from a person’s Calendar for a more personalized experience, or that Cortana could sift through an individual’s LinkedIn network to generate a brief about upcoming meeting attendees.

These are only a few of the potential possibilities. As Nadella stated, “As these experiences get more intelligent and delightful, the LinkedIn and Office 365 engagement will grow. And in turn, new opportunities will be created for monetization through individual and organization subscriptions and targeted advertising.”

With LinkedIn integrating into Microsoft Office, the content served to an individual could be catered to the field, job title, or project the person is working. LinkedIn and Office could both become much more capable than they are today. And the end user is who receives the most benefit.

While the deal is not exactly official as of this moment, it is expected to be finalized by the end of the calendar year. The board of directors from both companies have “unanimously approved” the deal, yet shareholders have not had their voices heard. If something were to go awry in the proceedings, LinkedIn would have to pay Microsoft a $725 million termination fee, so it seems that it is in the company’s best interest to make sure things move forward smoothly. And no matter if this merger turns out to be a triumph or tragedy, it will no doubt go down in the history books as one of the biggest tech deals ever made.

Are you excited for the Microsoft – LinkedIn merger? What other applications do you foresee for the professional platforms?

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New Google AdWords is Coming: What to Expect

 

 

“The only thing Google has failed to do, so far, is fail.” — John Battelle

Google is notorious for changing things up. Every year the company leaves SEOs, PPC advertisers, and business professionals biting their nails, anxious of what’s to come. This year has held plenty of new surprises, with a recent Google quote warning us that AdWords is about to get a shake-up. What’s coming? “. . . The biggest changes to our text ads since AdWords launched 15 years ago.”
Should business owners fret and worry? Start clamoring to make significant changes to their ad buying behaviors? Neither. While the changes are dramatic, all signs point to a celebration. This is not an upheaval you should stress about.

At this year’s Google Performance Summit, which took place on May 24, the company unveiled several changes to AdWords which play in to Google’s weighty mobile-first push. As the company stated in its blog covering these changes, “The shift to mobile is no longer a change on the horizon. It’s here.”

So what, exactly, are these adjustments to come? Let’s take a look.

Increased Ad Text

When Google removed the right side ads from SERPs, everyone just about lost their minds. The tech giant is now making up for that by expanding the number of characters utilized in its text ads.
For starters, advertisers used to be able to list a single headline to their ads consisting of 25 characters. The new, revised ads will allow AdWords users to flaunt not one, but two 30-character headlines on a single ad. Google explained that the longer headlines will be more beneficial to advertisers because it will drive higher quality leads.

That isn’t all that Google had in store with its text based overhaul. In addition to the headline expansion, the company has decided to boost its description headline as well. As it currently stands, ad descriptions are structured into two 35-character lines. In the revised version, ads will display a single 80-character line for an increase of 10 characters.

According to Google, this new layout comes with significant results. As the company stated: “Based on early testing, some advertisers have reported increases in click-through rates of up to 20 percent compared to current text ads.”

This alteration by Google is yet another step in transforming its SERPs to accommodate mobile devices and their smaller screens. Yet, despite the mobile-first initiative, these changes will be implemented on both desktop and mobile.

Responsive Display Ads

Alongside the reformed text ads, Google disclosed its new Responsive Display Ads. The new responsive ads will only require advertisers to provide Google with the URL, image, and headline; Google will take care of the rest. This means that the adverts will essentially be created and served on the spot depending upon the mobile user’s screen, leaving Google to figure out the best format for the ad.

Enhanced In-Store Conversion Measurements

AdWords creations have direct parallels to in-store conversions. Yet, deciphering these factual statistics has remained challenging for business owners up to this point. Soon, however, in-store conversion metrics will become more widely available to a variety of business.

This is fantastic news because Google has conveyed that AdWords ads have resulted in more than one billion store visits that have been measured over the past two years. The company even stated that, “AdWords is the largest online-to-offline ad measurement solution in the world.” Google is able to track these conversions by looking at a user’s location history to establish if an individual clicked a retailer’s ad and then visited the store. While this isn’t necessarily new, the additional information is a welcomed addition.

