tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50420007236145372612024-03-13T23:44:07.205-07:00MerchantCircle | BlogThe MerchantCircle blog lets local and small business owners know what's going on in their marketing world. Whether it's online marketing solutions, yellow page directory statistics, business video solutions, or general merchant musings, we make sure you're informed.MerchantCircle Staffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03512434120196682336noreply@blogger.comBlogger403125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042000723614537261.post-72847488921342624452012-10-17T12:01:00.002-07:002012-10-17T12:01:20.952-07:00Small Business Owners Split on Perceptions of Economic Recovery<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<em><strong>With Economic Concerns Still Paramount, Reply! Survey
Reveals Largest Growth Opportunities in Advertising Services Are in
Mobile; Small Businesses Favor Mitt Romney Over Barack Obama by 2 to 1
Margin</strong></em><br />
<br />
<strong>SAN RAMON, CA, Oct 17, 2012</strong> (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) —
Reply!, the leading marketplace for locally-targeted advertisers, today
issued the results of its eighth <a href="http://www.merchantcircle.com/corporate/survey2012/surveySummaryMC.html" target="_blank">Merchant Confidence Index</a>,
a survey of local business owners across the country sharing their
confidence levels about the current economy, their expectations of
future revenue and their assessment of marketing services. The data
shows that economic concerns are still weighing heavily on small
businesses, with nearly 60 percent of respondents stating that they
believe the U.S. economy was better off four years ago than it is today.
With these concerns front of mind, SMB investment in many paid
marketing services has stagnated, with very little growth seen in
adoption of daily deals and several other paid services. However, mobile
marketing is the one channel that is heating up in the small business
community.<br />
<br />
“Our data shows that American small businesses are still struggling
to recover from the recession,” said Payam Zamani, CEO of Reply.com,
Inc. “As a result, small business owners have turned to free social
media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter as marketing vehicles. In
turn, they have slowed their investment in paid marketing services such
as daily deals, though there are still many opportunities for growth
within certain segments of service offerings.”<br />
Key findings include:<br />
<br />
1. Small business owners are split on perceptions of economic recovery.<br />
Economic concerns continue to be widespread among small business
owners. Nearly 60 percent of respondents believe that the US economy was
better off four years ago than it is today; only 22 percent of small
business owners believe the economy is better off now, and 21 percent
believe there have been no changes. Similarly, small business owners are
split on their perceptions of future economic recovery. More than
one-third of respondents (37 percent) believe that the economy will be
better off a year from now; while 36 percent believe it will be worse
and 28 percent believe the economy will remain the same.<br />
<br />
However, there is a bright spot. Small business owners plan to do
their part to stimulate the economy. More than 23 percent of small
business owners plan to increase their headcount in the next six months,
up from 21 percent in Q4 of 2011. Meanwhile, 50 percent plan to
maintain their current headcount, while only eight percent plan to
reduce their number of employees in the next six months, down from 13
percent last year.<br />
<br />
2. SMBs slow to adopt paid marketing services, including daily deals and online reviews.<br />
When asked what free social media platforms they use to promote their
business, nearly 70 percent of respondents state they use Facebook and
33 percent are using Twitter. However, when asked which platforms they
are paying for promotions, only seven percent are tapping into paid
promotions on Facebook and only one percent on Twitter.<br />
<br />
Likewise, there has been slow growth of other paid marketing services
such as daily deals and review sites. Only 11 percent of respondents
have run a daily deal over the last six months — the same percentage as
in Q4 2011 — and only 11 percent say that it is likely they will run a
daily deal in the next 3-6 months.<br />
With regards to online reviews, while 46 percent of respondents see
online reviews as helpful to their business, only 10 percent are using
paid services and 90 percent have no plans to start using paid review
services.<br />
<br />
3. Mobile marketing is heating up in the small business community.<br />
Small business owners are turning to mobile to support their business
needs. Mobile marketing is on the rise with 8 percent of respondents
currently purchasing mobile ads and 15 percent planning to in the next
3-6 months. Likewise, when asked how likely they are to explore building
a mobile website or mobile app for their business in the next 3-6
months, 16 percent of small business owners stated that they are very
likely to explore this marketing channel. Meanwhile, 17 percent state
that they already have an active mobile app or website.<br />
<br />
The survey also reveals that SMBs are more likely to use mobile
services that facilitate transactions such as Square and PayPal, with 14
percent and 20 percent noting their usage, respectively. An additional
11 percent are planning to start using a mobile transaction service in
the next 3-6 months.<br />
4. SMBs unphased by recent high-profile IPOs.<br />
<br />
While many SMBs remain pessimistic about economic recovery, these
concerns have not translated into negative perceptions about recent
high-profile IPOs in the social and marketing sectors. When asked about
their perceptions of Facebook as a company after it went public in May,
nearly 70 percent of small business owners said their opinion about the
company did not change.<br />
<br />
Likewise, when asked about their perceptions of Groupon as a company
after it went public, the majority (72 percent) of small business owners
stated no change to their perception.<br />
<br />
5. Republicans have been more effective at positioning the party as supportive of small business interests.<br />
Mitt Romney is favored 2-1 over Barack Obama as an advocate for
growing small businesses in the United States. Similarly, 52 percent
said Romney was better equipped to lead the US in an economic recovery,
compared to 28 percent who said Obama was better equipped; meanwhile,
nearly 20 percent of small business owners stated that neither candidate
is equipped for the job.<br />
<br />
There is also limited favorability for the Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act (PPACA) within the SMB community. 63 percent of
respondents stated that the Act would negatively impact small
businesses, while only one quarter (23 percent) said that the Act would
positively impact small businesses. Only 6 percent stated that they
believe there will be no impact, and 9 percent are unsure.<br />
About the Merchant Confidence Index The Merchant Confidence Index is
an annual survey conducted by MerchantCircle.com, a division of
Reply.com, Inc. The Index is designed to track trends in small business
sentiment over time and is derived from four key questions designed to
synopsize the prevailing trends among local business owners.<br />
<br />
This eighth Merchant Confidence Index survey was fielded online,
between September 17, 2012 and September 30, 2012, and sent to a random
sample of MerchantCircle’s member base of about 1.4 million local
business owners. There were 3,434 total responses from local business
owners across the United States. Responding businesses classified
themselves as legal and home services, automotive, health and beauty,
entertainment, travel and more. The survey data can be broken out by
state, business type or business size (by headcount) upon request. No
incentive was offered to complete the survey.<br />
Reply.com, Inc. is not affiliated with any political party. The
results of this survey in no way represent the views of the company.<br />
<br />
<b>About Reply.com, Inc.</b><br />
Reply.com, Inc. operates the leading marketplace for locally-targeted
advertisers. Reply!’s platform provides advertisers of all sizes with a
simple and scalable solution for locally-targeted marketing. Reply! owns
and operates many destination sites including iMotors.com,
Contractors.com and MerchantCircle.com, which is the largest online
network of local business owners in the nation with over 1.4 million
member merchants and 17 million monthly local consumer visits. To learn
more about Reply!, please visit www.reply.com.<br />
<a href="http://www.merchantcircle.com/corporate/survey2012/surveySummaryMC.html" target="_blank">Survey Summary</a><br />
<a href="http://www.merchantcircle.com/corporate/survey2012/surveyMC.html" target="_blank">Survey</a><br />
<br />
Media Contacts<br />
Rachel Kahn<br />
Sparkpr for Reply!<br />
<a href="mailto:rachel@sparkpr.com">rachel@sparkpr.com</a><br />
(415) 321-1881</div>
MerchantCircle Staffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03512434120196682336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042000723614537261.post-28046873199229987332012-10-17T11:57:00.005-07:002012-10-17T11:59:04.528-07:00Reply! Introduces Branded Profiles on MerchantCircle.com!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i>New product enables large national brands to build a robust local online presence</i><br />
<br />
<b>San Ramon, Calif. – September 13, 2012 –</b> Reply!,
Inc. today announced the launch of MerchantCircle Branded Profiles, a
new product that enables large, national brands and organizations to
build locally-targeted pages for their members on MerchantCircle.com,
the nation’s largest online network of local business owners.<br />
By building their locally-targeted online presence with
MerchantCircle Branded Profiles, national brands offering local services
can build a more robust online presence and more efficiently reach
local customers. As one of the top six destinations for local searches,
MerchantCircle.com can dramatically increase new customer acquisition
for its members. For example, an insurance company can launch profiles
for each one of their local agents, and have customer inquiries direct
either to each individual agent or to a central corporate location.<br />
“With MerchantCircle Branded Profiles, national brands have an
efficient way to enhance their local presence,” said Payam Zamani,
founder and CEO of Reply!, Inc. “It’s our mission to make
locally-targeted marketing more profitable, targeted and scalable for
advertisers of all sizes. Branded Profiles offers national brands a
unique way to reach their local customers in every state and every city
in the country.”<br />
<b>Branded Profiles offer:</b><br />
<ul>
<li><b>Customizable Branding:</b> companies have the ability
to control their image and messaging, so they can bring localized
branding to the individual communities where their customers are
located.</li>
<li><b>Tools to communicate with consumers:</b> brands can insert customized solutions allowing them to efficiently interact with their customers.</li>
<li><b>Request a Quote Button:</b> brands have the ability to direct consumers to their website or directly to their local representatives who can serve them.</li>
<li><b>Call Tracking:</b> merchants can drive calls into a
call center or direct consumers to a local service provider via a
trackable number on their Branded Profiles.</li>
</ul>
<b>About Reply!, Inc.</b><br />
Reply! Inc. operates the leading marketplace for the acquisition of
locally-targeted online consumer traffic. Reply!’s platform provides
advertisers of all sizes with a simple and scalable solution for
locally-targeted marketing. Reply! owns and operates many destination
sites including iMotors.com, Contractors.com and MerchantCircle.com,
which is the largest online network of local business owners in the
nation with over 1.2 million member merchants and 15 million monthly
local consumer visits. To learn more about Reply!, please visit
www.reply.com.<br />
Media Contact<br />
Rachel Kahn<br />
Sparkpr for Reply!<br />
<a href="mailto:rachel@sparkpr.com">rachel@sparkpr.com</a><br />
(415) 321-1881</div>
MerchantCircle Staffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03512434120196682336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042000723614537261.post-68259768749612040302012-07-24T08:02:00.000-07:002012-07-24T10:47:43.810-07:00Winner of the $10,000 MerchantCircle Sweepstakes!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today we announced that Idaho-based
Bonnie Wilks is the winner of the $10,000 Spring Fling Sweepstakes, hosted
by <a href="http://www.merchantcircle.com/" target="_blank">MerchantCircle</a>, the largest online network of local business owners in
the nation. MerchantCircle kicked-off the sweepstakes in February to
celebrate its relaunch as a consumer destination that helps busy people solve
everyday problems.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie_5YjCJPUexJyJ6E1tEr9GGZgLEIwOWLni8-SL3IPw_5YG2aSr24QEar9WAP_HumTbtwQQjmQRgH1EAJeDuzH6YQersEeWiA-fdcwvZMnTWVm3H4pvgwNNjIRKtEyLbwZwxTVqntdwUw/s1600/BonnieWilks-4Blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie_5YjCJPUexJyJ6E1tEr9GGZgLEIwOWLni8-SL3IPw_5YG2aSr24QEar9WAP_HumTbtwQQjmQRgH1EAJeDuzH6YQersEeWiA-fdcwvZMnTWVm3H4pvgwNNjIRKtEyLbwZwxTVqntdwUw/s200/BonnieWilks-4Blog.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Winner Bonnie Wilks discovered that <a href="https://getsatisfaction.com/merchantcircle" target="_blank">MerchantCircle</a> was running a sweepstakes while searching online for local
deals, and promptly entered. At that time, she also joined
MerchantCircle’s “Neighbor” program, which enables consumers to
"follow" local businesses for the latest promotions, coupons and
announcements. Wilks soon found that she loved writing and reading reviews on
<a href="https://twitter.com/merchantcircle" target="_blank">MerchantCircle</a>, which today has over 6 million pieces of user generated
content, from ratings and reviews to photos and blogs, to help consumers find
the best local businesses.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“From all of us at
<a href="http://www.merchantcircle.com/corporate/about.html" target="_blank">MerchantCircle</a>, congratulations to Bonnie Wilks on winning the Spring Fling
Sweepstakes, we are very proud to have you as part of our neighborhood,” said
Paul O’Leary, GM, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/MerchantCircle" target="_blank">MerchantCircle</a>. “We are also so grateful to all our
contest entrants, and we want to thank all of them for joining the
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/MerchantCirclecom" target="_blank">MerchantCircle</a> community.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.merchantcircle.com/" target="_blank">MerchantCircle</a> allows consumers
to immediately connect with qualified providers in their local area, get access
to deals, find expert advice and receive free competitive quotes for real-life
tasks. Consumers can find providers across all business categories, including home
repair and improvement; health and beauty; financial and professional services;
construction and real estate services; restaurants; and many others. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The sweepstakes was sponsored by
<a href="http://www.reply.com/" target="_blank">Reply! Inc.</a>, and was open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the
District of Columbia who were, as of entry date, 18 years of age or older. The
sweepstakes period was from February 28 to April 10 of this year only. <a href="http://blog.merchantcircle.com/2010/02/spring-fling-sweepstakes-official-rules.html" target="_blank">No purchase was necessary</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sincerely,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.merchantcircle.com/corporate/about.html" target="_blank">The MerchantCircle Team</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>MerchantCircle Staffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03512434120196682336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042000723614537261.post-20583284785275993042012-06-06T11:26:00.002-07:002012-06-06T11:35:59.687-07:00Take Control of Your Local Listings<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">Our goal at MerchantCircle is to connect local
shoppers with the best local merchants. We’ve worked tirelessly to make it easy
for people to find great businesses that provide quality services. Our desire
to connect shoppers and businesses continues even when these shoppers may be
searching elsewhere on the Web. That’s why we’ve partnered with </span><a href="http://www.yext.com/"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">Yext</span></a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">
to ensure that MerchantCircle members can get found regardless of where
shoppers are searching.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">Guaranteed Presence</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNenvWRF_IxglxtLKkYNA6bQAt_pn1ZAIAm5ILSc9aSI9ydBrBxQO8LztJ0N6WVxyZeYfMehxDCsvpaTdjq3FaRZteCniiXSSm-BmDFSNa99WCKZrSIYANhHPYhyphenhyphen8G1-Veq-U-AD6RWD0/s1600/yext_logo.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="93" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNenvWRF_IxglxtLKkYNA6bQAt_pn1ZAIAm5ILSc9aSI9ydBrBxQO8LztJ0N6WVxyZeYfMehxDCsvpaTdjq3FaRZteCniiXSSm-BmDFSNa99WCKZrSIYANhHPYhyphenhyphen8G1-Veq-U-AD6RWD0/s200/yext_logo.jpeg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://www.yext.com/powerlistings-hub.html"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">Yext
PowerListings</span></a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"> allows businesses to
control their local search listings across 35 search engines and directories
including MerchantCircle, Yahoo! And Yelp. Not only does Yext
PowerListings ensure that<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5042000723614537261" name="_GoBack"></a> the name, address and phone
number are correct across their network, but it also allows businesses to
highlight their listings with special offers, detailed business descriptions,
photos and other enhanced content.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">Save Time</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">Business owners no longer have to individually
contact and verify their listings on each search engine or directory.
