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!

http://www.mylocalbusinessonline.co.uk/google-places-listing-hijacked/#axzz1vqm04b3Q

Google Places Tips - What Are Citations?

http://www.mylocalbusinessonline.co.uk/google-places-tips-citations/#axzz1vqmwYVfw

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

http://www.google.com/transparencyreport/removals/copyright/faq

Removing Content From Google

http://support.google.com/bin/static.py?hl=en&ts=1114905&page=ts.cs

(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.

Anonymous Letter (exerpt) from Another Industry's Perspective

This email letter was distributed to the media of another $25 billion industry. It is right on the money.

I have used several aggregator websites (3rd Party Marketing Sites) in the past. I use them no more. My comments are in no way personal. I have no ill will against any particular business. I just have a huge set of concerns about the proliferation of these sites and the industry’s acceptance of them with open arms.

In short, here are 5 reasons why I believe we should see these aggregator websites as more of a hindrance than a help to our industry.

1. Utilizing the 3rd party online customer capture model will reduce revenue for the operator. Since the main differentiation on these sites is price, we are conditioning the consumer to think price is the only basis in choosing a facility. Lowest price wins (we all lose).

2. In the yellow-page days, at least we’d get a phone call and a good manager could deflect the price question and entice a potential renter in. In the aggregator environment, we’ve lost direct contact with the consumer. These aggregator sites add a layer of “insulation” between us and the consumer. We lose the ability to out-shine the competition.

3. Indiscriminate use of these aggregator sites will damage what brand equity you have built. You cannot tell the difference between 1st generation facilities or 3rd generation facilities. If you run an outstanding operation, you’re brought down to average on these sites.

4. If you already have good online visibility, these aggregator sites are now competing against you. The aggregator now has become your competitor, trying to capture potential renters and direct them to their site and send them to you for a fee (and many 'a fee' to the consumer).

5. These aggregator sites have inserted themselves between us and the consumer as the middle man. Ask people in the hotel industry or airline industry their opinion of these aggregator sites in their industry and what it has done to pricing. They HATE them.

If you doubt that, then read this article at portfolio.com about why airlines are now fighting third-party reservation sites. Make the analogy to our industry and imagine what it looks like today and then 5 years from now.

http://www.portfolio.com/business-travel/2011/01/05/why-legacy-airlines-are-warring-with-expedia-and-orbitz

I’m not telling you what is best for your particular situation. Only you know. I only ask you to consider what the blind acceptance of these sites means to the industry. I believe in capturing business online, but from your own website, not another’s.

To our parking clients, if you allow any company to use your trade name on their website with or without out your permission, you will be competing against your brand.

Please don't get grossed out by this next story, but to my surprise one day last week, I found ticks on my two dogs about the size of an aspirin. Although our pups receive monthly dosages of medicine, these resilient pests did serious damage from head to toe within 24 hours. Unimaginable damage to their skin. These pests hopped on and sucked a serious amount of blood from their healthy bodies. Who knows what the real damage would have been if we did nothing to help them.

Your brand is your greatest asset. Please protect it.

Be Careful with Emails like....

Your UnitedAirportParking.com parking lot information has been updated. Please contact your administrator if you should have any questions regarding this update.

If your business does not respond with a response similar to "please do not use my company's information on your website" or "you are not authorized to use my company's information on your website", there will be consequences long-term for you and your customer. What are some of those consequences?

1. By not responding, you are authorizing a 3rd party company to use your company information.

2. If authorized, a 3rd party company will use your name in your market on the various search engines.

3. Using your name helps a 3rd party company get listed on the 1st page of Google and Bing.

4. Your website listing will be competing against the 3rd party listing who would love to incorporate a commission back to you (normally the first day rate).

5. Bottom line is, they want your customer's data.

In addition, these 3^rd party websites create mass confusion with their pre-paid program; charge-backs, refunds, auditing, and of course, administrative fees.

I cannot stress enough the importance of branding your business in the eyes of your community. Drive shoppers into your website, set the hook and then real them in one-by-one. Do not let other websites create the relationship with your customers. History shows this is not a good long-term strategy.

Example of a reply:

“You are not authorized to list any of my information on your website. We do not allow any 3rd party aggregators to use our branded and registered name for their own gain or to promote their website. This only leads to confusion for my customers. Thank you for your understanding in this manner."