Making the Most of Patch

What is Patch?

Simply put, Patch is a forum where you can find out about, and participate in, what’s going on in Buffalo Grove.

We’re a community-specific news and information platform dedicated to providing comprehensive and trusted local coverage for individual towns and communities.

We want to make your life better by giving you quick access to the information that’s most relevant to you.

Patch makes it easy to:

• Keep up with news and events
• Look at photos and videos from around town
• Learn about local businesses
• Participate in discussions
• Submit your own announcements, photos, and reviews

Buffalo Grove Patch launched in September 2010. There are now more than 900 Patch sites across the county. Visit www.patch.com to learn more or to find a Patch in a different town!

Who is behind Buffalo Grove Patch?

Cristel Mohrman is the editor for Buffalo Grove Patch. Prior to Patch, she worked as a reporter and managing editor at Pioneer Press and as a writer/editor at a trade association. She’s covered a little bit of everything and strongly believes in community journalism as a way to keep a community informed and connected.

Along with a team of professional journalists with decades of experience, Cristel is always looking for great stories to share through articles, pictures or video.

E-mail Cristel at anytime to share your thoughts or story ideas at cristel@patch.com.

Where do you come in?

We hope that our sites will strengthen communities and improve the lives of their residents, but we can’t do it without you. We’ve built Patch so that you have plenty of opportunities to comment on stories, share your opinions, post photos and announcements, and add events to the community calendar.

Here are some examples of how you can get involved on Buffalo Grove Patch:

• First off, if you are not signed up to use the site, take a minute to do that now! It’s quick, easy and free. Go to buffalogrove.patch.com and click on the “sign up” button in the top right corner.
• Once you are logged in, you can add photos to stories and share your thoughts by posting comments. We would love to hear from you!
• Do you have an upcoming event or fundraiser you would like the community to know about? You can post it directly to our calendar at http://buffalogrove.patch.com/search/events.
• We launched our Local Voices platform in April 2011 and we are always looking for more people to contribute to the site and share their expertise and thoughts with the community. This is where you can share opinions, observations, announcements, photos, and more. Find the latest contributions here and create your own post here.
• Keep up with all the latest news and discussions by subscribing to our free, daily e-newsletter and breaking news alerts!

Tools for Business Owners/Managers

1. All businesses within a Patch town get a free listing. The first thing you'll want to do is claim your business lising on Patch. This gives you more control over your web presence. You can make changes, add photos and solicit reviews on your listing. To find your listing, click the "Directory" tab on the homepage. Then search for your listing and click "Claim Your Listing" and fill out the form to gain access to your listing.

• Here's more information about business listings

2. Business owners are encouraged to display a Patch window cling, which reminds customers to post reviews on their listings. You can also personally ask customers to post reviews, or share the link to your listing on your website or social media accounts.

3. Use Local Voices to share your news and expertise. Are you holding a fundraiser? Want to share tips with the community? You can post announcements, photos and blogs in Local Voices.

• Learn How to Share Your News and Views on Patch!

4. Is your business on Facebook or Twitter? Buffalo Grove Patch is active on both social media platforms. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to start interacting with Patch and its fans/followers!

Advertise on Patch

Patch sites are supported by advertisements from local, regional and national companies. Products include clickable banner ads, videos, newsletter ads, out-of-town directory listings and more.

Click here for more information on how to promote your business by advertising on Patch, or contact Noel Hennessy at noel.hennessy@patch.com or (847) 532-0846.