Ads in Maps

In addition to all of these fancy new features, Google has also decided to incorporate Search Ads inside Google Maps for what it calls the “next generation” in local search ads. The company is referring to these ads as “promoted pins.” The pins will help brands sway consumers into visiting their store as opposed to a competitor’s as they can offer things such as dollars off coupons.

On top of the new “promoted pins,” Google will be incorporating logos as map markers instead of the currently existing red icons. This was displayed at the summit as Best Buy’s logo was displayed on the map at their location.

This is massive news for advertisers. Google disclosed that location-based searches account for approximately one-third of all mobile queries and have grown 50 percent faster than any other type of mobile search in the past year.

The company also revealed changes to its bidding model in which adjustments can be made independently for mobile, desktop and tablet. Local business pages are also getting a makeover as promoters can display in-store promotions, while consumers can search local inventory.

This Google announcement is one for the history books as the company brings AdWords to an entirely new level on mobile, desktop, and tablet alike. This should come as fantastic news for all users of AdWords and other Google services after the rocky road of the past few months. These changes are expected to roll out officially later this year, but it is best to start preparing for them now — your competition is likely doing the same. If you want to see the Google Performance Summit keynote in its entirety, you can do so right here.

Which one of these additions/revamps are you most excited for? Which do you think will be most beneficial to your business?

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How Earning the SSCP Certification Helps Your Career

 

 

When you’re new to the world of IT, the alphabet soup of certifications can feel a bit overwhelming. Which ones are the most valuable? Which ones should I earn first? Do I really need to earn them at all?

The answer to that last question is simple: Yes, you need to earn IT certifications. While some companies are willing to hire candidates who don’t have certifications but have demonstrable skills and experience, most won’t even consider applicants who don’t have at least entry-level credentials. The question then becomes: Where do I start?



While there are plenty of opinions about which credentials are the best for those who have some experience in IT, but not enough yet to qualify for one of the advanced credentials, one of the best options is the Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP). Offered by the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium, or (ISC)2, the SCCP is often compared to the CompTIA Security+ credential and viewed as the precursor to the highly sought after Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP).

The SSCP certification indicates an IT professional’s technical skills in implementing, monitoring and administering IT infrastructure, as they relate to the organization’s information security policies. While the CISSP credential indicates a practitioner’s theoretical knowledge, the SCCP indicates that he or she also has the practical, hands-on experience necessary to manage infrastructure security. In fact, it’s the hands-on nature that also sets the SCCP apart from the CompTIA Security+, as the SCCP requires at least one year of work experience in security, while the Security+ only suggests that candidates have that practical experience.

SCCP in Depth

As with most certifications, the SCCP requires qualified candidates to pass an exam. According to (ISC)2, this particular exam covers seven key areas of knowledge:

• Access Controls
• Cryptography
• Malicious Code and Activity
• Monitoring and Analysis
• Networks and Communications
• Risk, Response, and Recovery
• Security Operations and Administration

While work experience and knowledge is important to pass the test, most people also complete an SSCP training course as well to ensure they are adequately prepared for the exam. The exam itself consists of 125 questions, which must be completed within three hours. A passing score is a 700 on a scale of 0-1,000. In addition to the one year of work experience, candidates must pay $250 to take the exam, and once they earn the credential, must complete at least 60 credits of continuing education credits every three years to keep it current.

It’s important to note that the experience requirement for the SCCP is strictly enforced. After passing your exam, you will be required to complete the endorsement process, in which two individuals sign statements attesting to your paid, full-time work experience. The paid, full-time designation is important; experience gained from part-time work, volunteer work, or internships in information security do not count toward the SCCP experience requirements.

However, if you are short on experience, (ISC)2 will allow you to take the exam, and grant you the Associate of ISC(2) Certification designation and two more years to complete the endorsement process.

The Benefits of SCCP

The most obvious benefit to the SCCP credential is the increased earning potential. According to Payscale.com, the average SCCP holder has between one to four years of experience in IT, and earns between $40,000 and $88,000 per year. The highest paid employees with the SCCP are those who also hold a master’s degree in a related field.