PowerListings users can quickly and easily make changes to all of the listings
within the PowerListings dashboard.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">Track Results</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">PowerListings gives business owners the
ability to see how many times their listing showed in the search results as
well as how many times their business profile was viewed. With Yext’s granular
tracking and reporting businesses have complete insight and control over their
local search results.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">How does your business
look online?</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">As a business owner, you might not even be
aware of how your business information appears across the Internet. Yext makes
it extremely easy to find out with their </span><a href="http://www.yext.com/diagnostic.html"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">free business
listing report</span></a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">. Simply enter your
business information as you would like it to appear, and Yext will create a
report detailing everywhere your business information is missing or inaccurate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">Yext PowerListings has already helped
thousands of local businesses gain control of their local listings, and we hope
it can help you!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">Sincerely,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">The MerchantCircle Team<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>MerchantCircle Staffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03512434120196682336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042000723614537261.post-77116612540168180272012-03-29T11:42:00.000-07:002012-03-29T11:42:12.670-07:00MerchantCircle: Making a Difference!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's often difficult to keep our perspective with the day-to-day demands of working in a fast-paced environment, but, sometimes we need to take a step back and remember that the work we're doing does make a difference in our members' lives.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
Check out this great "behind the scenes" video starring several of our members from the Los Angeles area:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/oFoycPXOPcw?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
So, to our 1.2 million merchant members: we are humbled and honored to have some part in helping your businesses succeed. Best of luck to you and your families and thank you for your support!<br />
<br />
Sincerely,<br />
The MerchantCircle Team</div>MerchantCircle Staffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03512434120196682336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042000723614537261.post-32942659087070038772012-02-21T16:53:00.000-08:002012-02-21T16:53:22.361-08:00You Spoke, We Listened...and It’s Working!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsLiUwtGuZDpYYsMk0FQr0iAiXy7CmG9rYfzD7l6H0zHPY0g3tqFZdIZysxOcCK7XrUs2B15um00Qbfg-1mwkHMDkkHQD4uokueRiKuffr-wiBAQFhGdaWcZ1nMWqfalr9xD5B-X2ifbFT/s1600/seo-graph-up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsLiUwtGuZDpYYsMk0FQr0iAiXy7CmG9rYfzD7l6H0zHPY0g3tqFZdIZysxOcCK7XrUs2B15um00Qbfg-1mwkHMDkkHQD4uokueRiKuffr-wiBAQFhGdaWcZ1nMWqfalr9xD5B-X2ifbFT/s200/seo-graph-up.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div><span id="internal-source-marker_0.8944079291541129"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As you know, we recently updated the MerchantCircle.com website experience. It’s only been a few weeks, but we’re happy to report that consumer engagement with the site (especially merchant listing pages) is at its all-time highest level! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This means that more consumers are finding more businesses on MerchantCircle than ever before. Customers are spending more time on Merchant business listing pages, and they are reading and writing reviews about Merchants they love. This has been our goal from the very beginning - connecting local Merchants directly with Neighbors who need their products and services.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The recent improvements are the direct result of Merchant feedback. We asked what you thought, and you told us what you liked and what you wanted to see done differently. We took what you said to heart and focused on the features and capabilities you valued the most. </span></span><br />
<ul style="font-weight: bold;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.8944079291541129">
<li style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You asked for improved search across the site - you got it! </span></li>
<li style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Merchants didn’t really care for the anonymous reviews, so they’re gone...replaced with reviews from registered MerchantCircle Neighbors. </span></li>
<li style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The pages are cleaner, less cluttered and it’s much easier to find what you’re looking for. </span></li>
</span></ul><span id="internal-source-marker_0.8944079291541129"> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.8944079291541129"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Sf_b6CLKzEdhVjGwSWz9r7mbBUZ_hieAAVc_UI-QypNzPSlNX8e4v7bwRhdTAg3tYjxY9u-udv-abr0Rypt2enoEFhJ4AKP7GD8MGVAp6f7VXFpPQbpZ0samO8DEf76IhOxEnzRNSbDu/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-01-30+at+1.53.18+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Sf_b6CLKzEdhVjGwSWz9r7mbBUZ_hieAAVc_UI-QypNzPSlNX8e4v7bwRhdTAg3tYjxY9u-udv-abr0Rypt2enoEFhJ4AKP7GD8MGVAp6f7VXFpPQbpZ0samO8DEf76IhOxEnzRNSbDu/s320/Screen+Shot+2012-01-30+at+1.53.18+PM.png" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><span id="internal-source-marker_0.8944079291541129"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span><br />
<div><span id="internal-source-marker_0.8944079291541129"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></b></span></span></div><span id="internal-source-marker_0.8944079291541129"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We will continue to make improvements that make the overall MerchantCircle experience better, faster and more relevant.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">In fact, on the development side, our MerchantCircle Product Development Team, the magicians behind it all, have been working their magic indeed. The team has been using a version of Agile Product Management (it's a tech thing) that allows us to push updates to the site much more often. This means that we can resolve issues faster, add features quicker and easier, and continue to improve the Merchant and Neighbor experiences as fast as we can.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Over the next several months, you can expect to see more features and new capabilities for both Merchants and Neighbors. Here’s a short list of the stuff we’re focused on delivering in the next month or so.</span><ul style="font-weight: bold;"><li style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">More social media features and functionality</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A new mobile app - an extension to the 4.5-star rated Merchant app</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Prominent focus on Reviews & Compliments </span></li>
<li style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Optimized search functionality making it smarter and easier to use</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Better "request a quote" functionality to reduce the time from search to transaction </span></li>
</ul><div><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you have suggestions, questions or any other input - please join us on the <a href="http://getsatisfaction.com/merchantcircle" target="_blank">MerchantCircle Forums</a>. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sincerely, </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The MerchantCircle Team </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></span></div></span></div></div>Laura Lowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16276200248033106907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042000723614537261.post-51864852533216198272012-01-19T15:51:00.000-08:002012-01-19T20:28:49.232-08:00The New MerchantCircle: We've Remodeled!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd; text-autospace: none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie3n8mGR6VSaoiiDZwezZz_GeHhskIqmZ9wYgx9u8Z3Afs8VB7uvTO_JE6U1pIl7yTjvYuKvvNAh5I5gS0IX0yO-rq6xVdNyq1nHHsRpSVzR_jjlmNk4tuRursQDxO0KVju4SFUdCabSo/s1600/remodel_final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie3n8mGR6VSaoiiDZwezZz_GeHhskIqmZ9wYgx9u8Z3Afs8VB7uvTO_JE6U1pIl7yTjvYuKvvNAh5I5gS0IX0yO-rq6xVdNyq1nHHsRpSVzR_jjlmNk4tuRursQDxO0KVju4SFUdCabSo/s200/remodel_final.jpg" width="200" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">With the new year upon us, lots of folks start thinking about embarking on remodeling projects. Here at MerchantCircle, we spent much of last year remodeling the site, and you could say we learned a few things. We thought we’d share our experiences with all of you out there thinking of taking on a remodeling project, no matter how big or small. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Here’s what we learned...</span><span style="font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">It’s good to have a plan...but plans change. </span></b><span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Looking back, our original plan didn’t take into account the complexity of the task ahead. As we went along, we learned a ton about the site and each other. The biggest lesson: the only way to make real progress is to get out of the “planning” phase and into the “doing” phase. </span><span style="font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Everything takes longer than you think. </span></b><span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">That’s probably true with many things in life, but definitely true with remodel projects. You don’t know what you don’t know, at least until you start tearing things down. </span><span style="font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">You’re never really “done”.</span></b><span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';"> Just when you think you can’t go on a day longer...you will find yourself checking things off your “punch list”. The initial project will get done, but the tweaking, tuning and improving never ends. </span><span style="font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">If you’ve recently remodeled (your kitchen, a bathroom, or maybe even your business website) share your experience in the <a href="http://getsatisfaction.com/merchantcircle/topics/what_remodeling_projects_taught_us" target="_blank">new MerchantCircle forum</a>. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwhl73kxYIM0Tb7wQyJB8SisCa_JNqlWKEu87_nepnJT1js3A_oanz-gbnh3LnGPGhWgEokOR9IBENQegllCHjjq7XGMFl1JWrMp-0UWtlknpXpvW5K7CFJ9jaB0jOgI9XdrUT5radH2c/s1600/reply_image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwhl73kxYIM0Tb7wQyJB8SisCa_JNqlWKEu87_nepnJT1js3A_oanz-gbnh3LnGPGhWgEokOR9IBENQegllCHjjq7XGMFl1JWrMp-0UWtlknpXpvW5K7CFJ9jaB0jOgI9XdrUT5radH2c/s200/reply_image.jpg" width="200" /></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Now for the good stuff…</span></b><span style="font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">The launch of the new and improved MerchantCircle is a key milestone in the integration of MerchantCircle with <a href="http://www.reply.com/" target="_blank">Reply!</a>. As you can probably tell from <a href="http://www.merchantcircle.com/" target="_blank">our new homepage</a>, we’re refocusing MerchantCircle a bit to help busy people get things done – big and small – by connecting them with a network of local business owners who are eager to help. </span><span style="font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Here’s what’s new on the site…</span><span style="font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd; text-autospace: none;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">For consumers (we like to call them MerchantCircle <a href="http://www.merchantcircle.com/signup/neighbor" target="_blank">Neighbors</a>):</span></b><span style="font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Symbol;">·</span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Better search experience – three search bars focused on finding merchants, answers, or deals </span><span style="font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Symbol;">·</span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">New localized category pages that includes top merchants, deals, and advice (see examples <a href="http://www.merchantcircle.com/directory/CA-Mountain-View/category/Home.And.Garden" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://www.merchantcircle.com/directory/CA-Mountain-View/category/Real.Estate" target="_blank">here</a> </span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">for examples)</span><span style="font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Symbol;">·</span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">More prominent display of top-rated merchants </span><span style="font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Symbol;">·</span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Integrated “request a quote” functionality on listing pages, category pages, city pages </span><span style="font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Symbol;">·</span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Easier access to expert articles and advice</span><span style="font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd; text-autospace: none;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">For our fantastic merchant members:</span></b><span style="font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Symbol;">·</span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">A completely <a href="http://merchantcircle.assistly.com/" target="_blank">new support section</a> and <a href="http://getsatisfaction.com/merchantcircle" target="_blank">fresh user forums</a> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Symbol;">·</span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Reorganized layout for claimed listing pages to drive more user engagement</span><span style="font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Symbol;">·</span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">More prominence for photos and a new Photo Viewer </span><span style="font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Symbol;">·</span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">No more anonymous reviews </span><span style="font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Symbol;">·</span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Better promotion of content and better search through new categorizations for businesses</span><span style="font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">And we’re not even close to done…in the coming weeks, we’ll announce other exciting improvements!</span><span style="font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Stay tuned...<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Sincerely,<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">The MerchantCircle Team<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">P.S. To learn more about the new, improved MerchantCircle, we've created this <a href="http://merchantcircle.assistly.com/customer/portal/articles/322411" target="_blank">handy-dandy FAQ</a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">P.P.S. We’ve also create a whole host of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/MerchantCircle/videos" target="_blank">“how-to” videos</a> to keep you up to speed on the new features available to you<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;"><br />
