Stay Local! Upgrades Website

December 1, 2011

Stay Local! businesses spoke, and we listened.

In a survey conducted last spring we asked listed businesses what they valued most about their affiliation with Stay Local!, and what we could do to improve our services. We learned that you value your listing on staylocal.org above everything else we do, but wanted more control over your listing.

To that we say, Ta-da! Welcome to our improved website, where you have the keys to your own business listing. Now, you can change your business content directly rather than go through a middle man (i.e. Stay Local staff) to do so. Your business moved? New phone number? Want to change up the description or added meta descriptions that will improve your Search Engine Optimization? Just log in. Your password-protected account is all yours.

We also learned that respondents appreciate our campaigns to promote independent businesses and raise awareness of their contributions to the community. They recognized significant benefits from their Stay Local! affiliation, through staylocal.org, our neighborhood guides, co-op ads in traditional print media, and social media platforms.

In fact, respondents indicated a willingness to pay for their membership if it meant increased effectiveness and expanded programming. To that end, we have restructured our membership to drop annual membership dues from $200 to as little as $50 annually (or $5/month) and have created a straightforward online system for membership purchases and renewals. Now you are a true partner in Stay Local!, and have a say in helping steer our course so that our advocacy and programming efforts are always relevant to you.

Of course, a free basic listing will always be an option, but when you see what membership provides in the way of increased visibility, you will want to upgrade your Stay Local! Start-Up listing by joining at the Entrepreneur or Placemaker levels.

Welcome to your website. Take it for a spin and let us know how it rides.