MerchantCircle…Matchmaker
Are you in the circle of friends?
MerchantCircle is the "largest online network of local business owners, combining social networking features with customizable web listings that allow local merchants to attract new customers." It’s like a matchmaker for merchants and shoppers.
It is specifically dedicated to local businesses and local shoppers. With over 1,000,000 users, it’s a treasure trove of resources. MerchantCircle replaces the Yellow Pages, and makes for an interactive and online shopper-to-buyer connection. If your business is online, how about connecting to a place that aims soley to back local merchants?
Services offered by Merchant Circle:
- Promote your business on the web in minutes
- Be more visible in search engine results
- Track what's being said about your business online
- Easily advertise on Google, Yahoo! and more
- Get local customer referrals
And those are the free services. Blogs, updates and surveys keep MerchantCircle members in-the-know. Forums, a video library, newsletters and contests provide the community with specific educational tools. In addition, business marketing portfolios, websites and more can be purchased for a price.
For shoppers, MerchantCircle offers the online advantage of being the first to find discounts and deals for participating local merchants. according to the site, “.. local shoppers’ usage of online coupons has jumped more than 140% in the past year.” That’s why they created “MerchantCircle Neighbors program.” For instance I searched Pizza in my hometown. 41 pizza places were listed, all of who I could “follow” for discounts and deals. Also, I can join the “neighborhood” and write reviews of local businesses and post a question for my local businesses to answer. Not to mention the accessibility to online coupons.
With their emphasis on promoting local business, MerchantCircle is a valuable link for local businesses and their shoppers. It might be love at first site.
Commenting is no longer available for this entry.