Careers at ReachLocal

Mission

ReachLocal is an online provider of marketing and advertising solutions. This includes internet and mobile internet advertising solutions to customers in the US, Europe and Asia Pacific.

History

ReachLocal was founded in 2003 by Zorik Gordon, Nathan Hanks, Michael Kline, Robert Wright, and Robert Spitz as the first company created specifically to help local businesses create effective online marketing campaigns. The Company launched its first product in 2005, a search engine advertising product named ReachSearch, around which it built display advertising and online branding products.

ReachLocal began attracting investor funding in 2004, raising more than $100 million – including from VantagePoint Capital Partners and Rho Capital Partners – before launching its initial public offering on the NASDAQ in 2010. The Company remains a market leader in its field with a market capitalisation of just under $54 million.

Benefits at ReachLocal

Health insurance Dental insurance Vision insurance Life insurance Disability insurance 401k Plan Vacation & Paid time off Paid holidays Employee assistance program Company social events Free lunch or snacks

Business model of ReachLocal

Customer Segments

ReachLocal serves small, medium and large enterprises and franchise businesses across a range of business sectors, including the automotive, healthcare, real estate, financial services, and the sports and entertainment industries. Its customers are based primarily in the US, but also operate across Europe and Asia Pacific.

The Company lists a number of clients on its website, primarily small and medium-sized businesses such as Affiniti Golf Partners, Atlanta International Packing and Crating, F1 Boston Racing and Black Country Skips.

Value Propositions

ReachLocal’s principal value is that it provides a one-stop-shop to small and medium businesses for a full suite of digital marketing and advertising solutions, helping companies manage and generate more leads and customers.

Its services are available on a self-service basis and can be managed via the Company’s online digital marketing platform, which can be accessed via web and mobile browsers and mobile apps, allowing customers to keep track of their marketing activities from anywhere at any time.

The ReachLocal platform also enables customers to automate parts of their marketing operations, saving time and resources that can be used elsewhere.

Channels

Some of ReachLocal’s products and services can be purchased through its mobile and desktop websites at www.reachlocal.com. More complex subscriptions and product sales can be negotiated directly with the ReachLocal sales team, which can be contacted over the phone.

The Company’s digital marketing platform and user accounts can be accessed via the ReachLocal homepage, as well as through the ReachLocal iOS and Android mobile apps.

Customer Relationships

Some of ReachLocal’s products and services are available on a self-service basis while other, more complex services must be negotiated directly with ReachLocal sales representatives in order to fully satisfy the individual needs of each customer and provide a custom quote.

The Company provides support to its customers through the resources section of its website, a searchable library of guides, ebooks, infographics, webinars, videos and articles.

For queries that cannot be answered through these resources, the Company provides technical assistance through its support team which can be contacted over the phone or via an online contact form. ReachLocal also hosts a feed compiling all of its social media activity, comprising posts from Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Key Activities

ReachLocal is an online digital advertising and marketing company. It provides web presence marketing solutions, including search engine optimisation and content marketing, and digital marketing solutions such as Facebook advertising, search engine advertising and display advertising.

The Company also develops and maintains a digital marketing platform that allows users to analyse which marketing sources are generating leads and customers and to automate and manage marketing activities such as call recording, lead source tracking, return on investment reporting and staff reminders.

Key Partners

The majority of ReachLocal’s partners each fall in to one of three separate partner categories: Web Partners, comprising web development companies with which ReachLocal collaborates to provide website design and related marketing solutions to their collective clients; Media and Ad Agencies, with which the Company works to create joint online marketing strategies and campaigns; and Affiliates, comprising businesses and websites that receive small commission for client referrals.

All of these partners receive training, support and on-boarding assistance. ReachLocal also partners with large tech companies to provide its clients with the broadest audience possible. These partners include Google, Yahoo, Facebook, Bing and Yelp.

Key Resources

ReachLocal’s key resources are its digital advertising platform and technology, its personnel and its partners.

The Company’s sales staff in particular play an important role in ReachLocal’s business model, as do its digital advertising and marketing experts on whom the Company’s service quality largely depends.

Cost Structure

ReachLocal’s costs relate primarily to the development and maintenance of its digital marketing platform, the management of its key partnerships and the retention of its workforce of approximately 1,300 employees.

