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WALTHAM, Mass. — With the economy still knee-deep in recovery mode, more small-business owners, including coin laundry owners, are recognizing the value of cultivating loyalty with the assistance of social and mobile marketing tools, says online marketer Constant Contact.

The emergence of SoLoMo—the integration of social media, local merchants using location-aware technology, and mobile device usage—is increasing merchants’ ability to tailor marketing efforts to individuals.

“We live in a world that’s more social, more ‘all-the-time’ and interactive than ever before. That’s both bad and good,” says Constant Contact CEO Gail Goodman. “On the plus side, the new tools we have at our fingertips, coupled with the predisposition of our audience to engage, presents a fantastic opportunity for small businesses. On the flip side, standing out from the crowd and respecting the relationship with your audience is more important than ever.”

2013 will bring innovation that integrates marketing channels and helps small businesses market like the “big guys,” Goodman believes. Constant Contact offers these predictions:

Socially integrated, permission-based e-mail marketing campaigns will achieve success

E-mail is expected to grow. It will remain the preferred method of communication among consumers, and continue as their preferred marketing channel because they have control over it, Constant Contact says. The power of video in e-mails will continue to grow, as will integration with social channels. And if e-mail isn’t permission-based, it will be harder than ever to make it to the in box.

Mobile search continues upward trend

Mobile search continues to aggressively trend upward, with millions of Americans shopping by browsing hundreds of directories, web sites and mobile apps that provide local business information.

Events are gateways to engagement marketing

In-person and online events will play a more prominent role in driving customer engagement, with their full impact no longer limited to what happens on-site, Constant Contact says. Small businesses and non-profits are increasingly looking at their events with a wide lens, bringing into focus the role they play in their overall marketing efforts.

Social media marketing is business-critical activity

Small-business attitudes toward social media have evolved from dismissive passivity to cautious curiosity over the past five years. Despite larger brands’ exuberant embrace of social engagement, most small businesses have been slow to implement social as a primary channel in their marketing mix. In 2013, there will be a significant transition as small businesses approach social media marketing as a business-critical daily activity. Small businesses will begin to see the value these channels bring to their businesses, and learn how to measure it.

Constant Contact believes more small businesses than not will be using social media marketing to drive their business results by the end of this year.

WALTHAM, Mass. — Mac-Gray Corp. has once again been awarded Whirlpool’s Energy Advantage Award, the third time the company has received the honor since the award began in 2006.

“We are delighted to have been selected to receive this prestigious award, which reflects our strong commitment to both technology innovation and environmental sustainability,” says Stewart D. MacDonald, Mac-Gray CEO. “We believe that an environmentally friendly approach to business and cost-effective customer solutions are not mutually exclusive.”

Mac-Gray deployed the most ENERGY STAR®-rated washers and dryers of any Whirlpool distributor in 2011, Mac-Gray says. “Mac-Gray remains the top provider of laundry facilities management to colleges and universities as a direct result of our well-established position as a ‘green’ company,” MacDonald adds.

“Whirlpool Corp. is pleased to announce this award,” says Robert English, Whirlpool’s general manager of Global Commercial Laundry. “Mac-Gray stands out as a company dedicated to energy conservation. They have long been the industry leader when it comes to the conversion of laundry facilities from coin to their various card technology platforms, reducing both operational expenses and the CO2 emissions associated with the collection of coins, while increasing customer satisfaction.”

WALTHAM, Mass. — Mac-Gray Corporation saw its net revenues for third-quarter 2011 increase to $78.5 million from $78.2 million for the same period in 2010. Net income was $604,000, compared to $826,000 in 2010.

Third-quarter 2011 net income includes a pre-tax unrealized gain of $45,000 related to interest rate derivative instruments and a non-cash, pre-tax loss of $255,000 related to fuel commodity derivative instruments. Third-quarter 2010 net income included a pre-tax unrealized gain of $1.1 million related to interest rate derivative instruments. Excluding these items from both periods, adjusted net income for third-quarter 2011 was $780,000, compared to $185,000 in 2010.

“This was a steady financial performance in the third quarter — achieving our fourth consecutive quarter of incremental year-over-year growth,” says Stewart G. MacDonald, Mac-Gray chief executive officer. “We continue to see stabilization in the multi-housing industry across the majority of the markets we serve. As a result, multi-housing same location revenue during the quarter rose by 1%, with particular strength in the Northeast and Northwest, and lesser improvement in the Southwest. Only our Southeast region was down. We continued to channel our resources toward generating organic growth through both new and renewal facility contracts in the most promising markets.”

Mac-Gray derives its revenue principally through the contracting of debit-card- and coin-operated laundry facilities in multi-unit housing facilities. The company manages approximately 86,000 laundry rooms located in 43 states and the District of Columbia. Mac-Gray also sells and services commercial laundry equipment.