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</div></div>MerchantCircle Staffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03512434120196682336noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042000723614537261.post-64814138189574900132012-01-17T10:07:00.000-08:002012-01-19T13:18:31.299-08:00Q4 2011 Merchant Confidence Survey -- Full Results<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Several folks have asked for the full analysis from the Q4 Merchant Confidence Index survey, so here ya go! This presentation is chock-full of stats pertaining to small business owners' thoughts about our economy, the future of small business hiring and trends in the adoption of new marketing channels like daily deals, pay-per-lead and mobile advertising.<br /><br /><br /><br />Enjoy!<br /><br /><br /><br />Sincerely,<br /><br />The MerchantCircle Team<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div id="__ss_11113892" style="width: 425px;"> <strong style="display: block; margin: 12px 0 4px;"><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/dswaddell/merchantcircle-q4-2011-merchant-confidence-index" target="_blank" title="MerchantCircle Q4 2011 Merchant Confidence Index">MerchantCircle Q4 2011 Merchant Confidence Index</a></strong> <iframe frameborder="0" height="355" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/11113892" width="425"></iframe> <div style="padding: 5px 0 12px;"> View more <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/" target="_blank">presentations</a> from <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/dswaddell" target="_blank">dswaddell</a> </div></div></div>MerchantCircle Staffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03512434120196682336noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042000723614537261.post-57583740659381388822011-12-16T15:22:00.000-08:002012-01-19T13:18:31.316-08:00Customer Acquisition is (Still) King for Local Merchants<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For many small businesses, the biggest challenge is acquiring new customers at an acceptable cost. And in 2011, we saw several new approaches to customer acquisition gain momentum: Facebook Ads and group deals.</span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br /></span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">According to our most recent </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://blog.merchantcircle.com/2011/12/new-data-on-small-business-adoption-of.html">Merchant Confidence Index</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> survey of 2,500 local business owners across the U.S., while newspaper ads and direct mail – tried-and-true offline customer acquisition techniques – are still popular, with 25% and 24% of merchants using them, some 12% of merchants have offered a daily deal – up 33% compared to three months ago – and 24% bought targeted Facebook Ads.</span><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEro35_xioXohZ4kKOc6dMxHQfp95SeD5YCQE98TEQKXCG3_74pKfO2RrsY4TQFOZTf8okhjfpsQVO18XShyphenhyphensDFvTd81d-6xja_6u_hq5s6W1IpAPPAWz1E2PzZ09qj9SLt8dQD9CZhjc/s1600/small-business-marketing-mix.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEro35_xioXohZ4kKOc6dMxHQfp95SeD5YCQE98TEQKXCG3_74pKfO2RrsY4TQFOZTf8okhjfpsQVO18XShyphenhyphensDFvTd81d-6xja_6u_hq5s6W1IpAPPAWz1E2PzZ09qj9SLt8dQD9CZhjc/s400/small-business-marketing-mix.png" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Daily deals appear to be effective in driving customer acquisition tool for some small businesses. According to the Merchant Confidence Index, 75% of merchants who have used daily deals in the past would do so again. Of those who would use daily deals again, 61% of said they’d use them again because daily deals are “effective for customer acquisition.” While only 37% of merchants said the deals were “profitable”, it seems getting a new customer through the door makes daily deals worth trying again.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlHmywITdWZf309glwn_XL_LoiaFNtQ3pKqElCjPDf9snE1u66OREcWByoykrnxfF15tSRBivr_k2AtcO_0nC8EiMy_FU4PRlCn7xDOsE0-IFjlZA0bxaLn-taoRYnnC0T91t6V7aqrUs/s1600/why-daily-deal.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlHmywITdWZf309glwn_XL_LoiaFNtQ3pKqElCjPDf9snE1u66OREcWByoykrnxfF15tSRBivr_k2AtcO_0nC8EiMy_FU4PRlCn7xDOsE0-IFjlZA0bxaLn-taoRYnnC0T91t6V7aqrUs/s400/why-daily-deal.png" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Local merchants are also acquiring new customers via Facebook Ads, the targeted paid ads offered by the world’s largest social network. Some 38% of merchants said they’d use Facebook Ads again due to their effectiveness as a customer acquisition tool. But for those who wouldn’t use Facebook Ads again, 66% said it’s because the ads did not work to acquire new customers – showing that customer acquisition is a top priority for small businesses. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Customer acquisition is so important to local merchants, the majority of respondents said they’d be willing to purchase qualified prospect information on a pay-per-lead basis. Over 60% of merchants in the financial services industry would pay for leads, while one-third of merchants in the automotive, construction, and home improvement industries would. Look for this strategy to gain steam in 2012.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=21715258&postID=401067668508675662" name="_GoBack"></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6cora2RWMwxbTwPTFUvIZPz6Kq5BfL2zc2dODlIlpG2QDJ1-u0OSfuzIp_uftJzA25Pze-_gov9GO5i27hmvPN2bcgubo_5DuYGQa8p6aXaBUnG3gsQCZ9uvCVUvCxl181UKkC08DLh4/s1600/local-pay-per-lead.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6cora2RWMwxbTwPTFUvIZPz6Kq5BfL2zc2dODlIlpG2QDJ1-u0OSfuzIp_uftJzA25Pze-_gov9GO5i27hmvPN2bcgubo_5DuYGQa8p6aXaBUnG3gsQCZ9uvCVUvCxl181UKkC08DLh4/s400/local-pay-per-lead.png" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Marketing strategies that aren’t proven to bring in new customers are, unsurprisingly, not very popular with local merchants looking to grow their businesses. Mobile marketing, for example, has been slow to catch on with local merchants. Only 22% of merchants have tried mobile marketing, with 72% saying they’ve hesitated because they don’t have a good understanding of how to use it to reach potential customers.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With nearly a third of local merchants concerned about the high cost of marketing in the next year, it’s no wonder they prefer to use channels that deliver what they most need: new customers.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sincerely,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The MerchantCircle Team</span></div>MerchantCircle Staffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03512434120196682336noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042000723614537261.post-15531890352269387852011-12-12T15:27:00.000-08:002012-01-19T13:18:31.335-08:00New Data on Small Business Adoption of Facebook Ads and Group Deals (Google Offers, Groupon and LivingSocial)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;">New marketing trends data from MerchantCircle's 7th <a href="http://www.merchantcircle.com/corporate/press/2011-12-08-small-business-ecomony-worsened.html">survey of small business owners</a> across the U.S. reveals that group deals are gaining popularity among small businesses and shows Google Offers and other niche deal providers are putting increased pressure on Groupon and LivingSocial. There’s also evidence of slowing adoption for Facebook Ads, although favorability for this new advertising medium remains strong among those who are using it.</span> </span><br /><br /><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.8pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Key insights from MerchantCircle's research include:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.8pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1. </b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Group deals are experiencing steady growth among local merchants</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"></div><ul style="line-height: 16.8pt;"><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nearly 12 percent of local merchants now report having offered a daily deal, up 33 percent since the last MerchantCircle survey in June 2011.</span></li><br /></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZZBC5ooUlyO8nEJQ09nekBJie1NazpUJmns5A6saBV8NWkjY0JMlGDyc-Z-Ruh-HjSMKi4F9AkbdaAm3_O4O9DorQVdCesaL4Z8tLanLD9dVvbseMFCcciFhbt_1YU91jpgJ_bjJ2UjA/s1600/Group-buying-small-business.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZZBC5ooUlyO8nEJQ09nekBJie1NazpUJmns5A6saBV8NWkjY0JMlGDyc-Z-Ruh-HjSMKi4F9AkbdaAm3_O4O9DorQVdCesaL4Z8tLanLD9dVvbseMFCcciFhbt_1YU91jpgJ_bjJ2UjA/s400/Group-buying-small-business.png" width="400" /></span></a></div><ul style="line-height: 16.8pt;"><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">About 75 percent of respondents say they would offer another deal in the future, citing its effectiveness for customer acquisition as their top reason (61 percent). Deal profitability also appears to be on the rise: 37 percent now say solid profitability will lead them to offer another deal, up from just 24 percent in June.</span></li><br /></ul><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhejw0Y-tm47RnjknN82NgpZBXeHrcbISmuiHU39WRCJ09y5jBl55ECEJIj8T-JLbL0eXzQNNTuWYPh7t2cutsljaXmTJ_f6-QLW62jYi_jSTbsnWnoexHTCUCeVPiBcsH2WQjWstCtVyk/s1600/Group-buying-small-business-repeat-usage.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhejw0Y-tm47RnjknN82NgpZBXeHrcbISmuiHU39WRCJ09y5jBl55ECEJIj8T-JLbL0eXzQNNTuWYPh7t2cutsljaXmTJ_f6-QLW62jYi_jSTbsnWnoexHTCUCeVPiBcsH2WQjWstCtVyk/s400/Group-buying-small-business-repeat-usage.png" width="400" /></span></a></div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;">Among the 25 percent who said they wouldn’t offer another daily deal, 42 percent said it was not effective for customer acquisition, 36 percent said it was too costly and 34 percent said they lost money on the deal.</span></li><br /></ul></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. Cost is the most important criteria for selecting a deals provider.</span></b></span><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"></div><ul style="line-height: 16.8pt;"><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">64 percent citing cost as their top consideration when selecting a deals provider. Local targeting (57 percent) and the ability to reach a large audience (52 percent) were the second and third-most important selection criteria.</span></li><br /></ul><ul style="line-height: 16.8pt;"><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Businesses that plan to use Groupon in the future report that the ability to reach a large audience is equally as important to them as cost, with 62 percent citing reach and cost as key selection criteria.</span></li><br /></ul><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. Groupon and LivingSocial may face increased pressure from Google Offers in 2012.</span></b></span><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"></div><ul style="line-height: 16.8pt;"><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">About 19 percent of local merchants who have offered a group deal have tried using Google Offers since its launch this summer, as compared to Groupon (26 percent) and LivingSocial (21 percent). A large number of specialized deals providers have also entered the market; these services have been used by about 43 percent of local merchants who have offered a group deal.</span></li><br /></ul><ul style="line-height: 16.8pt;"><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">About 32 percent of merchants planning to use Google Offers for their next deals, as opposed to 26 percent who plan to use Groupon and 16 percent who plan to use LivingSocial.</span></li><br /></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpU3ITb7X0ol_euG6ZLGxb0pdg9V3P4GXuNKC3rzKMK_usPkindiPq9vb2Sr5NAklJyMIxBMmrgDZ7YbI8WU-3l31w_y88NGz7ObkDs0eirZC0EuAXCvMTHCGywJugNkPTvDmDsbaNpno/s1600/Daily-deals-small-business-future.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpU3ITb7X0ol_euG6ZLGxb0pdg9V3P4GXuNKC3rzKMK_usPkindiPq9vb2Sr5NAklJyMIxBMmrgDZ7YbI8WU-3l31w_y88NGz7ObkDs0eirZC0EuAXCvMTHCGywJugNkPTvDmDsbaNpno/s400/Daily-deals-small-business-future.png" width="400" /></span></a></div><ul style="line-height: 16.8pt;"><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Google Offers enjoys the highest retention rate of all the large deals providers: 66 percent of its customers plan to use Google Offers again. Just 41 percent of Groupon and LivingSocial customers report that they plan to use these services again.</span></li><br /></ul><ul style="line-height: 16.8pt;"><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before ceasing operations, Facebook Deals had been used by 22 percent of the respondents who’d offered a daily deal in the past. More than half of these customers say they plan to use Google Offers for their next deal (53 percent).</span></li><br /></ul><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. Facebook Ads growth slows among local merchants.</span></b></span><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"></div><ul style="line-height: 16.8pt;"><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">About 23 percent of local merchants report having tried Facebook Ads to date, which is only five percent more than six months ago.</span></li><br /></ul><ul style="line-height: 16.8pt;"><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That being said, favorability for Facebook Ads remains strong among those who have tried them, with 62 percent saying they would use Facebook Ads again, citing ease of use (62 percent) and the ability to start and stop campaigns (55 percent) as the top reasons for continuing.</span></li><br /></ul><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;"><br /><br /></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFfBJdGRRSo8JcS1ypBVrahY9fRPKpvx_J9wjyUxM2I2R5iGXSqyGQorVQyf2lfyIplaXihaPGYruZY39x3Qsebqc0qnTRGWH9vdMdZuhXSsF2LM1UjchpgiPjXHlUxhms36USXxDojD0/s1600/Facebook-ads-small-business-future.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFfBJdGRRSo8JcS1ypBVrahY9fRPKpvx_J9wjyUxM2I2R5iGXSqyGQorVQyf2lfyIplaXihaPGYruZY39x3Qsebqc0qnTRGWH9vdMdZuhXSsF2LM1UjchpgiPjXHlUxhms36USXxDojD0/s320/Facebook-ads-small-business-future.png" width="320" /></span></a></div><ul style="line-height: 16.8pt;"><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of the 28 percent who say they wouldn’t use Facebook Ads again, nearly two-thirds report that they didn’t acquire new customers (66 percent). But more merchants now also cite high costs and low click-through rates as reasons not to advertise with Facebook again: 41 percent of merchants <a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=21715258&postID=561949187716759736" name="_GoBack"></a>said the ads were too expensive (up from 35 percent in June) and 37 percent reported low click-through rates (up from 29 percent in June).</span></li><br /></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio8cKDafzSVK0sMZap5YIRGuyU2vulPFqeAFHiVQstLgAnD7lVurm_BbJwd6leTIWuRremIVTzK23YxuSpPwaq0ig3fC7EgwKFyz2jTZ8e4SLehh65Yf7QeG4lvZXMloNvo0zX1EG1xa4/s1600/Facebook-ads-small-business-repeat-usage.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio8cKDafzSVK0sMZap5YIRGuyU2vulPFqeAFHiVQstLgAnD7lVurm_BbJwd6leTIWuRremIVTzK23YxuSpPwaq0ig3fC7EgwKFyz2jTZ8e4SLehh65Yf7QeG4lvZXMloNvo0zX1EG1xa4/s400/Facebook-ads-small-business-repeat-usage.png" width="400" /></span></a></div><ul style="line-height: 16.8pt;"><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">While Facebook Ads growth may have slowed, general Facebook marketing continues to be extremely popular among local merchants, with 70 percent of people using the social network for marketing, up from 66 percent in June. </span></li><br /></ul><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">A big THANK YOU to all our merchant members who participated in the survey. Stay tuned for more insights into small business marketing in the coming days!