The Company’s network of more than 65 regional offices, including in the US, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Australia and Germany, accrues significant fixed costs relating to office rental and utilities.

Revenue Streams

ReachLocal generates revenue through the sale of various digital advertising and marketing products and services, which are divided into three categories: Lead Conversion Software, Web Presence and Digital Advertising. The first of these refers to the Company’s ReachEdge digital marketing platform, through which customer can manage their digital marketing activity and receive various apps and alerts, lead tracking and return on investment reporting.

Customers can subscribe to the platform for a fee of $149 per month. ReachLocal’s web presence offerings include search engine optimisation services, content marketing solutions and a live chat service. These products are priced at between $99 and $1299 per month.

The Company’s digital advertising solutions, including search engine advertising, Facebook advertising and in-app mobile advertising, are priced on a monthly or per cycle basis, with prices set at $500 per cycle.

Our team

Sharon Rowlands,
Chief Executive Officer

info: Sharon has served as ReachLocal’s Chief Executive Officer since 2014. She also serves as an independent director at software company PegaSystems. Rowlands is an experienced executive, having held senior leadership positions within the media and financial industries since the 1990s. From 1993 to 1995 she served as President of North America at Financial Times Information, before her appointment as Managing Director at business publication house Extel Financial in 1995. In 1997 Rowlands joined Thomson Financial as the Managing Director of its Database Group, going on to be promoted on three occasions, first to Chief Operating Officer, later to President and lastly to Chief Executive Officer. From 2008 to 2011 Rowland served simultaneously as an independent director at ADP and as Chief Executive Officer at business to business publisher Penton Media. Prior to joining ReachLocal Rowlands was Chief Executive Officer at security and investigations group Altegrity.

Ross Landsbaum,
Chief Financial Officer

info: Ross joined ReachLocal in 2008 as its Chief Financial Officer. He additionally serves as a director of consumer services company Outerwall. An accountant by trade, Landsbaum has held several high-profile financial positions since beginning his career in 1985 as part of the audit team at Arthur Andersen. After spells as a senior tax consultant and a manager, he left Arthur Andersen to join Spelling Entertainment Group in 1994 as its Chief Financial Officer. He held this position for almost six years before his appointment as Executive Vice President of Finance and Operations and Chief Financial Officer at Miramax Films. Before joining ReachLocal Landsbaum worked at Panavision, a motion picture equipment company, where he served first as Chief Financial Officer and latterly as Chief Operating Officer.

Kris Barton,
Chief Product Officer

info: Kris has been ReachLocal’s Chief Product Officer since 2012. He has worked primarily within the technology and software space since the 1990s, beginning his career as a market analyst at IT services provider Novell in 1998. In 1999 he moved to Melaleuca, a distributor of wellness products, where he worked as a product manager for just under a year. Barton went on to work for a year at software company Omniture, serving as a senior product manager, before joining tech giant Microsoft in 2001. At Microsoft Barton held several of roles before leaving the company in 2006, including Lead Program Manager, Group Program Manager and Product Unit Manager. Barton’s last executive roles before joining ReachLocal were at software company Nero, which he joined in 2006 as Senior Vice President. He went on to serve as the company’s Executive Vice President of Global Products and Chief Operating Officer before leaving the company in 2012.

Paras Maniar,
Chief Strategy Officer

info: Paras was appointed Chief Strategy Officer at ReachLocal in 2015. In addition to this role he also sits on the board of online medical credentialing company Silversheet. Maniar began his career in 1998 when joined communication solutions provider MarketHome (now YesMail) as a project manager. He served as a financial analyst at Hambrect and Quist, now part of JPMorgan Chase, from 1999 to 2001. While studying towards his MBA in 2002 and 2003, Maniar worked only three months as a summer associate at law firm Latham and Watkins. After completing his MBA, he joined McKinsey and Company in 2004, working as an engagement manager for four years. In 2008 Maniar was a founding executive at media company EQAL, which has since been acquired by health resources provider Everyday Health, serving as its Chief Strategy Officer, Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President of Business Development before leaving the company in 2012. Prior to joining ReachLocal, Maniar was Head of North America at digital venture fund WPSChallenger.