However, beyond the increase in salary, SCCP holders also have more career opportunities. The SCCP meets the Department of Defense requirements for security credentials for individuals working in information security, whether for the DoD itself or a subcontractor. Many private sector companies are following the DoD’s lead and requiring applicants to have IT certifications before they even apply for a job.

In addition, the continuing education requirements help ensure that you stay abreast of the latest developments within the security industry and remain ahead of the curve in terms of new challenges and solutions.

Above all, though, earning the SCCP allows you to feel more confident in your day-to-day work and secure in the knowledge that you know what needs to be done and how. As you move forward in your career, you’re also already on the path to earning more advanced certifications, like the CISSP, and reaching your career goals.

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Google’s Ad-Based Business Model May Vanish

 

“Machine learning is a core, transformative way by which we’re rethinking everything we’re doing.”
– Sundar Pichai, Google CEO

Professional SEOs are used to Google shaking things up. Several times a year, the company changes its algorithms and throws a monkey wrench into everyone’s SEO blueprint. The idea that Google is currently pursuing, however, could change the game of search in its entirety and finally bring those “SEO is dead!” headlines to fruition.

Last month at Google’s I/O developer’s conference, the masters of search brought forth their newest offerings to the world; its new virtual assistant accompanied with its voice-activated home product dubbed Google Home.

The new virtual assistant brings machine learning to a new level as it fuses Google search data, user profiles and location information, the knowledge base of Google Now, and anything else the AI can pull from to provide intelligent answers that it will then speak back to the user. Google Home, which will tout the same AI support, seeks to bring search into a new era where users will never need to visit a website, read a piece of content, or sit in front of a desktop or mobile device for answers again.
This very notion seems a touch mad — this kind of hands-free user interaction would bring about the demise of the omnipresent search engine itself due to its business relying largely on selling ads. After all, how can Google possibly sell text-based ads that link to websites on this type of a platform?
Despite the fact that Google’s cost-per-click (CPC) continues to drop, the company is still the dominating force in digital ad real estate and rakes in unspeakable amounts of cash from ad sales. Google’s parent company, Alphabet, relies on AdWords so much that 88 percent of its $75 billion in revenue last year was derived from this source.

By all accounts, it seems that Google is headed for a major restructuring in how the company pulls in revenue. Google CEO Sundar Pichai has been quoted as saying, “Our investments in machine learning and artificial intelligence are a priority for us,” and that Google is “. . . thoughtfully applying it across all our products, be it search, ads, YouTube, or Play.”

So then, where will Google’s cash flow come from if its new products and apps take flight?
EMarketer senior forecasting analyst Martin Uteras is confident that Google will find the solution: “The ad business isn’t going away any time soon, but they’re looking at all these new areas and as those products gain a larger user base, the question is how do you monetize those?”

It isn’t just Google’s own products that potentially endanger the company’s own wellbeing and the future of search engines. As individuals are spending increased amounts of time in apps like Facebook, Instagram, and a variety of others, these platforms are beginning to eat up a larger portion of the advertising business. Facebook, which began selling ads six years after Google, now accrues approximately a quarter of the ad revenue of Google. Twitter also entered its hat into the ad arena several years back, Instagram recently began doing the same, and others such as Snapchat are sure to follow. This poses a significant problem for Google as apps continue to consume more of mobile user’s time and attention.

These social outlets are also beginning to offer more creative ads and more valuable user information than that provided by Google, all while circumventing ad-blocking software, which is more popular than ever before. As it currently stands, Google is still making up for these losses with the combined revenue from the YouTube video app along with the Play store app.

Financial analysts also say that it is premature to worry about the rise of digital personal assistant and the move away from traditional search. But with all of this information laid out, one can’t help but to wonder if Google could potentially be killing the current search engine model intentionally due to the rampant nature of apps and social media’s adoption of creative advertising.

If this is in fact the case, how will the ads of the virtual-assistant-run future work? If a Home user asks it to book a lunch reservation through OpenTable, will Google play an audio ad first? Not likely considering that the purpose of the device is to provide fast, accurate answers. Then maybe Google will abandon ads altogether and charge a fee to the business it connects the user to. If this is the case, transactional revenue could be a potential goldmine for a once ad-based business to adopt.