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><br /><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Sincerely,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">The MerchantCircle Team</span></div>MerchantCircle Staffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03512434120196682336noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042000723614537261.post-15079630676786149872011-12-08T06:12:00.000-08:002012-01-19T13:18:31.355-08:00Small Business Survey: Group deals and "Pay-per-lead" poised for growthThe results from our latest installment of the Merchant Confidence Index survey are just in. We received over 2,500 responses from our small business members and we'll be "crunching the numbers" over the next few days to share insights into: 1) small business owners' opinions of the current economy, and 2) the adoption of new marketing channels by these business owners.<br /><br /><br /><br />As illustrated by the super-cool infographic below, newer paid marketing channels like Facebook Ads and group deals are now part of the small business marketing mix, with local pay-per-lead poised for some serious growth in the near future.<br /><br /><br /><br />Also surprising is the quick adoption of Google Offers relative to the "big boys" in the group deal space like Groupon, Facebook Deals (no longer around) and Living Social. Local business owners tell us that they plan to try Google Offers more than any other group buying service in the future.<br /><br /><br /><br />Enjoy the infographic!<br /><br /><br /><br />Sincerely,<br /><br />The MerchantCircle Team <br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPiSuXroReAZ0xDFhbst4PK3hTmlkFhTECfMlRI7Q_-Ombkp4PYn76xbvwHlvP3uFJDeOOFg5X6Al9DadHcYstT_Evo_CljWw8nEgAuflwtLmEROWQekj7GBBUfmqaPdd-9rRXztGlwIo/s1600/Local_Business_Marketing_Trends.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPiSuXroReAZ0xDFhbst4PK3hTmlkFhTECfMlRI7Q_-Ombkp4PYn76xbvwHlvP3uFJDeOOFg5X6Al9DadHcYstT_Evo_CljWw8nEgAuflwtLmEROWQekj7GBBUfmqaPdd-9rRXztGlwIo/s1600/Local_Business_Marketing_Trends.jpg" /></a></div>MerchantCircle Staffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03512434120196682336noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042000723614537261.post-69922693463665991122011-12-05T18:46:00.000-08:002012-01-19T13:18:31.373-08:00Big changes are coming (and we think you're going to like them)!Our goal has always been to help busy people solve everyday problems. Whether it’s helping local merchants promote their business online, or helping busy consumers get things done – we focus on connecting people with a vibrant network of local business owners who are eager to help. Our goal hasn’t changed, but the way we approach it certainly will. In the coming weeks, we will be introducing a "beta" version of the new and improved MerchantCircle.<br /><br /><br /><br />Most of the time, people need more than just online reviews to solve a problem. Our network of 1.6 million local merchants makes MerchantCircle the one place to go to find trusted merchants, get great deals, find expert advice and get competitive quotes for real-life projects. No more surfing the web for hours trying to find what you need – we have it all right here.<br /><br /><br /><br />Here are some exciting new features being added to help both MerchantCircle Neighbors and our member merchants:<br /><br /><br /><br />For MerchantCircle Neighbors:<br /><br /><ul><li>Deals - with enhanced search capabilities, promotions, coupons and offers will be easier to find</li><br /><li>Reviews - we're making changes to ensure that you get real reviews from people in your community</li><br /><li>Better search – find more relevant businesses and local advice</li><br /></ul><div class="MsoNormal">For our merchant members:<br /><br /><ul><li>Free member support - just call our US-based call center (more to come soon!) </li><br /><li>New forums - same great discussions, but way faster and easier to use </li><br /><li>Updated listing templates - we’ve freshened up and reorganized the look and feel of listing pages so people learn more about your business</li><br /></ul></div><ul type="disc"></ul>So stay tuned – we’re excited about the new direction and we hope you like what you see.<br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><br /><br />Sincerely,<br /><br />The MerchantCircle Team</div>MerchantCircle Staffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03512434120196682336noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042000723614537261.post-64986615357235982152011-08-07T09:45:00.000-07:002012-01-19T13:18:31.389-08:00AdWords Express- Did Google Get it Right?Google is continually launching changes to its AdWords online advertising service, and it recently rolled out AdWords Express in an aim to help smaller businesses more easily create and run keyword-targeted ads on Google and Google Maps.<br /><br /><br /><br />Many small business owners have dabbled in AdWords, only to find it costly and complex. So any move by Google to make it easier for merchants to master the complex art and science of keyword advertising is a step in the right direction. But the new AdWords Express service does not solve all of the challenges that small businesses have experienced with AdWords, including a financially-impactful lack of control and the ability to reach intentional, targeted customers.<br /><br /><br /><br />AdWords Express does include a number of helpful features for small business users, such as a simple campaign setup and no ongoing campaign management. The promise is that business owners will not have to bid on keywords, but will instead simply provide a bit of information about their business, set a monthly budget, and let Google do the rest– setting up, running, and managing ads for the user.<br /><br /><br /><br />The result, according to the Google AdWords Express site is the following: “When people search your area for the products or services you provide (”flowers in Dallas”, or if they’re already in Dallas, just “flowers”) an ad for your business will appear above or beside their search results. Your business will also be marked with a distinctive blue pin on Google Maps, helping it stand out to potential customers.”<br /><br /><br /><br />But while the nuts-and-bolts of Google AdWords Express may be simple, even for non-savvy advertisers, there are disadvantages to the program. For one, targeting is based on a searcher’s IP address – which is, at best, 20 miles around a zip code and in the worst case, hundreds of miles away. Someone searching for flowers 100 miles from Dallas may get ads for florists in Dallas – not very helpful to that searcher and not very useful to the florist in Dallas, either. IP-based geo targeting is often wrong or inaccurate, and even when it is accurate, it may only reflect the location of the consumer and not where she would like to have the service rendered.<br /><br /><br /><br />Additionally there are issues with intent and return on investment. Without a method for vetting who will see a given add, business owners could lose hundreds of marketing dollars in wasted paid traffic at the hands of casual, click-happy Internet surfers who may not represent the intended target audience or aren’t interested in the offerings presented. If Express isn’t producing the right return on investment, what does an advertiser do? They don’t know their bid and can’t optimize geography, making cancellation the only option left.<br /><br /><br /><br />Advertisers still need to develop and optimize ad copy to maximize click rates. Remember, just because Google makes this process simple, doesn’t mean they are giving up on maximizing yield (revenue) per search.<br /><br /><br /><br />The bottom line is that Google AdWords Express is a step in the right direction to serve the needs of the small business community, but it doesn’t go far enough to meet the needs of local merchants. The service is almost too simplistic; local businesses need robust, targeted location-based marketing, not just a one-size-fits-all approach. What Google has launched will make it easier to advertise on the site. But they’ve also just made it easier for local business owners to spend a significant amount of hard-earned money resulting in discouragement coupled with little to no ROI .MerchantCircle Staffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03512434120196682336noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042000723614537261.post-73760143021691132132011-07-25T13:52:00.000-07:002012-01-19T13:18:31.403-08:00We're really proud of our CEO!In Silicon Valley, meeting brilliant, innovative, business-minded people is as common as traffic on 101 or overhearing happy hour hot-dogging about upcoming IPO's... <br /><br /><br /><br />But. Meeting brilliant, innovative, business-minded people who are as focused on the world around them, as they are on their portfolios is, well, not so common. <br /><br /><br /><br />The MerchantCircle team is honored to have one of these unique individuals at our helm. <a href="http://reply.com/About/corporate_management.aspx#payam">Payam Zamani</a>, CEO of <a href="http://blog.merchantcircle.com/2011/05/merchantcircle-acquired-by-reply-inc.html">Reply! Inc</a>, is one of those charismatic Valley personalities with an incredible story of perseverance and a contagious passion for <a href="http://www.monafoundation.org/who_is_mona.php">helping others</a>. And because we know that Payam himself wouldn't self-promote, we're proud to share the news that he's a GQ Gentleman's Fund nomine for the <a href="http://www.thegentlemensfund.com/nominees/view/415">Better Man Better World Search</a>. <br /><br /><br /><br />We'd love to see Payam as one of the finalists and welcome your support! Head on over to the nomination page and <a href="http://www.thegentlemensfund.com/nominees/view/415">cast your vote</a>. Then check out the great company he's keeping in this group of world-changers and get inspired. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Cheers!MerchantCircle Staffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03512434120196682336noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042000723614537261.post-56518611071155800832011-07-20T11:05:00.000-07:002012-01-19T13:18:31.423-08:00Can Group Deals Work for Sole Proprietor Businesses?Small businesses such as restaurants, salons, auto repair shops, and fitness centers are becoming adept at using daily deals from services such as Groupon, LivingSocial, and Facebook Deals to attract new customers, but what about sole proprietors?<br /><br /><br /><br />According to our most recent quarterly <a href="http://blog.merchantcircle.com/2011/06/new-data-on-small-business-adoption-of.html">Merchant Confidence Index survey</a> of nearly 5,000 local business owners across the U.S., only 8% of companies with less than five employees had tried offering a daily deal.<br /><br /><br /><br />While group deals can work for sole proprietors, it just takes a bit of legwork and a clear understanding of the risks involved. Though the costs of doing a daily can be high – with small business owners turning over up to half of all revenues on already steeply-discounted deals to Groupon or another provider – the results can be worth it, if you manage the deal correctly. Some 77% of small business owners who’ve done daily deals said they’d be <a href="http://blog.merchantcircle.com/2011/06/new-data-on-small-business-adoption-of.html">likely to do another </a>– citing things like effective customer acquisition and profitability as benefits.<br /><br /><br /><br />One MerchantCircle sole proprietor who successfully used Groupon to build his business is SchaOn Blodgett of Psinergy, a self-proclaimed “Tech Warrior” who offers computer diagnostics, repair, and upkeep in the St. Paul, Minnesota area. He offered a $99 system optimization and cleaning for $49 on Groupon and sold 50 of them in one day. But the best news was, of those 50 buyers, 37 redeemed the coupon and 12 became repeat customers. So many of the customers were happy with the service that Psingergy believes 95% of the Groupon buyers will eventually return for more services.<br /><br /><br /><br />Why did <a href="http://www.psinergy.info/">Psingergy’s</a> offer work so well? The bottom line is that he used <a href="http://www.groupon.com/users/andrew-psinergy-tech-warrior/deals/psinergy-tech-warrior">Groupon</a> to get them in the door, but then wowed them with customer service once they redeemed. <br /><br /><br /><br />“I wasn’t that surprised that the Groupon customers came back, because I pride myself on fantastic customer service, guaranteed work, and reasonable pricing,” said Blodgett. “I treat all of my customers like human beings and answer any questions - even ones like ‘how do I turn on my computer’ – without making the person feel stupid or that it is beneath me.”<br /><br /><br /><br />Sole proprietors that want to offer a group deal should think before they leap – because a deal done badly can cost owners a fortune without bringing in high-quality customers. Here are some tips from <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/07/17/group-deal-tips/">Mashable</a> to get sole proprietors started with daily deals.<br /><br /><br /><br />1. Shop around.<br /><br /><br /><br />Groupon and LivingSocial may be the most well-known daily deal sites, but there are now a wide range to choose from. Yelp, Facebook, and Google have all tossed their hat in the ring, as most daily newspapers. Now there are also many vertical and niche deals sites focused on certain sectors, such as Daily Gourmet for foodies, Yuupon and TripAlertz for travel, and even a deal site for dog owners: Doggyloot. There are also business-to-business deal sites like RapidBuyr. These niche daily deal sites are often the right choice for sole proprietors because they reach a targeted audience interested in particular products or services instead of just “everyone in the local area.”<br /><br /><br /><br />2. Set time parameters.<br /><br /><br /><br />With most group deal services, you won't have much control over when your deal hits, and this can make it tough for sole proprietors to manage a sudden surge in demand. This is a big problem for “one-person shops” as your time is your most precious resource. Taking on too many new customers or clients all at once could leave you overwhelmed and lead to unhappy customers and bad reviews. The way to solve this problem is to put time constraints on your deal when possible – spelling out a fairly short time period during which the deal can be redeemed. You can also set up your deal so the value of the discount is greater on your slowest days or during off-peak times. If your business has significant seasonality, try running deals during your slowest months.<br /><br /><br /><br />3. Understand the costs.<br /><br /><br /><br />Group deals don't always result in an immediate profit – and may even result in a net loss to the business.<br /><br /><br /><br />To do the math on what a Group deal will cost you, here’s the basic formula. People only buy group deals offered at a steep discount to the regular price – let's say somewhere around 50 percent off. You then need to share revenue from the deal with your service provider, at rates as high as 50 percent or more. So if you’re offering a $200 interior design consultation for $100, and you have to pay $50 of that to your service provider, you'll end up with $50 for your $200 service. If it costs you more than $50 to provide the service, you'll lose money on the deal. In fact, the better the deal does, the more it will cost you.<br /><br /><br /><br />Still, since your company's name gets in front of thousands of local consumers and you hopefully acquire many new repeat customers, a daily deal can be well worth the immediate “loss”.