Vocus, a cloud marketing and public relations software provider, is focused on helping SMBs grow their online business with its new marketing dashboard. Business Development Manager Christine Mulquin shared with us that the company is targeting its marketing suite to the subsidiaries of its larger clients. It’s a practical strategy as we continue to see a need for efficient and effective online presence management software for SMBs.

The Vocus Marketing Suite integrates SMB public relations initiatives into a central Web-based application. In 2010, Vocus acquired Help A Reporter Out (HARO), a social media service that connects reporters, bloggers and news sources. HARO is free, but SMBs can pay to receive early notices about reporters looking for sources. In addition, business owners can also make direct pitches. Last year, Vocus bought Facebook app maker North Social. This acquisition allows Vocus to create apps like Deal Share, Fan Offer, and Show & Sell, which allows customers to buy products from the store located on a SMBs’ page.

2011 saw another acquisition with Engine 140, a social media recommendation engine that builds and manages a business’s Twitter presence. Vocus also acquired iContact in February and plans to integrate its email marketing functionality into the marketing suite by late fall or early next year. “Eighty [percent] to 90 percent of people still use email,” said Director of Public Relations Frank Strong. Email continues to be an efficient way to build loyalty databases.