THRIVING IN 2012 WITH SMC
Monday, May 28, 2012
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Protecting Our Clients from 3rd Party Websites!
One of our many business initiatives at SMC Software is to protect
our clients. Please read below, and if you are unclear about its
severity to your business, please pick up the phone and call us to learn more.
After
finding three of our client’s Google Places listing hijacked in the last 48
hours by an aggregator website, it is imperative
that you become very vigilant with policing your brand listings
on the web. RIGHT NOW, TODAY! If not,
there will be serious consequences in the long term.
PARKWHIZ is the latest aggregator entering
the airport parking space. PARKWHIZ is a third party website that started
in the urban/event/cruise market place. In a conversation this morning
with PARKWHIZ (see email below my signature line), the company representative
was put on the spot hard in regards to our client’s listings being hijacked. In
short, they choked up a cat hair and agreed to fix the problem within two
hours. We shall see as the day progresses.
WARNING – WARNING – WARNING…
If you play with fire, you’ll get burnt;
eventually.
If you dance with the devil, the devil doesn't
change; the devil changes you.
If you sleep with the enemy, this is
considered undesirable and dangerous; detrimental to ones livelihood.
Read
these articles to support:
Google Places Listing Hijacked - Why You Need To
Regularly Check Your Listing!
Google Places Tips - What Are Citations?
Google's
concerted efforts to do their best to correct any copyright infringement.
They offer a FAQ's page that explains the purpose of a report that they make
publicly available (to let the world know that they are doing their
part). Also, notice the statement "material that allegedly infringes
copyright" in the first paragraph (under the heading "What is a
copyright removal request?").
Google Transparency Report
Removing Content From Google
(NOTE: On the link above, click "AdWords " and then "Web Search " to see how they are trying to assist copyright/brand owners)
If your local business listing is claimed (or
hijacked) by an aggregator or competitor, you will lose complete control
the branding/messaging of the content, surrender your rankings in the search
results, diminish unique visitors to your website and concede defeat, not
mention miss out on demographics, customer information and reporting.
Please
take this seriously, and take immediate action on policing your brand online.
Friday, May 25, 2012
Building a company is hard. Building a locally-known brand is very hard. Accept the Challenge!
More than a decade ago, Steve Jobs said that our only defense against a noisy world was to be clear about what we wanted people to know and remember about us. That’s what marketing is to me – formulating the story we want people to know about and then making it part of everything we do.
It’s about bleeding it.How do you craft a memorable brand story?
- Determine what you stand for and where you fit in. Who are you right now and who do you want to be? This is your culture. It’s your core.
- Assess the traits that you have that best allow you to represent that core. This is where creating your character comes in – it’s the marketing persona inside of you that shows the best and most marketable version of yourself to your audience. Do not make up characteristics, but do highlight your best ones while removing the noise (the ones that don’t matter)
- Piece together your brand story by finding the common thread between 1 and 2 and building from there. Use the characteristics and company stories that help you best convey what it is you’re trying to tell people.
- Finalize your story until it looks, feels, smells, tastes and sounds like your core.
- Work your story into everything you do, keeping 100 percent consistent.
- Tell your story from every touch point.
Crafting a brand story allows you to communicate to your consumer exactly who you want to be so that they know how they are supposed to remember you. That’s how you break through the noise. By giving them something to remember.
Here is an oldie but goodie. Don't settle for just building a business, because a brand is worth much more.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Communication is Life! At Home and the Workplace...
The Most Undervalued Analytics Tool: Communication
Communicating with your Team.
Often, analytics teams struggle to communicate even within their group. The communication problem may be a result of the organizational structure, such as decentralized analysts across an organization—or conflicting personality types.
Failure to communicate within a team can lead to inconsistent methodology among analysts, as well as duplication of work. For example, two stakeholders may approach two analysts for the same report or analysis. A failure to communicate may not only result in a waste of resources but also cause duplicate analyses with different results because of an inconsistent methodology. That procedural blunder typically wastes further resources to determine which information is accurate and to uncover why the data differ.
Here are five tips analysts should keep in mind when working in a team environment.
1. Talk to one another
The value of face-to-face conversation is sorely overlooked these days. Far too much communication takes place over email or via instant messaging. However, the complexity of analytics discussions means email is often not an ideal forum. A short, 10-minute meeting can quickly resolve what would otherwise require hours of back-and-forth discussion via email.
