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We said it before and it deserves saying again.

EMAIL MARKETING IS A POWERFUL TOOL TO KEEP YOUR CUSTOMERS LOYAL TO YOUR BRANDED SERVICES.

Some say that "loyalty to a brand is no longer achievable" while others make the statement "customers only care about price". I simply disagree, and believe those who share their opinions, are lazy thinkers.

No Business Plan + No Internet Marketing Strategy
=

Minimum Sales & Conversion

Everyone in business should have a Business Plan, and it should be shared with management to achieve the ultimate objective - success! With today's growth in e-commerce, an Internet Marketing Strategy is an integral part of the overall plan. A well-defined strategy will help position you to your target and niche market as well as increase conversion.

If you are not using Constant Contact, etc, please take advantage of this NEW & FREE OFFER by iContact. Go to www.icontact.com and sign up.

What does this * mean to a shopper?

There is a well-known cable company in the southeastern U.S. who spends millions of dollars in commercials educating consumers about the asterisk (*). Known as "Asterisk Hunter", Brighthouse Networks points out why their services and guidelines are asterisk-free to simply bury the competition.

Moving over to the parking industry, lets evaluate both coupons shown here:

1. With this coupon pay just $8.95 - so beware - the price is subject to change without notice.

2. For this rate, the coupon must be printed and brought in similar to a grocery store - so beware - mobile and tablet devices are replacing the paper coupon.

3. Rates do not include sales tax (or maybe other hidden fees) - so beware - consumers are educated today and demand to know the full price.

For some, coupons are habit to cut out and carry around for that special discount. For others, in particular the younger generation-ers, "what's a coupon?".

Mobile Coupons are coming, and fast. Retailers such as Target are preparing themselves for a huge e-coupon boom.

License Plate Recognition or LPR

License Plate Recognition or LPR Software has been around for some time. It has taken many years and buckets of money to perfect a user-friendly application for police forces. And today, its popularity is growing into the parking sector like with all new technologies. It is all about Keeping It Simple & Smart (our definition of K.I.S.S.). What is LPR and how does it work? Here is short video that was shared with us by Stan Cramer, owner, of Cramer Airport Parking in Harrisburg, PA.



Stan is hooking his parking operation up to this innovative software to track customers in and out of his lot. Additionally, the back-end management software will allow Cramer Airport Parking the flexibility to offer automatic/direct billing, reservations integration and much more in an effort to keep his business thriving.

SMC Software is currently speaking with two LPR companies for the sole purpose of integrating a web-based reservation into an off-line transaction.

Check-out the Valair Parking Facebook Page and Video

Congratulations to Cathy Matchinga, owner of Valair Parking in Cincinnati, and her team for a sweet-looking Facebook page. And what a great way to share the experience with guests and customers by putting together a short preview of your express valet services.

Check out Valair Parking on Facebook and watch their new video.

Find our Lowest Price on our Website - GUARANTEED!

In recent months, many of you have heard me make the following statements:

"You are in the parking industry, this is obviously true. But you are also in the travel business. If your airport closes tomorrow, your company would be in a serious predicament."

"In recessionary times, small to mid-size companies have a real opportunity to position their brand in the marketplace and increase marketshare. The time is right now to implement a strategy while the larger brands struggle to compete and hold marketshare."

"No one goes on the internet to spend more money. Consumers are shopping for bargains first, and then a trusted brand who provides reliable service."

"Travel & Entertainment (a.k.a T&E) is the second largest expense in most companies. In the last three years, companies have cut travel costs simply because they can and must. This trend will continue until our economy shows any sign of growth."

"Common sense tells us that following success is smarter than following failure. Lee Iacocca, former CEO of Chrylser, once said 'you have to surround yourself with winners'. Having said that, I like following the most successful airline strategy in the U.S. - Southwest Airlines."

Why is Southwest Airlines the most profitable airline in American history?
Because they built a company going against the grain. In other words, SWA did not follow Delta, United, American and all the other others with respect to service, seats, marketing, operations, aircraft, etc. When the internet took off in the late 90's, SWA made a strong stance in being the only airline to block other third party websites (known as aggregators) from reserving seats through Centralized Reservation Systems (CRS). Fast-forwarding through their success, today the company transacts in two ways; http://www.southwest.com/ and 1-800-IFLYSWA. That's it!