<br /><br /><br /><br />4. Make the most of each customer visit.<br /><br /><br /><br />According to recent <a href="http://www.clickz.com/clickz/stats/2079954/-daily-deals-users-purchases">Rice University study</a>, less than 20 percent of group buyers return again to make a full-price purchase. To improve these odds, most of each new customer visit by turning on the customer service charm, offering add-ons, and giving them a reason to come back. Think about potential up-sells for people who redeem your coupon. A party planner could offer customers a $10 giftcard to an online party supply store, or a personal fitness coach could offer a discount for new patrons who book a series of sessions. <br /><br /><br /><br />And don’t forget to stay in touch with your new customers. Ask for their email address and/or encourage people to leave reviews of your service on Yelp, MerchantCircle, and other local sites. You could also remind people to follow you on Facebook or Twitter.<br /><br /><br /><br />As a sole proprietor, you are a one-person band. But that doesn’t mean you can’t benefit from the same group deal services that larger businesses – and even national brands – use regularly to acquire new customers. Just play it safe and set up guidelines ahead of your offer, and this could be your chance to build your customer base.MerchantCircle Staffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03512434120196682336noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042000723614537261.post-87808182288733727472011-07-08T15:34:00.000-07:002012-01-19T13:18:31.440-08:00Facebook Ads: Small Businesses are FansLocal businesses early on recognized the potential to market their products and services on Facebook. With a free Facebook page, businesses could offer special deals to customers, build an online fan base, and publish information and promotions – all for free. But local merchants are increasingly also early adopters of paid Facebook Ads. <br /><br /><br /><br />According to our newest <a href="http://blog.merchantcircle.com/2011/06/new-data-on-small-business-adoption-of.html">MerchantCircle survey</a> of nearly 5,000 small businesses, some 94% of small business owners are aware of Facebooks Ads. Some 22% of small businesses are already using Facebook Ads, and nearly two-thirds of those who have used them would do so again. And while Facebook Ads have been lambasted for <a href="http://blogs.webtrends.com/wp-includes/ms-files.php?file=2011/01/webtrends_facebook_advertising_performance.pdf">“abysmal” clickthrough rates</a>, small businesses are finding value in the paid placements.<br /><br /><b><br /><br />Why are small businesses satisfied adopters of Facebook Ads? </b><br /><br /><br /><br />First, Facebook Ads are affordable – something very important to small business owners. While brands can afford to spend millions buying keywords on Google, cash-strapped small businesses must make every marketing dollar count. In a recent <a href="http://www.inc.com/magazine/20100201/how-to-advertise-on-facebook.html">Inc. Magazine article</a>, a New York-based small business owner said she gets great results buying Facebook Ads – at a cost a fraction of what it would cost to buy the same keywords on Google.<br /><br /><br /><br />The below chart illustrates that cost-per-click of $0.67 for Facebook Ads in the “local services” category, and $0.53 in “restaurants” category. While that’s not cheap, it’s better than the $1-$2 per click small businesses can pay for competitive keywords on Google. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHtAOYdCaFQmmn_gT6sndqMZkbUJ5xYguwCgNbo1NVcdPicKDaVlJR9-qs9I8H8PGrsqMZfujCOSXof4IgyoDozP_Ysas1E0lzoD-TCvunl6ke_FC9rzqWSDi7haC31xY_BL1kVyLr9Do/s1600/siliconalley.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHtAOYdCaFQmmn_gT6sndqMZkbUJ5xYguwCgNbo1NVcdPicKDaVlJR9-qs9I8H8PGrsqMZfujCOSXof4IgyoDozP_Ysas1E0lzoD-TCvunl6ke_FC9rzqWSDi7haC31xY_BL1kVyLr9Do/s320/siliconalley.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br />Secondly, small businesses are highly adept users of Facebook. They were avid early adopters of Facebook, with about 70% of local merchants using the platform to market their businesses, and may feel more comfortable taking the plunge to buy “experimental" ads than their larger business counterparts, whose marketing departments must justify every ad buy as part of a larger pre-defined budget.<br /><br /><br /><br />Lastly, Facebook Ad are easy to use. Small business owners don’t have VPs to run their marketing programs for them. Most merchants run marketing as just one of the many hats they wear every day, and they don’t have weeks or months to master complicated advertising platforms. In the MerchantCircle survey, 67% of small business owners said that “ease of use” was the number one reason they’d use Facebook Ads again, with 65% saying they appreciated the ability to easily start and stop campaigns.<br /><br /><br /><br />Of course, not every small business has seen successful with Facebook Ads. Of the 35% of merchants who said they would not advertise with Facebook again, nearly 70% said that the ads did not help them acquire new customers. While Facebook Ads may be easy to use and fairly affordable, if Facebook doesn’t introduce improved local targeting and other value-ads for small business advertisers that result in higher customer acquisition over the longer term, they will undoubtedly lose their luster with local merchants. After all, local business owners may be willing to experiment with different types of advertising, but, at the end of the day, they’ll only reinvest in methods that bring customers through the door.MerchantCircle Staffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03512434120196682336noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042000723614537261.post-32953314382553582792011-06-24T15:05:00.000-07:002012-01-19T13:18:31.457-08:00Shotguns and Chardonnay... (In that order)Brilliant sunshine and blazing temps provided the perfect backdrop for MerchantCircle's 3rd Annual <a href="http://thirdtrapshoot.eventbrite.com/">Shotguns and Chardonnay</a> Event, taking place yesterday afternoon at the Los Altos Rod and Gun Range.<br /><br /><br /><br />Over 150 of the Vally's best and brightest turned out to fire off some rounds in between networking and noshing on sweet BBQ bites provided by former Google chef turned local business owner, <span class="vevent"><span class="description"><a href="http://www.goodfoodsonthego.blogspot.com/">Dontaye Ball.</a></span></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><span class="vevent"><span class="description">Silicon Valley investors and entrepreneurs are known for being straight shooters- we had no idea how true this was! At any given moment one could turn his/her head and see exploding clays in every direction. From tech to targets, we're a well-aimed group.</span></span> <br /><br /><br /><br /><span class="vevent"><span class="description">As the afternoon moved from firearms to Fruit-forward, the staff at Savannah Channelle Vinyards graciously welcomed us into phase 2 of this day-long event. With sweeping views of the Valley and chilled Chardonnay in hand, we compared sunburns and start up stories.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><span class="vevent"><span class="description">The day wrapped with a visit from the famous Mis Anajitos taco truck and our satiated guests left with full bellies and great business ideas.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><span class="vevent"><span class="description">Thank you to everyone who attended for making this event such a successes! </span></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg0801n3S3hKtjUgOA38GcQwwyBYcJaFuEoDOyD9b_PJxR1VUXlXwKXVC3EZCmTN9JFasunideeWRSFzlGB58-HLuU6W3nmzr4FmCzB0RrzeBE0CP3Z51pwJmOlts1brU_iyyGxvEpIwo/s1600/MErchantCircle+trap1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg0801n3S3hKtjUgOA38GcQwwyBYcJaFuEoDOyD9b_PJxR1VUXlXwKXVC3EZCmTN9JFasunideeWRSFzlGB58-HLuU6W3nmzr4FmCzB0RrzeBE0CP3Z51pwJmOlts1brU_iyyGxvEpIwo/s400/MErchantCircle+trap1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAbq-rAOewa_rolKVncjWW8YLyHrpk-vYBMvWa4ideKVqfBG210T0DJyvQz1Qpq6WMOOmFSPkwR_6AyT5FHLFjPUC22E2asFKuu7DpKaY4Ce_ss-Y9k9ESOY_4FXiSz8J8yrnWQTkyZfE/s1600/Payam+shooting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAbq-rAOewa_rolKVncjWW8YLyHrpk-vYBMvWa4ideKVqfBG210T0DJyvQz1Qpq6WMOOmFSPkwR_6AyT5FHLFjPUC22E2asFKuu7DpKaY4Ce_ss-Y9k9ESOY_4FXiSz8J8yrnWQTkyZfE/s320/Payam+shooting.jpg" width="191" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7gsVIgGM4d6KM94SXa-KeRRbn5fa3g7rb5zbtIw1aq7CpQA2pBKWdoemX_-KaQQDSZ2IW-ZkOWsdx6GkTBx_OhwrQMMsBYhaG-lV6WySGg5TfdGoskAM_2cJqyQMkkbkbQVW5tO9RhyphenhyphenY/s1600/how+to.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7gsVIgGM4d6KM94SXa-KeRRbn5fa3g7rb5zbtIw1aq7CpQA2pBKWdoemX_-KaQQDSZ2IW-ZkOWsdx6GkTBx_OhwrQMMsBYhaG-lV6WySGg5TfdGoskAM_2cJqyQMkkbkbQVW5tO9RhyphenhyphenY/s320/how+to.jpg" width="191" /></a></div>MerchantCircle Staffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03512434120196682336noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042000723614537261.post-88244143530063143362011-06-23T08:19:00.000-07:002012-01-19T13:18:31.475-08:00New Data on Small Business Adoption of Facebook Ads and Group Deals (Facebook Deals, Google Offers, Groupon and LivingSocial)New marketing trends data from MerchantCircle's 6th quarterly survey of small business owners across the U.S. reveals that Facebook Ads are gaining popularity among small businesses and provides new insights into the group deals market, including increased pressure on Groupon and LivingSocial from Facebook Deals and Google Offers.<br /><br /><br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.merchantcircle.com/corporate/press/docs/MCI_2011_Results.pdf">Click here to download the full report</a>.</b><br /><br /><br /><br />Key insights from MerchantCircle's research include:<br /><br /><br /><br /><b>1. Facebook Ads are gaining popularity among local businesses.</b><br /><br /><br /><br />• 66% of local merchants are using Facebook for marketing.<br /><br /><br /><br />• 22% of local merchants have used Facebook Ads, and 65% would use Facebook Ads again.<br /><br /><br /><br />• Top reasons to use again include ease of use (67%) and the ability to start and stop campaigns (65%).<br /><br /><br /><br /><b>2. Merchants are warming to group buying, but adoption is still slow.</b><br /><br /><br /><br />• Just 9% of local merchants having offered a daily deal using a service like Groupon or LivingSocial.<br /><br /><br /><br />• While three months ago, only 50% of merchants who had tried offering a group deal said they would do so again, 77% now say they would be willing to offer another daily deal.<br /><br /><br /><br />• Top reasons for offering another deal include effectiveness in customer acquisition (58%), favorable deal structure (30%) and profitability of the deal (24%).<br /><br /><br /><br />• Among those who wouldn't offer another daily deal, 42% said that it was not effective in customer acquisition, 25% said it was too costly and 24% said they lost money. <br /><br /><br /><br /><b>3. Small business familiarity with Facebook and Google may help them win market share from Groupon in daily deals market.</b><br /><br /><br /><br />• 52% cited familiarity with Facebook and Google as a reason they might choose Facebook Deals or Google Offers over competitive daily deal offerings.<br /><br /><br /><br />• Other reasons for choosing Facebook Deals include bigger audience size (26%) and better local targeting (21%).<br /><br /><br /><br />• Those more likely to use Google Offers cited Google's bigger audience size (42%) and Google's brand reputation (34%) as top reasons for preferring Google.<br /><br /><br /><br /><b>4. Relevant Charts:</b><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Adoption and repeat usage of Facebook Ads</b></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitQMfmb3a22RcX9JnixdEtPClIt3rHcXHZwD1cQB8no1why_vQ1eEhT0akAXGKFRlb8zgHRvqWunf64MTH46LAtYxE_uNMxBat3CqfZpC6bz6skQ4Cg_FtU8eiOa3ZTfTM11jxRNWiMkI/s1600/MerchantCircle_report_facebook_ads.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitQMfmb3a22RcX9JnixdEtPClIt3rHcXHZwD1cQB8no1why_vQ1eEhT0akAXGKFRlb8zgHRvqWunf64MTH46LAtYxE_uNMxBat3CqfZpC6bz6skQ4Cg_FtU8eiOa3ZTfTM11jxRNWiMkI/s320/MerchantCircle_report_facebook_ads.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Perception of Facebook Ads amongst users</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgwxbVkdSSIh5oONvUeZS9OPGx3u6wX4XGo2XtgiBZuZtnN0WfuNoJ9yGohHn7McvyrfnxRBIJHjZdR5iJBdwTYdVN3C9hn6YyVI_mAwh_AnopsOL26PHe9toAOk2TpFx5sTB5xmM0_08/s1600/MerchantCircle_report_facebook_ads_perceptions.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgwxbVkdSSIh5oONvUeZS9OPGx3u6wX4XGo2XtgiBZuZtnN0WfuNoJ9yGohHn7McvyrfnxRBIJHjZdR5iJBdwTYdVN3C9hn6YyVI_mAwh_AnopsOL26PHe9toAOk2TpFx5sTB5xmM0_08/s320/MerchantCircle_report_facebook_ads_perceptions.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Adoption and repeat usage of daily deals sites</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDQRnNCw6pmhXTiIXDTBDq0OoXBHq1eTCZypAV2gNpDhOMX4j7mfKbC7Cab9LRFawSjNjh7C-AIBlffOqIIb_lNYLZEjhwZ5me3066Ip8YHXbdeqQgO-hXxZyZYSSNV_-do2t7CMx4kro/s1600/MerchantCircle_report_facebook_google_groupon_livingsocial_smallbusiness_daily_deals.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDQRnNCw6pmhXTiIXDTBDq0OoXBHq1eTCZypAV2gNpDhOMX4j7mfKbC7Cab9LRFawSjNjh7C-AIBlffOqIIb_lNYLZEjhwZ5me3066Ip8YHXbdeqQgO-hXxZyZYSSNV_-do2t7CMx4kro/s320/MerchantCircle_report_facebook_google_groupon_livingsocial_smallbusiness_daily_deals.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Perception of Daily Deals sites amongst users</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs8xss-aSWtkW9CZS24P31gm-Lu6SkApU-7FoyUWHSMJZQTP8BCIaPyybZQE9G2hnQcK5wfof268qZ4qwIic8pVH0Z3u2H6N39ur7wOQ6h5dtpBZZbugCOoqT6ULdG7ji7CcthIHxGDoM/s1600/MerchantCircle_report_facebook_google_groupon_livingsocial_smallbusiness_daily_deals_preferences.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="128" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs8xss-aSWtkW9CZS24P31gm-Lu6SkApU-7FoyUWHSMJZQTP8BCIaPyybZQE9G2hnQcK5wfof268qZ4qwIic8pVH0Z3u2H6N39ur7wOQ6h5dtpBZZbugCOoqT6ULdG7ji7CcthIHxGDoM/s320/MerchantCircle_report_facebook_google_groupon_livingsocial_smallbusiness_daily_deals_preferences.png" width="320" /></a></div>MerchantCircle Staffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03512434120196682336noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042000723614537261.post-37763809831597204752011-06-22T08:12:00.000-07:002012-01-19T13:18:31.494-08:00Reply.com Announces Completion of MerchantCircle AcquisitionThe deal is done!<br /><br /><br /><br />The last several weeks have been as exciting as they have busy, but today we're happy to <a href="http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Replycom-Announces-Completion-of-MerchantCircle-Acquisition-1530007.htm">announce</a> that Reply! Inc has officially completed the acquisition of MerchantCircle. <br /><br /><br /><br />Our MerchantCircle <a href="http://www.merchantcircle.com/blogs/BTSIV.LLC.831-438-2897">Founder and CEO Ben T Smith IV</a> is now President of Reply! Media, comprised of MerchantCircle.com, Contractors.com, Bloglines.com, iMotors.com, and other consumer-facing destinations and mobile products. <br /><br /><br /><br />Our teams have worked quickly to close this deal and we're looking forward to a bright future as one powerful family, focused on delivering the very best marketing and business-building solutions available on the web.MerchantCircle Staffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03512434120196682336noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042000723614537261.post-43569538033700688832011-06-17T16:51:00.000-07:002012-01-19T13:18:31.511-08:00Local Business Merchants Warming up to Daily DealsDaily deals on the rise?