2. Schedule short, regular meetings
A quick daily check-in can work wonders. In just five or 10 minutes, analysts can discuss what they're working on, what they're struggling with, or what they've delivered recently. That can spur the "Wait, I completed something similar to that last month. Let me find it for you!" conversation, which can help reduce duplication of work or even allow analysts to help one another with challenges.
3. Keep documentation
Monitor and document your processes, data sets, and deliverables. Yes, doing so is boring and time-consuming; nevertheless, it's important.
4. Maintain a central repository
Having a central place to store analytics work, especially if you can tag the work by topic, allows analysts to search for related analyses. Even keeping a common Google Doc that lists the analyses the team has completed (with a brief description of each analysis) is extremely helpful.
5. 'Share' meetings
Consider hosting regular meetings for analysts to present findings from recent analyses. Such "share" meetings will provide insight into what other analysts are working on and give analysts a chance to practice their presentation skills.
As companies grow; as technology evolves; as consumers become more demanding; and as competitors get aggressive with marketing, staying updated on what your employees are working on becomes more difficult. Share meetings are a great way to get everyone on the same page.
* * *
99.9% of problems (personal or work related) can be blamed on failure to communicate. That known, think about the consequences to making communication your #1 priority!
Monday, May 21, 2012
Consumer Trend: Ordinary people in your community
Can we all agree, please, that we live in a Consumer-Driven market place?
Who likes equations? I know somebody gets into this stuff. Here is just one part of a methodology to improve conversions:
It is no longer about your operational desires. In other words, you must conform to the wants of the customer. Case in point: Take any crowd, lets say in a restaurant, and ask for a show of hands for anyone who thought about making a parking reservation at the airport, cruise port or downtown garage. You may see 1 out of 50 hands raised, right? Maybe! What if you this changed to 1 out of 10 in the next 24 months? Or better yet, 1 out of 3 by 2015? Do I have have your attention yet? Hope so, because this is about to happen in parking.
In a Consumer-Driven Marketplace, Anticipate Your Customer’s Needs. When an online shopper decides to make a purchase—especially in the service industry—chances are you, like most, reach for your computer or mobile device. You may have a particular company in mind that meets your personal specifications, however you search to located the best deal. So you narrow your choices down with a simple search and then read consumer ratings/reviews. And then you click for the best company with the best price. Only then do you buy, either online or in person. Bottom line, consumers are in complete control, period.
To be Found Online, Solve Your Customer’s Problem. For the operator, it’s crucial to understand the psychology of this marketplace. You need to understand your target consumer, the problem he/she is trying to solve and how he/she gets this information IN A TIMELY MANNER. And companies need to be sure that their website explains how your service provides the answer to that problem, that your website can be found via keyword searches relevant to the query, and that you have additional information and reviews that establish your authority as a good business to deal with. Whether you’re selling a service or a widget, the marketing bottom line is this: It’s not about persuading your customer that your company or service is great. It’s all about understanding your customer and meeting their needs.
Can we agree on one other fact? The internet changed everything, everyone and most importantly, the everywhere. Pick up any book (here are 6 to choose from) on current marketing tactics or find a blog (click here for free information) or search for marketing articles online (click here for free advice).
Who likes equations? I know somebody gets into this stuff. Here is just one part of a methodology to improve conversions:
C = 4m + 3v + 2(i-f) – 2a
C = Probability of conversion
m = Motivation of user (when)
v = Clarity of the value proposition (why)
i = Incentive to take action
f = Friction elements of process
a = Anxiety about entering information
C = Probability of conversion
m = Motivation of user (when)
v = Clarity of the value proposition (why)
i = Incentive to take action
f = Friction elements of process
a = Anxiety about entering information
Put on your consumer hat when looking or buying online. It's about ME, MYSELF AND I. And it's about NOWISM. If you think 2000-2010 was a fast and frenzy rat race filled with new, affordable cloud technologies, social channels and smart mobile devices, just watch how the ME community drives your future.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Do Not Rule Out BING as a search tool to find your business!
BING-Powered Share of US Search Reaches
30% in April
Published on May 15,
201
BING-powered
searches—those served by BING.com and search.yahoo.com—accounted for 30.01% of
all US searches conducted in the four weeks ended April 28, 2012, up 5% from
the previous month and 11% from the previous year, according to data from Experian Hitwise.
