Local Directories and Review Sites

We've long advocated that business owners need to take control and manage what's being said about them on the web - trouble is, there's far too many websites that cater to consumer reviews to keep track of. One thing we've always done for merchants is to show you where your business is listed, whether it's listed correctly, and how many reviews you have.



We know it's imperative for a business owner to be listed on as many 'free' directories as possible - so hurry up already and get yourself on there. Or you can have MerchantCircle do it for you as well. (Click here for more details.) Engage in active dialogue with your reviewers, always stay calm, collected, and invite unsatisfied customers back to see the changes 'you've made' or 'issues you've addressed.'

While more than 75% of our 550,000 merchants use us as their main web presence, we also offer a section for consumer reviews and dialogue between you and your customers. Just this last week BusinessWeek featured us in a list of review sites that merchants should be aware of. (Click here to read more). Don't be scared off by their comment, the author's point was that many of our merchants have signed up in communities as small as 1,000 people. As a merchant, take note of these sites; It can't hurt. Also check out this previous post from Entrepreneur that features us as well, it's titled: "15 Sites for Promoting Your Local Business". (Click here to read it).

Sincerely,
Kevin
Community Relations

Celebrate Good Times.... C'mon!

After hitting our One Year Anniversary since we launched, it's time to take a look back. When MerchantCircle launched in June of 2006, we had 5,000 business owners signed-on. Today, that number stands at 145,000!

We've added a number of new features over the course of this year to help you find more customers and have a more rewarding web experiences. Features that enable you to track what customers are saying about you on the web, features that allow you to engage and communicate with business owners all around the country, features that let you customize your MerchantCircle listing, and features that let you network across the web.

We've added a number of partners to enhance your listings and make sure that the content you create, including coupons and ads, are seen all across the web - not just on MerchantCircle. Those partners include Jingle, Judy's Book, Oodle, Edgeio, Local.com, Topix and yes, Google.

For our efforts and yours, we've been recognized by BusinessWeek, Entrepreneur, CNet, ZDNet, AlwaysOn, and TheStreet.com TV among others. It's merchants like European Esthetics and Wellness, Wedding Supplies Unlimited and Higgy's Pizzeria that make us proud that we can give hundreds and thousands of customers a month access to these business owners.

Does all this activity make us less motivated for our second year? Not at all. We've got a ton in store for you this next year, much of which we're excited to unveil, because we know this will help you maximize your web potential on the web. Also look for us to pass a quarter of a million merchants signed-on this summer!

Many of our local merchants and partners will be joining us this Thursday evening as we celebrate a successful first year. Send me your email and I'll send you details. In the meantime, thanks - for everything.

Cheers,
Kevin
Community Relations