All speculation aside, Omar Siddiqui, CEO of chatbot tool developer Kiwi Inc., weighed in on the matter stating, “With virtual assistants, we’re at where Web pages were in 1995. Business models have yet to emerge.”

The future of search is very unclear as new and unforeseen devices enter the marketplace. The fact is, at some point, search will have to evolve past its current incarnation as more devices like Home, Alexa, and other AI products become a reality. Eventually, the world will reach a point where the Internet is no longer accessed as it is now and businesses will have to figure out how to survive in that type of digital climate. As Google, Microsoft, Facebook and others are currently hard at work on AI, machine learning, and other products that will undoubtedly reshape the digital landscape, it is only a matter of time before this point is reached. For now, all businesses can do is keep a close eye on the matter at hand and do their best to change with the times.

Do you think Google is intentionally changing how search will work in the future? What do in-home devices like Google Home spell for the future of businesses that advertise with Google?

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Peter Thiel Keeps His Position on Facebook Board of Directors

 

Peter Theil at the Hy! Summit - March 19, 2014 - Image by Dan Taylor-128.www.heisenbergmedia.com

Controversial billionaire Peter Thiel has retained his seat on Facebook’s board of directors.
The move comes despite the disapproval many have voiced over the Silicon Valley tycoon’s financing of Hulk Hogan’s invasion-of-privacy lawsuit against Gawker Media.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who currently owns 60 percent of Facebook’s voting shares, had the opportunity to punish Thiel for his actions that bankrupted Gawker as well as for his support of Republican candidate Donald Trump — but the 32-year-old instead threw his support behind him.
And while critics are saying Thiel should have been booted from the board for having opinions and stances contrary to those of Facebook and Zuckerberg himself, the CEO made his decision from a business, rather than a personal standpoint.

As Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg pointed out last month during Re/code’s conference: “Peter did what he did on his own, not as a Facebook board member.”
Thiel funded a portion of Hulk Hogan’s lawsuit against Gawker Media for posting a sex tape of Hogan and Heather Clem. Despite Hogan receiving an injunction, Gawker ignored the judge’s ruling and refused to remove the clip from its site.

It is thought Thiel got involved in the matter as an act of revenge against the blog for its 2007 article about his sexual orientation. Thiel, who was already openly gay, however, has said that his beef with Gawker is that the publication ruins “people’s lives for no reason. It’s less about revenge and more about specific deterrence.”

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Buyer Psych: Getting a Step Ahead of the Buyer Persona

 

Meet John. John is a confident person. He works in the corporate sector. He is a professional and an asset to his firm. He closes the deal every time. So, he enjoys a good position in his firm. His finances are good, too.

You are an online service provider. Recently, you have launched a product; an advanced planner. John fits the description of your targeted audience. He is at the top of the chain, he needs to maintain a schedule, he is educated enough to use the planner and he is interested in using new technologies and gadgets. You think that pitching to John would be successful and you will add a customer to your list.

You wrote an excellent e-mail for John and hit the ‘send’ button. You are eagerly waiting for John to reply back in affirmative.

What happens?
John never replies.
He never purchases your planner.
Confused?
John was a perfect prospect. He should have converted. He fits the demographics.

The reason for this is; demographics are not enough. Merely the fact that a person falls in the targeted audiences does not mean that he will make a purchase from you.

Google suggests that you should be present for your targeted audiences for every micro-moment. These micro-moments being ‘want to go,’ ‘want to know,’ ‘want to buy’ and ‘want to do’ moments.
We are here with a concept; a concept beyond knowing the demographics. It is about knowing the psyche of your audience.

The human mind is the most complex machine ever known. Every human being has millions of thoughts and it is impossible to know which thought makes him buy something and which one will keep him from hitting the ‘buy’ button. To make sales and get the maximum response from the audiences for each pitching, you have to target their psyche and for that, you have to know them.
Here are some examples of how to produce different prospects with different psyches.