BING accounted for 14.32% of searches in
April, up 5% from the previous month and 16% from the previous year, while
Yahoo accounted for 15.69% of searches, up 5% from March and 7% from April
2011.
Even so, Google retained
the largest share of search in April with 64.42%,
down 3% from the previous
month and 5% from the previous year. The
remaining 65 search
engines in the Hitwise Search Engine Analysis report
accounted for 6.51% of US
searches.
Longer Search Queries Increase
The number of longer
search queries—those averaging searches of five to eight words—increased 2%
from March, while the number of shorter search queries—those averaging one to
four words in length—was unchanged. Searches of one-word
comprised the plurality of searches, some 28.63% of all queries as of April, up
19% from the previous year.
NOTE: When the Windows 8 release hits the market (for most recent update - click here) later this year, you will see BING's numbers grow exponentially.
Friday, May 11, 2012
Congrats to Bill Guerrero and Team at Purchase Park2Fly
HAPPY 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY
TO BILL GUERRERO AND TEAM!
Please click on the link below to read a recent article on the company.
http://westfaironline.com/22516/purchase-college-startup-takes-off-with-fliers/
In addition, please click on this link to better understand how a social media strategy will boost your business LIKES and NEW/LOYAL CUSTOMERS. http://www.facebook.com/PurchasePark2Fly
Philip Sanford, Marketing Coordinator at PP2F, is in a world of his own. From designing the company's Ads to Facebook Pages to Email Marketing Campaigns to building Landing Pages on the website for channel partners, and I am sure there is much more, Phil is building online customer loyalty unlike many in the parking industry. Speaking of Facebook, PP2F records a record 136 reservations since January 12, 2012. Remarkable!
Monday, May 7, 2012
3 Steps to making your Website more User-Friendly
How long do users stay on websites? According
to Jakob Nielsen, "not very long."
In an age of information overflow,
user experience can be the key factor that determines whether visitors
get the information they need from your website.
User experience is becoming an
extension of the customer experience model—and, undoubtedly, experience
matters. Companies that will stay ahead of the curve are those that are
constantly refining their content, adapting to an always-changing technology
landscape, and asking their customers what they want and how they want it
delivered.
So, how does the user experience on
your website measure up? Here is a three-step approach to analyzing the
usability of your website, along with key guidelines for improving its
usability.
1. Analyze the content
Odds are you wrote much of the
content for your website. Well, maybe not you, but your marketing team or your
company's management team. The point is that you are very familiar with your
content. But are your users?
Consider
the following when writing or analyzing content for your website:- Does your content pass the "common knowledge"
test? You may be familiar with your
processes and product or service offerings, but visitors to your site may
not be. Use language that a broad audience can understand, and avoid
acronyms or terms that are confusing.
- Don't be long-winded.
Your nine-paragraph description of your top-selling product probably
sounded great when you first wrote it. You included all of the intricacies
and specifications—anything anyone would ever want to know! But do you
think your clients have time to read nine paragraphs? Probably not. Keep
content concise, and break up text with illustrations or photographs when
possible.
- Not all at once. People can't handle information in large chunks. That's why we add hyphens to phone numbers, and why text messaging is so popular. Try implementing a "progressive disclosure" system of displaying information on your site. Show small chunks of information first—enough for the user to get a good understanding of what you're saying. Then, give her the ability to drill down and obtain more detailed information.
2. Look at the layout
One of the biggest hurdles for Web
designers is the ever-changing landscape of devices that can access the Web.
During your last website redesign, your website probably looked great in the
browser you viewed it in. But what does your site look like on an iPhone or an
iPad? How does it look on a projector in a conference room?
Consider that by 2014, more
people are expected to browse the Internet via mobile device than desktop PC.
Making sure websites look good
across all platforms will be one of the biggest challenges for Web designers
over the next couple years. Accordingly, consider the following:
- Investigate a responsive design. A popular trend is responsive design, which uses CSS
(cascading style sheets) and media queries to determine a user's device
resolution (size) and delivers a site's content in a layout appropriate
for that size. Using responsive design is a much more efficient
alternative to having a mobile site and a desktop site.
- Beware of "the fold." The fold is the area of a Web page that the user cannot immediately see without scrolling down. Many users interact with what they see first, so including important information above the fold is an imperative consideration for your design.
3. Run a few tests
Speculating about how your visitors
use your website is very different from actually knowing how they use it.