<br /><br /><br /><br />Small business owners are definitely interested in trying “daily deals”, but few have actually taken the plunge. Despite a plethora of daily deals services, from the big pure-play companies Groupon and LivingSocial, to Facebook Deals, Google Offers, and dozens of other local alternatives, only 9% of small business owners have offered a daily deal via one of these services. This finding is part of the most recent quarterly<a href="http://blog.merchantcircle.com/2011/06/q2-2011-merchantcircle-merchant.html"> Merchant Confidence Index</a> survey of nearly 5,000 local business owners across the U.S., published by MerchantCircle. <br /><br /><br /><br />However, merchants are warming up to the idea of using daily deals on a repeat basis – provided they find the right partners to make these offers effective. According to the Merchant Confidence Index, 77% of merchants who have tried daily deals said they would be willing to offer another daily deal in the future. Just <a href="http://blog.merchantcircle.com/2011/02/q1-2011-merchant-circle-mci-survey.html">three months earlier</a>, only 50% of merchants who had tried deals said they wanted to offer another one.<br /><br /><br /><br />This rise in “deal confidence” shows that merchants are becoming savvier with daily deal offerings – finding the right products, price points, and offers to acquire customers at an acceptable cost. Of those merchants willing to offer another deal, 58% cited effective customer acquisition as the reason to try again, while 30% said a favorable deal structure was the reason. Just 24% said profitability was a driver in offering a repeat deal.<br /><br /><br /><br />Unfortunately, many merchants <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizTj7fkkpgtX8wIYzfNU2L_rVAeg291x-P3Xfe0RqL0pbE2_1eYyGqG8rYFwNxU-QpoNOwO1fJKZM46PwQVK_o7MAw9UFPnZgRN2UWDjYfmnu1bYnkFGtiHP1OFJdwdbzHgE00wIQ0fyI/s1600/MerchantCircle_MCI_Q2_2011_DailyDeals.png">continue to be disappointed</a> with the results of the daily deal offerings. Among those who wouldn't offer another daily deal, 42% said that it was not effective in customer acquisition, 25% said it was too costly, and 24% said they lost money. Due to the high costs associated with daily deals via big sites like Groupon and Living Social (which take upwards of 50% of all proceeds on already discounted sales) many merchants feel they cannot “afford” to do them. <br /><br />Even though less than 10% of small businesses have ever offered a daily deal, it’s not for lack of aggressive sales and marketing efforts on the part of big deals sites. More than a third of respondents who offered a daily deal did so after being contacted by a sales rep (34%) or seeing an ad for the service (31%).<br /><br /><br /><br />Daily deals may feel omnipresent – what with the number of “deals” that land in most peoples’ inboxes daily and the recent news of Groupon’s proposed mega-IPO topping headlines – but the reality is only 9% of merchants have ever offered one. That may change as more competitively-priced deals partners enter the space. New offerings from Google and Facebook are catching on quickly with small business owners and may take a bite out of Groupon and LivingSocial’s businesses.<br /><br /><br /><br />The Merchant Confidence Index shows that 52% of small business owners are considering using either Facebook Deals and Google Offers, citing their familiarity with these two mega-brands as the main incentive to choose them over competitors. Other reasons for choosing Facebook Deals include larger audience size (26%) and better local targeting (21%) compared to Groupon, LivingSocial, and other pure-play daily deal competitors. Those merchants likely to use Google Offers cited larger audience size (42%) and Google's brand reputation (34%) as top reasons for preferring Google.<br /><br /><br /><br />Whether you run a hair salon, a dog walking service, a restaurant, a gym, or any other small business, the reality is most merchants are working with very small marketing budgets. Daily deals may get new customers in the door, but at what price? With consumers reaching daily-deal overload, many people use the coupons to visit a business one time, then move onto another offer – never becoming a regular customer.<br /><br /><br /><br />The draw to try Facebook Deals and Google Offers is not at all surprising. Because many merchants already buy Google ads and <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPF3TnolGCKFZFB9jU7KmM3z7CoIPluPVhnUogxDVZKWjwt3hJs0fQlm1GWkldwa2KIsH05mTb3bV-DFHbZrVUOMzmWSd2i4zx80wBvZ9-aCqMabzDRdVOeLojTtazh_9ls5xdqKZQoD0/s1600/MerchantCircle_MCI_Q2_2011_Adoption.png">use Facebook</a>, testing the daily deal waters with these familiar giants seems like, familiar one-stop shopping for what could otherwise feel like a risky expenditure of limited marketing resources. <br /><br /><br /><br />However, unless Facebook Deals and Google Offers address some of the lingering concerns merchants have about daily deal services – high costs and few repeat customers – merchants may use them a few times, but not return. After all, small business owners are driven by one goal: grow their businesses profitably and sustainably. They don’t have time for gimmick marketing that doesn’t deliver.MerchantCircle Staffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03512434120196682336noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042000723614537261.post-28658747603921404222011-06-09T12:01:00.000-07:002012-01-19T13:18:31.530-08:00Q2 2011 MerchantCircle Merchant Confidence Index Survey ResultsBelow are the results of our quarterly Merchant Confidence Index (MCI) survey for Q2 of 2011. The Index is designed to track trends in small business sentiment over time. <br /><br /><br /><br />This sixth Merchant Confidence Index survey was fielded online, between April 30th and June 6th, 2011, and sent to a random sample of MerchantCircle's member base of over 1.6 million local business owners. There were 4,942 total responses from local business owners across the United States and no incentive was offered to complete the survey.<br /><br /><br /><br />Merchant Confidence Index tracks track four key questions designed to synopsize the prevailing trends among local business owners. The overall index score is based upon a standardized five-level Likert scale. <br /><br /><br /><br />78.2% of responses from merchants with 1-4 employees<br /><br />12.5% of responses from merchants with 5-9 employees<br /><br />7.4% of responses from merchants with 10-49 employees<br /><br />2.0% of responses from merchants with 50+ employees<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><br /><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>State of the U.S. economy</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div>How would you rate today’s economy compared to the past twelve months? (n=4,942)<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvL6IUDjfm6pqBx_eFYUdN48akHPKzG03AgS_gNvnZE9NQvSNNLDZDVOmUqga9UqbDqzak1KTNKUkiUqYnQBvyOAob0YP-5p5BBJ8tnlT8-zB2bkkaFYVNoI14iFZHyExBPEkFkwn6V8o/s1600/rateecon.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvL6IUDjfm6pqBx_eFYUdN48akHPKzG03AgS_gNvnZE9NQvSNNLDZDVOmUqga9UqbDqzak1KTNKUkiUqYnQBvyOAob0YP-5p5BBJ8tnlT8-zB2bkkaFYVNoI14iFZHyExBPEkFkwn6V8o/s320/rateecon.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><b>Expectations for the future revenue<br /><br /></b><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">How do you expect your sales revenues to change over the next three months? (n=4,942)</div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE7Uh5Q_UxC766KOJ85UyACcBaQG9JSvIkKCGdxhKfjG1Cmst3A3GKUnZrsUnGmgS_0ksOhBjeWN8oirmMKaEKMz0AG4RnKGFLdydSnO4pBeHouafiwYlx_-j8asyvvMp4lzUTUwjuByc/s1600/revchange.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE7Uh5Q_UxC766KOJ85UyACcBaQG9JSvIkKCGdxhKfjG1Cmst3A3GKUnZrsUnGmgS_0ksOhBjeWN8oirmMKaEKMz0AG4RnKGFLdydSnO4pBeHouafiwYlx_-j8asyvvMp4lzUTUwjuByc/s320/revchange.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><b> </b><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Marketing expenditures</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div>How do you expect your marketing/advertising expenditures to change over the next three months? (n=4,170)<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjslYIKPT7zJzwUnX7JLTJiYXJgE1WW1ES1OrpMyVuBwdZHTQASTx8WkW6PO98rB0C17lOmtgHg2SgCQrEMU5VNwLk1VgOqVFHNoElEDrwFcbfPQME6Pki966EXvKL6JrksZ2LihH9iS3g/s1600/maradv.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjslYIKPT7zJzwUnX7JLTJiYXJgE1WW1ES1OrpMyVuBwdZHTQASTx8WkW6PO98rB0C17lOmtgHg2SgCQrEMU5VNwLk1VgOqVFHNoElEDrwFcbfPQME6Pki966EXvKL6JrksZ2LihH9iS3g/s320/maradv.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Hiring expectations</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">How do you expect your company’s headcount to change over the next three months? (n=4,942)<b> </b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKHE_Ll21OLYOm_-7dc-roNteJbY7qD38vojrWKqy3yJBZTNHzylOvcnc83uq0bNQJuIWSvO6GfIpxDr0BiH9BsmaKbt3myyIMe6q63Y8yl-YC9acXR-xEQ2zvFyaciZqSTSkuMRa7Tiw/s1600/headcount.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKHE_Ll21OLYOm_-7dc-roNteJbY7qD38vojrWKqy3yJBZTNHzylOvcnc83uq0bNQJuIWSvO6GfIpxDr0BiH9BsmaKbt3myyIMe6q63Y8yl-YC9acXR-xEQ2zvFyaciZqSTSkuMRa7Tiw/s320/headcount.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Merchant Confidence Index Calculation</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr-_QoQazuxd7x0__TRXCzLS7rlYY1hgnYEvL_GOl4OXxfEsA8MFdcBwZzp1G756-tOErzaChecHV7byx9N5bmRPOZ1fB3o3maQQrisZJvlN_4jAvu8S-I6ZX5aD8SohDQpwfXjBc35Zs/s1600/mcicalc.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr-_QoQazuxd7x0__TRXCzLS7rlYY1hgnYEvL_GOl4OXxfEsA8MFdcBwZzp1G756-tOErzaChecHV7byx9N5bmRPOZ1fB3o3maQQrisZJvlN_4jAvu8S-I6ZX5aD8SohDQpwfXjBc35Zs/s320/mcicalc.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Marketing Budget</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">What is your annual ad/marketing budget? (n=4,170)<b> <br /><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFNPwdHPGY7XJL2_Ulszmvnyqb9N5TtkxNLWZWBgT4wdIklnuRU5g5OwzQXXqMcMguOANxKtGkU1sT5UsXqDCDW7KSYxnctdKZkP6ExIRnRGMXIKEyEd-3QZzFWm584X6tQNyzf1u9Pfc/s1600/mktgbud.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFNPwdHPGY7XJL2_Ulszmvnyqb9N5TtkxNLWZWBgT4wdIklnuRU5g5OwzQXXqMcMguOANxKtGkU1sT5UsXqDCDW7KSYxnctdKZkP6ExIRnRGMXIKEyEd-3QZzFWm584X6tQNyzf1u9Pfc/s320/mktgbud.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><b>Adoption of specific online marketing services</b><br /><br /><b><br /><br /></b><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPF3TnolGCKFZFB9jU7KmM3z7CoIPluPVhnUogxDVZKWjwt3hJs0fQlm1GWkldwa2KIsH05mTb3bV-DFHbZrVUOMzmWSd2i4zx80wBvZ9-aCqMabzDRdVOeLojTtazh_9ls5xdqKZQoD0/s1600/MerchantCircle_MCI_Q2_2011_Adoption.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPF3TnolGCKFZFB9jU7KmM3z7CoIPluPVhnUogxDVZKWjwt3hJs0fQlm1GWkldwa2KIsH05mTb3bV-DFHbZrVUOMzmWSd2i4zx80wBvZ9-aCqMabzDRdVOeLojTtazh_9ls5xdqKZQoD0/s320/MerchantCircle_MCI_Q2_2011_Adoption.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Most effective marketing channels</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Select the top THREE most effective marketing or advertising methods your business uses or has used. (n=4,170)<b> </b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg-Ox4yu0XMwWFQMutgfiC0p53CbKSGkGVsNcYovAxkMaUWGj1sEvh-uOHiixgqj0dzQgatkb1pgHCg79bGAaLixhrbj34aoi1l6q7dXOqNrAE_o5gDwDEEq8hlMwR4RRRyNcc7gtz0E0/s1600/mosteffecmktg.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg-Ox4yu0XMwWFQMutgfiC0p53CbKSGkGVsNcYovAxkMaUWGj1sEvh-uOHiixgqj0dzQgatkb1pgHCg79bGAaLixhrbj34aoi1l6q7dXOqNrAE_o5gDwDEEq8hlMwR4RRRyNcc7gtz0E0/s320/mosteffecmktg.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Adoption and repeat usage of Facebook Ads</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7T_SH_XOGTPl0RLTa79RCBxVm5oEwMyHmMe4ZZgUeldkt2ipsyI5SHekPXFqgkKJ-PiPeLIHWLilu7legjeFXSO_T8L5NW5jo3_MaEy1fNEC6coNv5xT2QQj8ckwP1S_zLeFFEldodo0/s1600/MerchantCircle_MCI_Q2_2011_FB_Ads.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7T_SH_XOGTPl0RLTa79RCBxVm5oEwMyHmMe4ZZgUeldkt2ipsyI5SHekPXFqgkKJ-PiPeLIHWLilu7legjeFXSO_T8L5NW5jo3_MaEy1fNEC6coNv5xT2QQj8ckwP1S_zLeFFEldodo0/s400/MerchantCircle_MCI_Q2_2011_FB_Ads.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <b>Perception of Facebook Ads amongst users.</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvSWjZwPYOBXpJfEvyN_q9NXHgdZ-DZH_VhSdosplyyTAtPRXa_JkyfHL6fmDpQ3u4nhs9EabAUNxxTuzCar6Im_ASZmy8O3fmt470Lw76AgTrHmJwVONrr8shvGPDrhBr7YsjZPf8jOs/s1600/MerchantCircle_MCI_Q2_2011_FB_Ads_Again.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvSWjZwPYOBXpJfEvyN_q9NXHgdZ-DZH_VhSdosplyyTAtPRXa_JkyfHL6fmDpQ3u4nhs9EabAUNxxTuzCar6Im_ASZmy8O3fmt470Lw76AgTrHmJwVONrr8shvGPDrhBr7YsjZPf8jOs/s400/MerchantCircle_MCI_Q2_2011_FB_Ads_Again.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Adoption and repeat usage of daily deals sites</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizTj7fkkpgtX8wIYzfNU2L_rVAeg291x-P3Xfe0RqL0pbE2_1eYyGqG8rYFwNxU-QpoNOwO1fJKZM46PwQVK_o7MAw9UFPnZgRN2UWDjYfmnu1bYnkFGtiHP1OFJdwdbzHgE00wIQ0fyI/s1600/MerchantCircle_MCI_Q2_2011_DailyDeals.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizTj7fkkpgtX8wIYzfNU2L_rVAeg291x-P3Xfe0RqL0pbE2_1eYyGqG8rYFwNxU-QpoNOwO1fJKZM46PwQVK_o7MAw9UFPnZgRN2UWDjYfmnu1bYnkFGtiHP1OFJdwdbzHgE00wIQ0fyI/s400/MerchantCircle_MCI_Q2_2011_DailyDeals.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Perception of Daily Deals sites amongst users</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ-KNcuIQO4GDrwck0iSx7q6TIFzbXQy8e2T4xUyqs7E1YUSo-M1bV6jOSVIhCNhZMILz4ydiqRa4ky56UgEr2DUR_L5g3U4wt3MQtMhTRWXq8uy4Z3oGRoQFi3vY24BztaeW-RcF6WbY/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-06-09+at+11.48.26+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ-KNcuIQO4GDrwck0iSx7q6TIFzbXQy8e2T4xUyqs7E1YUSo-M1bV6jOSVIhCNhZMILz4ydiqRa4ky56UgEr2DUR_L5g3U4wt3MQtMhTRWXq8uy4Z3oGRoQFi3vY24BztaeW-RcF6WbY/s400/Screen+shot+2011-06-09+at+11.48.26+AM.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><b>Perception of Facebook Deals and Google Offers</b><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMG5LIJsxF_E1hjUuE1t0fvf2hDXZoWEGb_q8duSyhE2Yn4y0vGmoSANPwet-wFaV1Tg2T-sN4NawgLvkjTFsLjB3Acvwi9r98soCpstV_N2Hvon3-94UrKxdx5ALCmbbnThHfATLTIdI/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-06-09+at+11.50.45+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMG5LIJsxF_E1hjUuE1t0fvf2hDXZoWEGb_q8duSyhE2Yn4y0vGmoSANPwet-wFaV1Tg2T-sN4NawgLvkjTFsLjB3Acvwi9r98soCpstV_N2Hvon3-94UrKxdx5ALCmbbnThHfATLTIdI/s400/Screen+shot+2011-06-09+at+11.50.45+AM.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Awareness of group buying sites</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div>How did you find out about the group buying site you used (n=366)?<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcofJwZ6FJTMCI7ZQmqV7ZC_kyBkp9I8Gzg1OeT4CsTRCUxlsfw4WvnAO2B63muEASy15cNCWG2uNnG3pg3TX7drlJbbgT0ao_N5_a-5ffOxnpd7w84FNVd2ABpmvQwMcs2g8TZgL36ZY/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-06-09+at+11.54.22+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcofJwZ6FJTMCI7ZQmqV7ZC_kyBkp9I8Gzg1OeT4CsTRCUxlsfw4WvnAO2B63muEASy15cNCWG2uNnG3pg3TX7drlJbbgT0ao_N5_a-5ffOxnpd7w84FNVd2ABpmvQwMcs2g8TZgL36ZY/s320/Screen+shot+2011-06-09+at+11.54.22+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Tablet adoption</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div>Do you use a tablet device for your business (e.g., iPad)? (n=3,786)<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeqSR1h0Z3M2wWi4-wHeDxSDv5oj-Vb9GixgxL3wo7pjyzLWSc-d66ZVDoocavBEKGWpbWjN3kki6Lfxcx51eAbKGbjQuzgXUltsR1n6r_oGnS9lgcjCWWriJh5dO42-drDWvfR9fB-eI/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-06-09+at+11.55.18+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeqSR1h0Z3M2wWi4-wHeDxSDv5oj-Vb9GixgxL3wo7pjyzLWSc-d66ZVDoocavBEKGWpbWjN3kki6Lfxcx51eAbKGbjQuzgXUltsR1n6r_oGnS9lgcjCWWriJh5dO42-drDWvfR9fB-eI/s400/Screen+shot+2011-06-09+at+11.55.18+AM.