Audience No.1: Marie

Marie is a sweet innocent girl working in the corporate sector. She responds positively to everything. She is hardworking and she needs an efficient planner.

Approach: In order to woo Marie, you do not have to do much except drafting a promising e-mail. She readily believes every advertisement that she sees. Many a time, she has purchased products on the recommendations from her friends. She is in need of a planner and will perform a search for one. You have to be present on the search page for her. You should be present on the social media platforms too. Since advertisements work for Marie, invest in native advertisements, PPC (Pay Per Click) and Facebook lead ads. If there are some promotional offers going on, it should be mentioned in the outreach e-mail. The reviews of the product can help further.

Audience No. 2: Ann

Ann is an adventurous person. She likes to buy new products because she wants it all. She usually does not think about the utility of the product before buying it. She may regret buying the product later but that doesn’t stop her from doing the same all over again. She just needs to see the ‘New’ tag and she gets ready with her clutch and wallet.

Approach: For Ann, you just have to get the information in front of her. You do not need much convincing. She may not search for your product so, it is not necessary to optimize the search engine (although it can help with increasing the visibility). Social media representation is a must. Know what social media Ann uses most frequently. Stalk her there (but not in a creepy way). The longer you are in front of her eyes, the greater the chance that she buys your product.

Audience No. 3: Keat

Keat is a fan. He has experienced your product before and he liked it very much. He is a brand lover and he does not like to switch from one brand to another just to save a few bucks or because the advertisement looks promising.

Approach: Keat also would not search for your product. He knows your address and he would just ring the bell; your address being your website. To impress Keat and to accelerate the process of conversion, you have to provide him a great user experience. The website design should be responsive and it should work smoothly on every device. Keat already trusts you, so the user reviews or advertisements do not matter. E-mail outreach and advertisements would help inform Keat about your new product.

Audience No. 4: Don

Don is a doubtful person. He does not trust anyone or anything easily. The word ‘offer’ or ‘Free’ raises his brow and he thinks that there is a catch. In actuality, he is just trying to avoid loss. For him, gaining is less important than not losing. He wants the best for the money spent. He is confused about what is the correct investment so that he may not regret it in the long-term.

Approach: Don is a tough cookie. It is not easy to convince Don and if you successfully do, it is even tougher to retain him. He does not seem like a person who can be a regular customer. The correct approach is to limit the options for Don. When he sees a lot of call-to-action options, he becomes confused and bounces off. The customer reviews and testimonials can help him to make a decision faster. Gaining his trust is most important and that can be made possible by providing him a free trial of your planner for a week. Another approach that may work is promising him a money-back guarantee if the product does not work for him. Do not send him promotional e-mails while he is trying out the planner. The e-mails may confuse him more and he may unsubscribe.

Audience No. 5: John

Yes, our very own John. You know it all about John. John makes a decision after weighing the consequences. He is confident that he would always make a good decision and, so, he makes an informed purchase every time. He does not buy any product just because it is out there; he buys what he needs.

Approach: To make John purchase, you have to earn credibility. You have to tell him that time is of the essence and it is important to use the planner to work efficiently. You have to prove that your scheduler is better than what he is using already or what is available on the market. After first e-mail contact, John is going to search for you on the Internet. If you are not there, you are doomed. Optimize the search engine and try to get the maximum positive reviews for your product. The product page should be updated with the facts and figures. John understands the data and relies on it. Do not make promises that you cannot keep. John is not a badass; he just wants the truth.

Hope all this is making sense to you. Knowing where your audiences work and what they need is not enough, you have to know what effects their buying decisions. You have to do what works for each individual. Getting the insights of the audiences or collecting the psychological data is not tough. Firstly, you have to identify your audience and ask them to take a personality test for two minutes. When you are providing something useful, your audience would be happy to take that personality test.

If no one is responding, you can collect the psychological data from third-party sites; provided your audience gave permission for that. Another method that works is learning from competitors. Your audience and your competitor’s audiences are the same, meaning you can use the analytical data of your competitors.

So, next time you send an outreach email, do not just know who your audience is, know what message can sell the product.

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