Usability testing, which will give you that knowledge, can range from
quick-and-simple process to long-and-arduous one. Try to get a good mix of
quantitative information (e.g., website statistics) and qualitative information
(e.g., focus groups).
Here are a few tests that will serve
as a good starting point:
- Website statistics.
If you employ a Web analytics program (Google Analytics is a great one),
look at the statistics. What pages are your users spending the most time
on? Least time on? Where are people leaving your site? That information
will give you quick insights into the effectiveness of various pages on
your site.
- Performance tests.
How easily are visitors able to use your website? If you have the luxury
of gathering a test group of users or a focus group, create simple
exercises to measure the speed and accuracy at which they complete common
tasks. Document common barriers they encounter.
- Subjective tests.
Ask users how they feel about using your site (and always take responses
with a grain of salt). Do they feel comfortable using your site? Are they
satisfied with their ability to complete a task? Be wary of the sample
size and demographics of your group when considering the results.
Friday, May 4, 2012
10 Annoying Things About Your Website That Drive People Away
DIRECT AND TO THE POINT ARTICLE ON WEBSITE DESIGN AND FLUFF!
How many times have you visited a website and ended up be sorely disappointed? Or worse, annoyed as all get out? The answer for most people is an easy one: a lot! So, here are a list of the 10 things that annoy people the most about websites. Maybe you’ll agree; maybe you won’t. Let’s see…
10. Music
Music blares the minute I visit your site. That is unexpected, disruptive, and downright rude, from a customer experience standpoint. And, in case you weren’t sure, it ticks off me (and most people) more than just about anything. Wake up and smell the coffee! That is so 2001. Frankly, it wasn’t cool even back then—but today, music on your website can mean the kiss of death.
9. Flash
Your “awesome” Flash website takes forever to load and then blasts me with all these neat-o visuals that require me to twiddle my thumbs and waste precious time. I need information, not entertainment. Get over yourselves. Quit listening to your creative team (and if they’re recommending Flash, hire a new team), and maximize the three seconds of attention I’m willing to give you by telling me something I want or need to know.
8. Pop-ups
Pop-up ads (and that’s what they are) make me want to kill you. Yeah, I know they’re effective at boosting click-through rates. I still hate ‘em. Stop it. Using pop-up ads tells me you don’t care about my experience—you just want to sell me crap. It’s like going on a first date, and having the date say, “Let’s fool around” before dinner hits the table. It’s too much. Too soon. I don’t care what the experts say. Pop-up ads make me want to leave.
7. Contact Info
Sure, I have a lot of patience and free time. I really WANT to have to dig through your bleepin’ site to find your contact information. That makes my life super-easy. Go ahead, hide it! Or better yet, don’t put contact info on there at all. That’s one way to ensure we don’t ever work together.
6. Mystery
Websites that don’t tell me what you do (or no call-to-action), why I need what you do, and what it’s gonna cost me are downright ineffective. I don’t want to dig for pricing. I want the information, and I want it now. Being coy might work when you’re dating, but when it comes to business, I’m like Sergeant Friday on Dragnet. Just the facts, ma’am. You’ve got about three seconds of my time and attention—use it wisely. And copy that’s “mysterious” is not.
5. Down the Rabbit Hole
Contact pages that make us feel like Alice in Wonderland? Not prudent. And when your contact form leads us to default email programs that we can’t stand, they cause us to immediately leave your site. For instance, I don’t use Mail; I don’t want to use Mail. And when your contact form automatically loads Mail for me, it makes curse words flow out of my mouth that are very unladylike. WHAT are you thinking? Stop it. Please.
4. Black Backgrounds
Black backgrounds are nearly IMPOSSIBLE to read. With very few exceptions (there are some sites done very well by people who know what they’re doing, but they are rare), cut it out. Black backgrounds stink. And if your Web-design team thinks those backgrounds are cool, do your homework. Ask people who know about converting the leads that come to your website to sales about the performance of sites with dark backgrounds. After all, isn’t that what you’re really interested in—leads that you can convert to sales?
3. Miniscule Text
Fonts that are too small can be remedied by a surfer; I’ll give you that. But it annoys me when I have to manually bump up the type. And I’m thinking that if you really think about what you want from a site visitor in terms of actions, it’s not making themdo something to learn more. Tell your Web developers with young eyes that it’s often old folks like me who are making the buying decisions. The “default” font most Web developers use is almost ALWAYS too small. Bump it up a notch. Or three. You’ll be amazed at how much happier your Web surfers will be. Know who your customers and prospects are; serve them information that is easy for them to consume—without the need for modifications.