The SWA website processes approximately 80% of the company's reservations. And the 800 number has played a recorded message since 1999 "Our lowest fares are found at Southwest.com".

Positioning your Brand and Branding your Business!

In today's competitive environment, it is about providing your lowest rates on your company's website to establish trust with your shopper. As a consumer, think about your own personal shopping experience for any product or service online. If you find a product or service on a third-party website you never heard of offering a lower price than your website, what would you think or do?

You would probably ask yourself the following:

who is this company?

where is this company? U.S. or another country.

what can I expect from this company?

can I trust this company?

why is the pricing lower on a third-party website than the company's website?

This is your time for branding and positioning your business in your marketplace. And if you do it right (plan, prepare, educate, execute and track), you will reduce costs, increase revenue, build customer loyalty and compete at the highest level.

Here is a website that provides great insight into branding and positioning. Click Here.

What is your company's greatest asset?

A trademark is often the greatest asset of a company. It carries along with it invaluable goodwill, consumer trust and an exit strategy. Many businesses put years of hard work, piles of money, and hours of networking to build and establish a brand in the marketplace. When the internet arrived, many thought they could change the rules and shuffle around the law.

Because your busines is so important for many reasons, it is critical for you to read this paragraph and then the Lanham Act.

Although it is said that "all is fair in love and war," the same is not universally true when it comes to business. There are certain business practices that society, as reflected in the law, has said are not fair in a business setting. Unfair competition law is one body of law that is used to assure that competition among firms is fair; one aspect of this law is the law of trademarks.

If you have not registered your company (your greatest asset), please consider doing so today. Fact is, the internet is here to stay and so are those who want to borrow your brand name for placement, reputation and advancement in the space. For information about state registration requirements, applicants must contact the individual state trademark office found on this website:

http://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/process/State_Trademark_Links.jsp

Preparing for the Mobile Era

At the time of this writing, consumers are performing 660 million searches per day on mobile devices. That represents 15 percent of all Web searches. By the time you read this article, the number will have grown.

According to marketing research company ComScore Inc., Smart Phones are now used by one in four U.S. mobile subscribers. Estimates are that by the third quarter of 2011, they will outsell “feature phones.” Add to that the sales of iPads and other tablet-type brands, which should see $55 million sales in 2011, and you see the trend toward mobile Internet use is a powerful tool to market small businesses.

As the mobile channel evolves, data shows that the consumer doing mobile searches for a product or service is a highly qualified buyer. Consumers using their Smart Phones to conduct a business search have an immediate need and are likely to make a purchase within a short period of time. In addition to search and directory applications, they will often use a navigation or mapping application to perform the search and have a high likelihood of downloading directions or maps if they find a local business that matches their needs. This means more physical site visits and a better opportunity to close the sale with a real-time, mobile-friendly reservations system.

Remember that parking is geocentric, meaning customers typically come from within a 1-100 mile radius. That’s what makes local search (Google Places, Bing Local and Yelp) so relevant to the online shopping space. It is essential that your business get branded in all local listings today.

Having said that, there are two ways to take advantage of today’s mobile marketing: mobile search and mobile display. Here’s how each works.

Mobile Search. Mobile consumers search for local businesses in a variety of ways. They may search using the mobile Web (i.e., mobile versions of Google or Bing), or by using applications (apps) downloaded to the phone. The iPhone has more than 225,000 available apps, while the Android has more than 70,000. Of these, there are many search, directory and navigation apps, such as YPmobile, that can drive customers to your location for a relatively low fixed cost. In addition, there are new providers that offer reach by delivering search results across a broad network of more than 20 top apps, providing the attractive option of a pay-per-call campaign.

Mobile Display. Mobile advertising also offers highly targeted display or banner ad opportunities. Your banner ad can be targeted not only geographically but also by specific demographics. For example, finance and travel apps are used more frequently by 30- to 49-year-olds than any other age group and attract a primarily male audience. People ages 50 to 64 access news on a regular basis. If you want to attract a younger and primarily female demographic, media and entertainment is the answer.

Coming soon in 2011, SMC Software will be developing a mobile application for its reservations system and will be announcing partnerships with one or more mobile search directories who provide downloadable applications on the iPhone and Android. Stay Tune!