How Local Businesses Benefit from Patch

Dozens of local businesses have taken advantage of Patch's FREE business directory, including , , , and  to name a few.

The Patch directory, called Places is an area of the website where users can find out all they need to know about a business, including hours, directions and accepted payment methods. You can even rate the business!

Places gives business owners a unique opportunity to manage information about their business on Patch, a website that reaches a wide audience every day.

It's pretty intuitive, but here are some directions:

First sign in with your Patch account. (If you don't have one, it too is FREE – just click "Join" in the upper right corner of the Patch homepage.) Owners or managers can then search for their business listing and click the "Claim it!" button. A form will pop up asking for your name, contact information and proof of ownership.

You can also view our one-minute video that shows how easy it is. (You can see it by clicking the video attached to this article or by accessing it directly on YouTube.)

(If your business isn't listed, please email directorysupport@patch.com to have your business added. It's free!)

Within a few days, someone from Patch should contact you to verify your authenticity, and then you'll be approved as the business owner. Once approved, you'll have a "Manage Your Listing" button on the top of your Places page. Click the button to be taken to your dashboard.

From the dashboard, you can make changes and updates to your listing. On the left side of the dashboard you have several options: Your Stats, Edit listing, Manage Photos & Media, Reviews, Free Tools, Paid Tools, and Contact Sales.

Your Stats

Here you can see how many users have rated, reviewed or follow your listing. You can email 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. Some of this information cannot be changed, but 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.

Have more questions about claiming your listing? Email Corey Fyke at corey@patch.com or call him at 860-337-2824.