2. An Undesired Delivery
I consume a lot of content. And when I find yours—and I like it—I want to read more. And I want it delivered to my email inbox, not my Reader, which I use for different things. When your blog doesn’t take that into consideration, I know you’re not paying attention. And I know you don’t care about me as a consumer, you’re only thinking about how you like information delivered. Newsflash: It’s not about you. A vast majority of content consumers are just like me. They want content delivered to their email inbox rather than subscribing via an RSS feed. When you overlook that and when you don’t offer me an option that suits my consumption preferences, it tells me you’re not paying attention.
1. Anti-Social
Where are the buttons displaying where to find you on the Web? I keep running across websites that have social sharing buttons on them, but when you click on the buttons, instead of taking you to say, for instance, someone’s Facebook page, it allows me to share your page of content on Facebook. Seriously? As if I want to share your “About” page on Facebook? No, dummy. What I’m looking for is your brand presence on Facebook (or Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.)—maybe because I want to “like” you there and pay attention to what you’re doing. Not having social sharing buttons shows me that you’re not participating in the social media space (whether that’s really the case). And it also shows me that you have no idea that I’m judging you—and your level of savviness about the digital space and the importance of social networks—based on their absence. Is that what you want? Really?
The Bottom Line
Don’t be egocentric when it comes to Web design. Know who your audience is and what they come to your site looking for. Or what you want them to come to your site looking for. Let your Web analytics play a huge rule in this process. Focus on creating a user experience that respects users’ needs and makes it easy for them to find the information they seek. Make sure your site has a navigation system that makes sense. And when you’re developing it, step outside the group of people working on the nav design and ask for feedback from others. Test your theories before implementing them. You’ll be surprised how often you’ve made assumptions that aren’t quite right. Sometimes, we’re so close to our own businesses and our own designs that we can’t be objective.
Great design is cool. And cool is nice. But that isn’t enough when it comes to effective online marketing. A beautifully designed website that has a crappy user experience serves up zero results. Great design paired with navigation that’s well-thought out and content that does the job it’s supposed to do? Those make a website work. Creating an effective Web experience that actually turns site visitors into leads and allows you the opportunity to convert those leads into sales—that’s what effective online marketing is all about.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
WHO SAID THESE BRIGHT THINGS?
"No News is Good News" and "All publicity is good publicity."
One would have to wonder. I do!
Click Here to read about a Florida Parking company
who received some free press. Click Here to watch
the news channel brought to you by WFTV.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
When it comes to SEO, listen to Google!
Three SEO Don'ts Straight From Google
Published on April 30, 2012
When you work in SEO, it might seem that Google is always trying to
trip you up. But that's not really the case, argues Brandignity: "They
don't dislike all SEOs because ... we actually help catalog information
and pages; that in turn helps their search identify which pages make
sense to showcase." In fact, the search engine giant is more than happy to give
advice—such as a video from Google's Developer Programs Tech Lead Maile
Ohye, in which she discusses common errors that SEOs make.
Here are three:
Working on SEO before your site has a value proposition. What sets your company, product, or service apart from your competition? Perhaps your retail shop is the city's oldest independent dealer, offers free repair estimates—or is actually a nonprofit business. "If you want to stay on top," Ohye advises, "searchers need a value prop to click on your site, to come back and revisit your site, and to recommend your site to their friends."
Implementing SEO strategy from an isolated silo. Tear down those walls. With open communication among your marketing, business development, and SEO teams, your optimization efforts properly address the entire user experience—from marketing campaign to conversion. "And, potentially, repeat business," Ohye adds.
Getting caught up in SEO trends. In the beginning, websites and search engines both chased the user. But then something went wrong and websites began chasing search engine algorithms. Around 2005, for instance, many SEOs started gaming the Google algorithm with optimal keyword density. "Not a great use of their time," Ohye notes, since they'd have achieved better results with compelling, informative, readable content.
The Po!nt: Use your noodle; listen to Google. If you're going to take SEO advice from anyone, Google is as reliable a source as it gets.
SMC is helping parking customers all across the country with a proven internet strategy. As stated many times over, it begins with an professionally structured (friendly architecture) website for search engine spiders and crawlers to find your company. The internet is game, and the rules are changing faster than the U.S. Tax Laws.
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