Salesforce.com has agreed to acquire social media monitoring platform provider Radian6 for $276 million in cash and $50 million in stock, the company said March 30.
Radian6’s technology will allow Salesforce.com to monitor, analyze and track conversations for its clients across Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, blogs and online communities.
“There are three core reasons for the acquisition,” said Kendall Collins, CMO at Salesforce.com. “One, the space is exploding. Social is on fire. These guys are the clear leader from a technology perspective. They have a great architecture and technology stack. Secondly, they have monetized the social Web. They have effectively turned this into a fast-growing industry. Third, their management team is rock solid.”
Salesforce.com will determine whether Radian6 will keep its brand when the deal closes, said Collins, adding that “it would be crazy to say their name is not valued.”
Radian6 CEO Marcel LeBrun will report directly to Alex Dayon, EVP of CRM at Salesforce.com, said Collins, who added that Salesforce does not expect any layoffs to occur as a result of the acquisition.
Salesforce.com recently made Chatter, its private enterprise social collaboration tool, free to anyone with a private domain e-mail address. This acquisition will link public social networks and Salesforce Chatter as Chatter feeds begin to include real-time insights from fans on social networks as well as enterprise activity, Salesforce.com said in a statement.
Salesforce.com acquired DimDim, a real-time communications technology platform, in January to drive greater Chatter adoption, increase customer loyalty and differentiate its product portfolio.
Radian6’s more than 2,400 clients include AAA, Dell and GE.
The transaction is expected to be completed during Salesforce.com’s fiscal second quarter, which ends July 31, the company said in a statement.
