Online Marketing 101: Creating a MerchantCircle Listing

For those of you who have never heard about MerchantCircle congratulations, you have just discovered one of the webs best (and FREE) marketing/networking/social media sites available. All together there are 7 marketing tools that can be taken advantage of, the site can be integrated with Facebook and Twitter and you will have at your disposal 1.4 million other merchants to connect and network with. The site is large, very large, and finding your way around can be a bit of a challenge at first so please use this series of blogs as a reference to get the most out of your "Circle". 

This may seem like a lot, but should only take about 5 minutes to get your listing registered. Even if you choose to complete your profile right away, which I highly recommend, you're only looking at an additional 15-20 minutes on top of that.

Creating Your MerchantCircle Listing is as easy as visiting www.merchantcircle.com and entering your business phone number to see if a generic listing has already been created. These generic listings are pulled from local directories and lay dormant until the business ownerclaims them (similar to sites like Yelp). You can claim a pre-existing listing by clicking the big orange button on the left hand column (screen shot provided) which will bring you to a registration page. If your business does not have a generic listing created, you will be automatically bumped to the registration page. (screen shot provided).

Registering on MerchantCircle. about the Dos and Don'ts of writing a business description!! MerchantCircle does not have a word limit so you have free range to be as descriptive as you'd like, but beware the spam! MerchantCircle has a very low tolerance for keyword stuffing and spam and your listing will be removed if you violate they're Terms of Service. You then have the option to personalize your listing (if you so desire) and connect with a few local merchants.

IMPORTANT**You may be looking at the next page saying, "What the heck! I thought MerchantCircle was free!?" Well it is, you just have to know how to get there. On the "finish" page of the registration process, waaaaay down at the bottom right (by the talking lady), there will be a near illegible link that says "No Thanks. Take Me To My Dashboard". I have provided a screen shot of this page as well. As a fledgling listing, you do not need to pay. I've been a MC merchant for about two years and still haven't opted for any of the payed packages.

You will be asked to confirm your listing, which I recommend doing immediately as there will be a HUGE Yellow banner across your listing that says "Pending Approval" until you do. Edit Your Business Listing.

You will now be on your dashboard, and the first order of business should be to make your listing presentable by editing your business listing. There is a helpful "Profile Status" bar on the left that will let you know what still needs to be filled out and suggestions on what you could do next. Again, a screen shot has been provided.

Notes:

1. Under "Cities Served" you get 2 choices. Make sure you click the edit link and add an additional city! (You business' city will be the automatic first)
2. Under "Local Favorites" you do not need to choose a business within the category. For example, I am a favorite coffee shop to another merchant. This is a good way to promote a co-worker, network connection or sub-contractor. They do, however, need to be on MerchantCircle to be added as a favorite.
3. "Custom URL" will allow you to create a shorter url, similar to customizing your Facebook URL. Stay tuned for the next blog which will be all about navigating your gallery. 

Thanks for reading! Michele Gorham :)