Forgetting the Little Guy?!?! I don't think so...

Recently, we received a comment on one of our blog posts "Things Just Keep Looking Up!" regarding concerns that we would lose our 'autonomy' following our recent partnership with Citysearch.

Hollywood says:

I have evaluated CitySearch in the recent past and found their interface to be poor and their business model sticks it to the small guy - not to mention their customer service is weak. I hope you can maintain your autonomy on this one. I smell an exit strategy and if that is true good luck(I dont blame you). It was nice to work with you.

First of all, we began this company fighting for the little guys out there - drawing from a background of growing up around family-owned businesses. The same businesses you see today that don't have the marketing and advertising budgets of say, a Wal-Mart or a McDonald's. It is because of your support, and the more-than 320,000 business owners in our network, that we innovate and think the way we do.

Our partnership with Citysearch is designed to bring you more customers, advertising options, more business neighbors in your network, and did we mention more customers? Our autonomy is never more apparent than now, as we continue to seek out new partners that will benefit and give you the lowest cost, easiest-to-use, advertising products and options anywhere on the web.

The 'little guy' isn't just you, it's us and always has been. Thank you for being part of what we have and Happy New Year to the 'little guy!'

Sincerely,
Kevin
Community Relations
MerchantCircle

A New Chapter

Every now and then we get a dramatically different haircut, buy a new car, or change jobs - and while we may miss the old, we get really excited about the new. For MerchantCircle, we're introducing a whole new set of advertising products and options that's unparalleled on the web. Our new advertising options are SO easy to use and can fit any budget. Needless to say, we're really excited about the value these new products will bring to our merchants.

From the moment we decided to revamp our advertising options and products, our focus was on ease-of-use, because we realized that you have a business to run OFFline. Through our new offerings, we've given you a suite of options that will advertise for you on top consumer destination sites like Google, Yahoo, MSN, Ask and Citysearch - all with the click of a button.

Check out our press release here or find out all about our new advertising options here. We're excited about bringing you more local customers and giving you more bang for your buck.

Sincerely,
Kevin
Community Relations

Helping School Children this Holiday Season

Through one of our various business partnerships aimed at helping local business owners, Google has given us a holiday gift this year. Rather than send us little mouse pads and pens with the Google logo, this year they've sent us something far cooler.

It's through an organization called DonorsChoose.org where we'll be able to support a public school classroom of our choice. We can give books, art supplies, technology, field trips, or other resources to students in low-income communities.

As the largest online network of local business owners in the nation, who better to ask about local, then the local businesses that make up a community? That's why we're turning to you to ask for your recommendations. Please recommend schools that you know are in financial need or have had to shut down various school programs.

As a MerchantCircle network of over 300,000 members, let's give a great holiday gift this season to some deserving students in a deserving community.

Sincerely,
Kevin L.
Community Relations

P.S. Please email suggestions to Jennifer@MerchantCircle.com or post a comment to this blog.

The First Family .... Not!

Well, we just got back from a productive week in LA for the Kelsey Conference. While it was exhausting, it was one of the more productive conferences we've been to. Five of our team members headed to the conference, which is the most we've ever sent, to explore new partnerships that will help you reach more customers. In the past, we've worked tirelessly in the partnerships we've formed, and we continue to seek out new venues, whether it be through online ads, video, or the telephone. Take a look at the picture below. We're like one happy family!!! You'll have to forgive my use of the word 'not,' (taken from the 80s) - we're really a nice dysfunctional family (kidding). Especially that loser affectionately cradling the antique chair.

We made a very big announcement at the conference, the first being our partnership with Citysearch, a leading online local guide. You can read what the press is saying about the partnership, which will bring more local viewers to your MerchantCircle listing!

• ClickZ - Citysearch and MerchantCircle to Share Ad Opportunities and Content
• MediaPost - MerchantCircle Bulks Up, Scales Out with Citysearch
• The New York Times - Citysearch Partners with MerchantCircle
• Search Engine Watch - Citysearch Looks to MerchantCircle to Complete Picture
• Kelsey Group - 'Local' E-Commerce: Ready for Prime Time?

Be sure to check out all the changes on MerchantCircle as we roll out a lot of exciting new products through our partnerships with WebVisible and Citysearch.

Sincerely,

Kevin L.

Community Relations