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Tablet adoption</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div>Do you use a tablet device for your business (e.g., iPad)? (n=3,786)<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLqUese0MLA21iCHfok1USa8poKgf7M8hLi3n0dl6-3lyiz8CksPjQnf-F7z-zzMgA1sdj4fJHaJavXkckXQl_ZHZ_F8x-3ESbkGwdaao-YNPnadnLj_pwc3Hm1rUAB06FkvoHCOIjrWo/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-06-09+at+11.56.51+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLqUese0MLA21iCHfok1USa8poKgf7M8hLi3n0dl6-3lyiz8CksPjQnf-F7z-zzMgA1sdj4fJHaJavXkckXQl_ZHZ_F8x-3ESbkGwdaao-YNPnadnLj_pwc3Hm1rUAB06FkvoHCOIjrWo/s400/Screen+shot+2011-06-09+at+11.56.51+AM.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><br /><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Respondent Profiles</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><br /><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Size of business</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div>How many people does your business employ?<b> </b><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><br /><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5COvMsM-8ypEQZLHc2j9YHy6hvlFbsexYy6XxZZW8Rb5RH3tf3YEpgBF0xPGiGR1P2oiwFDexGDN7aF1LcprXZwQ5kO3gpGjaVQ-ajeKpln58lb6SCoOMqEfLwRSMiiY46ywXq0hI-wE/s1600/sizodbiz.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5COvMsM-8ypEQZLHc2j9YHy6hvlFbsexYy6XxZZW8Rb5RH3tf3YEpgBF0xPGiGR1P2oiwFDexGDN7aF1LcprXZwQ5kO3gpGjaVQ-ajeKpln58lb6SCoOMqEfLwRSMiiY46ywXq0hI-wE/s320/sizodbiz.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><br /><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Business categories</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Which single business category best describes your business?<b> </b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja6YaJH4meQbIrP89DwdB2JX8VJPmSX4nIKT0tM3yxcsooYnvKKIkrk_Z1f6GFLs3MWn4tjQAP3u-my8n7-epDHc-xE0u9f2eaBmKc7roVJaSUtmQdoWAfIH0LoTQbKD72g1VO1s_nphw/s1600/cats.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja6YaJH4meQbIrP89DwdB2JX8VJPmSX4nIKT0tM3yxcsooYnvKKIkrk_Z1f6GFLs3MWn4tjQAP3u-my8n7-epDHc-xE0u9f2eaBmKc7roVJaSUtmQdoWAfIH0LoTQbKD72g1VO1s_nphw/s400/cats.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div>MerchantCircle Staffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03512434120196682336noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042000723614537261.post-23471479489354466952011-05-27T19:20:00.000-07:002012-01-19T13:18:31.553-08:00MerchantCircle and Reply! Thank You.We've been overwhelmed by the response to <a href="http://www.merchantcircle.com/corporate/press/2011-05-26-MerchantCircle-acquired-by-Reply.html">yesterday's announcement</a> and wanted to <a href="http://blog.merchantcircle.com/2011/05/merchantcircle-acquired-by-reply-inc.html">once again</a> thank all of our friends, family, former colleagues, <a href="http://www.merchantcircle.com/corporate/bios-directors.html">investors</a> and <a href="http://www.merchantcircle.com/corporate/bios-advisors.html">advisers</a>.<br /><br /><br /><br />As shared in <a href="http://www.merchantcircle.com/blogs/BTSIV.LLC.831-438-2897/2011/5/Thank-you-/758911">Ben's blog</a>, we recognize that it's because we've been surrounded by such fantastic support, great people and brilliant minds that MerchantCircle is the platform you see today. The needs of our merchant base have driven the products we've created and we've been proud to serve them in the capacity that we have. And now, we're very much looking forward to delivering an even better customer experience!<br /><br /><br /><br />The market response to this <a href="http://www.kazabyte.com/2011/05/merchantcircle-and-replycom-li.html">new combination</a> has been fantastic. Thank you for <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/MerchantCircle">tweeting</a>, digging, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mountain-View-CA/MerchantCircle/327286682264">facebooking</a>, and emailing the many news <a href="http://www.socaltech.com/rustic_canyon_steamboat_get_exit_at_merchantcircle/s-0036000.html">clippings</a>. Each of your encouraging notes, texts, and phone calls were proudly shared with the rest of our MerchantCircle team. We've loved that you have been celebrating with us. <br /><br /><br /><br />In case you missed some of the coverage, we're proud to pass it on. <br /><br /><br /><br />And while you read, know that we're back to doing what we do best..<a href="http://blog.merchantcircle.com/2010/12/merchantcircle-team-this-is-how-we-roll.html"> It's GSD time!</a><br /><br /><br /><br />Cheers! <br /><br /><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><br /><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmFD216Xn9XZaNpBPS1m9SAwiCr2u-uodoEZvCKsik4jgiQPJq-toB_cWDTkeKGYdaDo65zKqr_dZQMQNJph3RiKvIEmE2SxwdrprnRmlaleUdx9oTX1LWA1a5D9yDErCQj_nZzXxopSY/s1600/DSC_1569.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmFD216Xn9XZaNpBPS1m9SAwiCr2u-uodoEZvCKsik4jgiQPJq-toB_cWDTkeKGYdaDo65zKqr_dZQMQNJph3RiKvIEmE2SxwdrprnRmlaleUdx9oTX1LWA1a5D9yDErCQj_nZzXxopSY/s320/DSC_1569.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><br /><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Payam Zamani and Ben Smith </td></tr><br /></tbody></table>-Two Bay Area players in the increasingly competitive local online advertising space are hooking up as Reply Inc. announced plans Thursday to acquire MerchantCircle for $60 million. (<a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/05/26/BUTI1JL11D.DTL#ixzz1NbnEEhdR">San Francisco Chronicle</a>.)<br /><br /><br /><br />-When <a href="http://www.scalevp.com/team/sharon-wienbar/">Wienbar</a> and the rest of the team at Scale Venture Partners combed through a proposal for local ad network <a href="https://www.fis.dowjones.com/article.aspx?aid=DJFVW00020110526e75r001b9&r=wsjblog&s=djfvw">Reply to acquire local business directory MerchantCircle</a>, they decided the companies were “more valuable together than apart.” (<a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/venturecapital/2011/05/27/the-daily-start-up-economies-of-scale-venture-partners/?mod=google_news_blog">Wall Street Journal</a>)<br /><br /><br /><br />-MerchantCircle's Smith expects overall traffic to grow significantly as a result of the pairing... (<a href="http://www.clickz.com/clickz/news/2074314/reply-buys-merchantcircle-usd60-million">ClickZ</a>)<br /><br /><br /><br />-Clearly, MerchantCircle brings Reply an inventory of small businesses. Reply says the combined company projects revenues of over $100 million in 2012. (<a href="http://techcrunch.com/2011/05/26/reply-com-acquires-marketing-network-for-small-businesses-merchantcircle-for-60-million/">TechCrunch</a>)<br /><br /><br /><br />-MerchantCircle itself has shaped up to be a strong, search-driven Internet Yellow Pages player — although it prefers to characterize itself in broader terms, having added a Q&A platform, appointments, leads widgets, etc. (<a href="http://blog.kelseygroup.com/index.php/2011/05/26/merchant-circle-sold-to-reply-inc-for-60-million/">BIA Kelsey</a>) <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><br /><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYDTwdPIWpIPWGeeHfOG23ZqkLiiFGvCKT-GNmLDJ2I7e4GjKDX0q9s_sbkfzFob4XIUEI96805fu8bcqdtql8t6JRnKerORq1fXnbbmVThhPh6CHNIWeKXQLkgrangH7sA_gU8qFcVNM/s1600/bod.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYDTwdPIWpIPWGeeHfOG23ZqkLiiFGvCKT-GNmLDJ2I7e4GjKDX0q9s_sbkfzFob4XIUEI96805fu8bcqdtql8t6JRnKerORq1fXnbbmVThhPh6CHNIWeKXQLkgrangH7sA_gU8qFcVNM/s320/bod.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><br /><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The MerchantCircle Board in the voting room</td></tr><br /></tbody></table>-MerchantCircle has long targeted merchants in small locales versus catering towards the consumers, as sites like Yelp and CitySearch do. (<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/replycom-acquires-marketing-network-for-small-businesses-merchantcircle-for-60-million/2011/05/26/AGJUq0BH_story.html">Washington Post</a>) <br /><br /><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><br /><br /></div>MerchantCircle Staffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03512434120196682336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042000723614537261.post-79275249752815826642011-05-26T08:07:00.000-07:002012-01-19T13:18:31.571-08:00MerchantCircle acquired by Reply! Inc. (And we're really excited!)<style><br />@font-face {<br /> font-family: "Courier New";<br />}@font-face {<br /> font-family: "Wingdings";<br />}@font-face {<br /> font-family: "Calibri";<br />}@font-face {<br /> font-family: "Cambria";<br />}@font-face {<br /> font-family: "Lucida Grande";<br />}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }h3 { margin: 10pt 0in 0.0001pt; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; color: rgb(79, 129, 189); }a:link, span.MsoHyperlink { color: blue; text-decoration: underline; }a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed { color: purple; text-decoration: underline; }p.MsoAcetate, li.MsoAcetate, div.MsoAcetate { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 9pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }p.MsoListParagraph, li.MsoListParagraph, div.MsoListParagraph { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }p.MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst, li.MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst, div.MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }p.MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle, li.MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle, div.MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }p.MsoListParagraphCxSpLast, li.MsoListParagraphCxSpLast, div.MsoListParagraphCxSpLast { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }span.Heading3Char { font-family: Calibri; color: rgb(79, 129, 189); font-weight: bold; }span.apple-style-span { }span.BalloonTextChar { font-family: "Lucida Grande"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }ol { margin-bottom: 0in; }ul { margin-bottom: 0in; }<br /></style> <br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt;"></span></b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt;">When MerchantCircle launched in 2006, our mission was simple: to build a network of millions of local business owners to help them market themselves to nearby consumers. We had visions of creating a powerful network for local businesses everywhere... </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt;">At the time, we were watching as billions of local marketing dollars were being spent on dying media like the Yellow Pages. We knew the web held significant promise for small business, but nobody had yet figured how to make it work on a local level. Determined to change that, we created a plan and started building. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt;">Now, over 1.6 million local business owners have joined MerchantCircle, and are getting connected with 20 million consumers every month. For many of these users, MerchantCircle has been their first introduction to the power of the web. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt;">Today, we're excited to announce that we just got better. MerchantCircle has been acquired by </span><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.reply.com/">Reply! Inc</a>.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt;">, the leading marketplace for the acquisition of locally-targeted consumer traffic. (</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.merchantcircle.com/corporate/press/2011-05-26-MerchantCircle-acquired-by-Reply.html">You can read all the details in our press release</a>.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">)</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt;">“As the first investor in MerchantCircle, I can say it's been an incredible ride since Ben and I first incubated the company in our conference room back in 2004”, says Mark Menell, a Venture Partner at Maveron, LLC and the initial investor in MerchantCircle when he was a general partner at Rustic Canyon. “This is a big win for the MerchantCircle team and an even bigger win for local businesses and consumers."</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.merchantcircle.com/corporate/reply_faq.html">So what's all this mean</a>?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt;">For our merchant members, we're thrilled to assure you that this deal will result in an even more powerful network. It will mean more effective web marketing tools, more connections with local consumers, more inbound customer phone calls, appointments, request for quotes, and business leads for YOU. For consumers, this means even more meaningful connections to businesses in your area. We'll be more capable of empowering mutually beneficial, productive local relationships.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt;">The team at Reply!, led by CEO Payam Zamani, shares our passion for giving businesses the best place on the web to reach local consumers. The MerchantCircle team will become the Reply! Media division of Reply! Inc. and will continue to work in the interests of our merchant customers. If you’re worried that we’re going away, don’t! You can rest assured, because our dedication to growing and improving the MerchantCircle platform still remains true</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt;">Every small business owner needs someone to believe in them – we are no different. For our investors, this merger represents an excellent opportunity to achieve our vision. <a href="http://www.scalevp.com/">Scale Venture Partners</a>, <a href="http://steamboatvc.com/">Steamboat Ventures</a>, and <a href="http://www.rusticcanyon.com/">Rustic Canyon</a> believed in MerchantCircle from the beginning. They understood our passion and desire to make the local web scalable and profitable. We were determined to succeed where many dozens of other start-ups had failed. Even when we didn’t know <i>exactly</i> how we’d turn that vision into reality, they supported us with funding and great advice. We are very grateful for their help in getting to this point. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt;">As with most great success, this milestone could not have been reached alone. It's only because we've been surrounded by such intelligent investors, advisors and team members that MerchantCircle has grown into the organization your see today. And we think it's time to call some people out…</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt;">Joey Levin, Kara Nortman, Rob Angel and Jay Herratti at <a href="http://www.citygridmedia.com/">CityGrid Media </a></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt;"> have been invaluable partners and friends of MerchantCircle and are very much appreciated. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Conway">Ron Conway</a> (the Silicon Valley Angel), Michael B. Aronson of <a href="http://www.mentortechventures.com/">MentorTech</a> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt;">, Alex Lloyd of <a href="http://www.acceleratorventures.com/">Accelerator Ventures</a></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt;"> , Auren Hoffman of <a href="https://www.rapleaf.com/">Rapleaf</a></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt;">, Patrick Grady of <a href="http://www.reardencommerce.com/">Rearden Commerce</a></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt;"> , and Chris Tolles of <a href="http://www.topix.com/">Topix </a></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt;"> have provided direction, support, and contributions that for which we are more than thankful.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt;">This announcement also offers a tangible victory for our dedicated <a href="http://www.merchantcircle.com/corporate/bios-directors.html">Board of Directors</a>: </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt;"> <a href="http://www.merchantcircle.com/blogs/BTSIV.LLC.831-438-2897/2011/5/From-small-beginnings-come-great-things/758286">Ben T. Smith</a>, IV, Scott Hilleboe, Peter C. Horan, Mark Menell, Neal Hansch, and Sharon Wienbar. The MerchantCircle team cannot thank you enough for giving us your trust, offering us direction, and executing on decisions that weren't always easy. