LinkedIn buys Pulse and steps closer to being a content site

LinkedIn is reportedly buying Pulse, a news reading app that will move LinkedIn even closer to being a content site and not just the world’s resume and recruiting source. Adding that to the LinkedIn Influencers program that serves up content from influential folks and this represents major change just this year.

This move tips their hand and reveals a brilliant strategy of moving from what is the best, most connected professional data source to putting all of that data to use to serve content. And news content keeps people coming back constantly.

Why it matters

The future of the web is its massive marketing potential. Marketing in the new era, whether B2B or B2C, is about knowing the customer and engaging at just the right time. When LinkedIn knows not only who you are, where you’ve worked and who you’re connected with, but also what content you’ve consumed and what you’re consuming right now, they have a perfect pattern of how to engage with you. That pattern is more useful than ‘likes’ on Facebook because it drives more than consumer purchases…it drives the big ticket purchases that businesses make, like facilities, technology and personnel.

While the NY Times is busy trying to know their readers better, LinkedIn is busy figuring out how to serve content to users that they know incredibly well. The battleground for the hearts and minds of the world is playing out in moves like this and it will be fascinating to watch.

Republished with permission