Business Owners: 5 Fast, Easy Steps to Better Connect with Customers

When Belmont Patch launched back in April of 2010, editors and freelancers ventured to local businesses in order to collect information for our directory. Now, Patch places is a spot where users can find descriptions, hours, accepted payment methods, and much more for spots around town.

All users can add events taking place at local spots, can rate the business on a scale of one to five stars, and can add a review. But owners of local businesses get extra bonuses when they claim a listing.

HOW TO CLAIM YOUR LISTING:

1. Visit your local Patch site. If you're already a user, make sure you log in first.
2. Click on the "Places" tab at the top of the page.
3. Search for your business/organization and click on it.
4. Scroll half down the page to where it says, "Do you own or manage this location? Claim it!" Click on "Claim It."
5. Login and complete the four-question form providing all necessary information to expedite your claim

Once the business is claimed, there are several options for managing your listing like checking stats, making edits and adding info and media.

Your Stats: Here you can see how many users have rated, reviewed or follow your listing. You can e-mail your customers to seek out more reviews, and link the Patch Place to your Facebook or Twitter account.

Edit Listing: Add photos, website information, hours of operation, contact information and more under the "basic info" tab. Though some information cannot be changed, you can request a new description if you think your business is inaccurately described.

Choose "extra info" to add information like the founding date of your business, what kinds of payments you accept, if there's street parking or a lot, and much more. 

Manage Photos & Media: Here you can add and edit photos and choose which image is featured. If you have video or PDFs, you would add that here too. 

Reviews: You can see what people have to say about your business.

Free Tools: Post events and add job openings to our classifieds section, also known as the Marketplace.

Paid Tools: You can upgrade your listing with a video profile, add a message from the owner and become a featured business on the Places page for a fee. Learn more about these options and how to get in touch with a sales team member.

So claim your listing today to help keep Patch users up to date with your company and keep your listing looking fresh. We take claiming very seriously, so please allow 3-5 business days for us to evaluate and approve your claim. You will be notified via email once it is approved.

For questions about listings, email me at franklin@patch.com