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt;">Even with 1.6 million users on the MerchantCircle network, several individuals have continued to stand out. Making significant impacts in their communities while sharing their small business stories, Community Leaders like <a href="http://www.merchantcircle.com/business/Cookie.Central.978-423-1215">Michele Gorham</a> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt;">, <a href="http://www.merchantcircle.com/business/ePRO.LLC.203-992-9611">Gino Orfitelli</a> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt;"> and <a href="http://www.merchantcircle.com/business/Cascading.Creations.509-244-0900">Monte Tareski</a> </span><a href="http://www.merchantcircle.com/business/Cascading.Creations.509-244-0900"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt;"></span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt;"> keep the MerchantCircle team fired up. We do what we do because of merchants like them. They've been our evangelists in their local neighborhoods and they've reached across the web to offer community to new MerchantCircle members. We cannot tell you enough how deeply we appreciate your loyalty. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt;">This is very much a team win. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt;">For MerchantCircle employees, the success we’ve had to date in building a major force in local is due to your hard work, creative thinking and consistent dedication to producing the best products possible. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt;">There have been countless cubicle meetings, more pizza than we'd like to admit, and many long walks around the block- just to brainstorm. We've become real friends… and somewhere along the way, we've built a family. You've launched some brilliant products, weathered some frustrating storms and exercised excessive amounts of innovation and creativity. MerchantCircle exists because of you.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt;">Former team members like <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/osilla">Ryan Osilla</a></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt;">, <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/swartzdaniel">Daniel Swartz</a></span><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/swartzdaniel"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt;"></span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt;">, Jennifer Lin, <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/iritepelbaum">Irit Epelbaum</a>, and <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/style">David Creemer</a> </span><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/style"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt;"></span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt;"> have left a significant mark on MerchantCircle and while they're no longer in the office, their contributions continue to permeate how we operate. Jason Culverhouse and Wayne Yamamoto were both essential elements in building MerchantCircle from the ground up. We see and appreciate their work everyday. And though they've moved on to a <a href="http://www.charityblossom.org/">new venture</a></span><a href="http://www.charityblossom.org/"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt;"></span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt;">, together, they're still very much a part of our everyday lives.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt;">Thank you. You've each poured yourself into MerchantCircle and now we're excited to join the Reply! Inc. team together. This acquisition means even more opportunity to be a part of an innovative, growing organization with an incredibly bright future. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt;">It's time to celebrate!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt;">Cheers,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt;">Your MerchantCircle and Reply! Media Division Team</span></div>MerchantCircle Staffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03512434120196682336noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042000723614537261.post-91825880572849058972011-05-23T10:13:00.000-07:002012-01-19T13:18:31.599-08:00Another Quick Review of This Week's Small Business TrendsWhat a week it was! Here's a quick recap.<br /><br /><br /><br />(And make sure you're following us on Twitter for great tips, news, and articles throughout the week!)<br /><br /><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 8.5pt;"><br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><b>Celebrate small business every week (USA Today) <br /><br /></b></span></span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 8.5pt;"><br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">What? You've never heard of Small Business Week? You're not alone. It's not exactly like Hallmark is cranking out cards with sentiments such as "To my favorite entrepreneur -- glad those years of eating peanut butter and jelly finally paid off!" (<a href="http://www.usatoday.com/money/smallbusiness/columnist/abrams/2011-05-19-celebrate-small-business_n.htm">Read more</a>)</span></span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 8.5pt;"></span></span></span><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><u><br /><br /></u></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 8.5pt;"></span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 8.5pt;"><br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><b>Recession Brought a Small-Business Boom (Portfolio.com)<br /><br /></b></span></span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 8.5pt;"><br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">There are actually more small businesses now than there were in 2006, when the recession began. That’s according to Dun and Bradstreet which released a report on the state of small business this week. The trend follows a deep trough through the recession, but a steep climb as the economy has slowly recovered. </span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> (<a href="http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/resources/2011/05/20/number-of-small-businesses-rose-since-recession">Read more</a>)</span></span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 8.5pt;"></span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 8.5pt;"><br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><b>Top Five Tips For Women Small Business Owners (Forbes)<br /><br /></b></span></span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 8.5pt;"><br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Women-owned firms account for 40% of all privately held firms, employ more than 13 million people, and generate $1.9 trillion in sales, according to the <span style="color: #0f2d5f;"><u>National Association for Women Business Owners</u></span> <<span style="color: blue;"><u><a href="http://www.nawbo.org/">http://www.nawbo.org/</a></u></span>> . However, most of these businesses (97%) have revenues below the million-dollar mark. </span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> (<a href="http://blogs.forbes.com/jennagoudreau/2011/05/20/top-five-tips-for-women-small-business-owners/">Read more</a>)</span></span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 8.5pt;"></span></span></span><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><u><br /><br /></u></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 8.5pt;"><br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="color: #cc6600;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 8.5pt;"><br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><b>Google Keeps Brands, Marketers 'Inside Search' (Media Post)<br /><br /></b></span></span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 8.5pt;"><br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Google announced the launch of an official search blog Thursday, sending a message to marketers and those searching for content on the importance of search engine marketing and search activities across its portfolio of Web sites. </span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> (<a href="http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=150842">Read more</a>)</span></span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 8.5pt;"></span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 8.5pt;"><br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><b>Foursquare, LivingSocial eye local ad dollars (Reuters)<br /><br /></b></span></span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 8.5pt;"><br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">LivingSocial and Foursquare are both fighting for local ad dollars from mom and pop stores, neighborhood restaurants, and even big box retailers as online social media companies set their sights on a largely untapped pool of revenue. </span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> (<a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/20/us-summit-localad-idUSTRE74J6E320110520">Read more</a>)</span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 8.5pt;"><br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><u><br /><br /></u></span></span></span></span>MerchantCircle Staffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03512434120196682336noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042000723614537261.post-35886099382326383272011-05-06T15:05:00.000-07:002012-01-19T13:18:31.618-08:00MerchantCircle Goes Mobile and Other News from the Week<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial; font-size: small;"><span>It's been quite the week of exciting news! On Wednesday, <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2011/05/04/merchantcircle-debuts-iphone-app-for-small-businesses-to-manage-marketing/">TechCrunch</a> broke the story of the MerchantCircle <a href="http://www.merchantcircle.com/corporate/mobile/">mobile app</a> release and we couldn't be more excited. </span></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial; font-size: small;"><span>MerchantCircle VP Darren Waddell said it best, </span></span><span style="font-size: small;">"We anticipate that merchants will use the Merchant Mobile App in a variety of different ways - everything from staying on top of new customer inquiries to uploading real-time photos of their business and their work. We believe that making content creation fast, easy and convenient will enable many more merchants to maintain the kind of robust online presence that will help them drive new business.”</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;">There were some other interesting stories that came out this week. As usual, we wanted to keep you in the know. Enjoy!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span><b>Google Business Photos – Google Focuses on the Small Business (WebProNews</b></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial; font-size: small;"><b><span>) </span></b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span>Last year, Google started going around </span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.webpronews.com/google-store-views-to-complement-street-view-2010-02"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span>taking pictures of the inside of stores</span></span></a><span><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span>, for what seemed like the indoor equivalent of Street View for businesses. Google has now announced the product around this, which it is calling </span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://maps.google.com/help/maps/businessphotos/"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span>Google Business Photos</span></span></a><span><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;">.</span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span><br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span>(<a href="http://www.webpronews.com/google-business-photos-2011-05%20%3Chttp://www.webpronews.com/google-business-photos-2011-05">Read more</a>.)<br /><br /></span></span><span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span><br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span><br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span><b>Hot topic in the Senate? Declaring that May is Small Business Month (Sacramento Bee)</b></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span><br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span>Its stated goal was to "raise awareness of the contributions made by outstanding entrepreneurs and small </span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span><a href="http://topics.sacbee.com/business+owners/">business owners</a>.</span></span><span><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span>" But that wasn't the issue. (<a href="http://www.sacbee.com/2011/05/06/3606118/the-buzz-hot-topic-in-the-senate.html#ixzz1Lai2XS2I">Read more</a>)</span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span></span></span><span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span><br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span><br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span><b>How Would a Website "Do Not Track" Law Affect Small Businesses?</b></span></span><b><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span> </span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span> (ReadWriteWeb</span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span>)</span></span></b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span>The so-called "Do Not Track" legislation is favored by consumer groups and privacy advocates, but opposed by many online marketers, who fear it may limit their ability to monetize their content and services online. (<a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/biz/2011/05/how-would-a-website-do-not-track-law-affect-small-business.php%20">Read more</a>.)<br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span><br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span><br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span><b>Blogging for small business – what you should have in mind (Travel Wires)</b></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span><br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span>End of the day, your blog is directly responsible for your growth and reputation. At a glance, here’s what you should keep in mind while blogging for small business. (<a href="http://www.blogger.com/%20http://www.travelwires.com/wp/2011/05/blogging-small-business-mind/">Read more</a>.)<br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span></span></span><span><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><u><a href="http://www.travelwires.com/wp/2011/05/blogging-small-business-mind/"></a></u></span></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span><br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span><br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span><b>Facebook</b></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial; font-size: small;"><b><span> accounts for 31.2% of display ads (Vator.tv)</span></b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span>With 346 billion display ad impressions in the U.S. in Q1</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial; font-size: small;"><span> 2011, Facebook beats the top ten combined. (<a href="http://vator.tv/news/2011-05-04-facebook-accounts-for-312-of-display-ads">Read more</a>.)<br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /><br /></span></span>MerchantCircle Staffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03512434120196682336noreply@blogger.com2