DealChirp FAQ
Consumers
What is DealChirp?
Is DealChirp free?
Who uses DealChirp?
Why use DealChirp?
When should I rate or comment on a deal?
Who can see my comments?
Is there any way for me to track or store my favorite deals?
How can I share a deal with friends?
Other than visiting the site, how else can I be alerted to the latest deals?
Profile
How do I change my account information, such as email, screen name, or password?
Does DealChirp ever remove comments?
How do I store and view my favorite deals?
How do I invite friends to join DealChirp?
Privacy
What does DealChirp do with my personal information?
Businesses
Why should I use DealChirp?
How much does DealChirp cost?
How do I sign up for DealChirp?
Claiming Your Business
My business already has a profile on DealChirp. How do I claim my business?
How does DealChirp define “local”?
Deals & Advertising
What makes a great deal?
What tips can you provide for writing a deal?
How can I measure the success of my deal?
Someone commented on my deal. Now what should I do?
What other advertising opportunities does DealChirp offer businesses?
Does DealChirp offer co-op marketing?
Can I integrate DealChirp with my web site?
Consumers
Q: What is DealChirp?
A: Your one-stop shop for all the best deals, specials, and offers—presented by independent locally owned businesses. DealChirp enables consumers to find, rate, comment, and easily share deals with their friends.
Q: Is DealChirp free?
A: Yep! Consumers have free, anytime/anywhere access to all the latest local deals.
Q: Who uses DealChirp?
A: Anyone with a computer, cell phone, or other mobile device who wants to be in the know about the hottest local deals.
Q: Why use DealChirp?
A: Because everyone could use a great deal. In addition, you can:
- Find the hottest, most popular, and nearest deals in seconds.
- Rate your favorite deals and share them with friends.
- Support locally owned businesses.
Q: When should I rate or comment on a deal?
A: Anytime you think there’s something worth saying about a deal, we (and your fellow deal-seakers) would love to hear it. Only registered DealChirp users can leave comments.
Q: Who can see my comments?
A: Any user can view the comments that you post, which are attributed to your screen name, thus protecting your anonymity if so desired.
Q: Is there any way for me to track or store my favorite deals?
A: Yes, simply by clicking on "Favorites" right below the deal text. To see your list of Favorites at any time, you can go to My Account (top right corner) and then select "activity." There you can view your favorites and your comments.
Q: How can I share a deal with friends?
A: The best way is to use the Share link below every deal. This will open up a menu of options for sharing, including Facebook, Twitter, Digg, and Delicious. Choose one and the deal text will automatically populate (unless you aren’t yet logged in to that social media site, in which case you’ll be prompted to do so).
Q: Other than visiting the site, how else can I be alerted to the latest deals?
A: Check out our Deal Alerts page to follow us on Facebook and Twitter or to set up RSS feeds.
Profile
Q: How do I change my account information, such as email, screen name, or password?
A: Log in and mouse over the "My Account" link in the top right-hand corner of the page. Then click on the "account info" option that will appear below My Account. Edit your information on the account page and then save the changes by clicking on the "Update" link at the bottom of the page.
Q: Does DealChirp ever remove comments?
A: We certainly reserve the right to do so. It’s okay to "keep it real" and even be critical, but we will not tolerate comments that involve personal attacks, excessive vulgarity, bigotry, or hate speech.
Q: How do I store and view my favorite deals?
A: Each time you see a deal you like, click Favorite (immediately under the
deal text) while logged in. You can access all your favorites by going to My
Account and then selecting "activity."
Q: How do I invite friends to join DealChirp?
A: The best way to invite a friend is to share a deal with them via the "Share" link. Otherwise, shoot them an email, invite them to become a fan on our Facebook page, or recommend that they follow us on Twitter.
Privacy
Q: What does DealChirp do with my personal information?
A: We take privacy very seriously and we hate spam even more than you do. Please take the time to review our privacy policy so you can see exactly what we do (and more importantly, don’t do) with your personal information.
Businesses
Q: Why should I use DealChirp?
A: It’s easy to use, inexpensive, measureable, and reaches a broad range of local consumers. And DealChirp is one of the most powerful vehicles for promoting the local economy and driving support for locally owned businesses like yours.
Q: How much does DealChirp cost?
A: For Think Boise First members, our marketing platform costs $69/month. For non-Think Boise First members, the site costs $89/month. And we offer a special rate of $29/month for qualified non-profits.
Q: How do I sign up for DealChirp?
A: First, check to see if we have a basic business profile set up for you. It may save you some time. Simply follow these instructions:
- Enter the name of your business in the keyword search on the Business Profile page to see if your business currently has a basic profile created.
- If your business has a profile, then follow the steps in "Claiming Your Business" below.
- If your business does not have a profile, you’ll need to create an account.
- Once you’ve registered, we will call to confirm your account set-up.
- Upon telephone confirmation, we will activate your account and send you a confirmation email.
- Once that’s done, you can start posting deals! You can have as many as three active deals at a time.
Claiming Your Business
Q: My business already has a profile on DealChirp. How do I claim my business?
A: To claim your business, please follow these steps:
- Enter the name of your business in the keyword search on the Business Profile page to see if your business currently has a basic profile created.
- If you’ve found your business in the search, click on the business name to view the profile.
- On your business’ profile page, click on the "Is this your business?" link.
- Fill out the account registration information and then proceed to completing your profile.
- When you've submitted your registration, we will call to confirm your account set up.
- Upon telephone confirmation, we will activate your account and send you a confirmation email.
- Once that’s done, you can start posting deals! You can have as many as three active deals at a time.
Q: How does DealChirp define "local"?
A: We strongly believe in "getting it local," and we’ve partnered with Think Boise First, accepting only business customers who meet established criteria for being a locally owned, independent business.
In order to be eligible for DealChirp, a business must answer "yes" to all of the following questions:
- Does this business have a location in the Treasure Valley?
- Is this business privately held?
- Is this business registered in Idaho with no corporate or national headquarters outside of Idaho?
- Do the business owners, totaling 50% or more of the business ownership, live in Ada or adjoining counties? The counties adjoining Ada County are Boise, Canyon, Elmore, Gem, and Owyhee.
- Can the business make independent decisions regarding the name and look of your business?
- Can the business make independent decisions regarding all business purchasing, practices, and distribution?
- Does the business pay all of its own marketing fees, rent, and other business expenses without assistance from a corporate headquarters?
Deals & Advertising
Q: What makes a great deal?
A: Because DealChirp offers the ability to constantly test new messages, offers, images, and content, you will quickly learn what types of deals and messages are most effective. As a general rule, the success of your deals comes down to two things: time and money. Deals that offer consumers outright savings and convenience will attract attention. Good deals make consumers feel like they’ve been presented with a unique opportunity that more than justifies a purchasing decision. Limited-time offers speak to the psychology of opportunity and are effective in moving consumers to action.
Q: What tips can you provide for writing a deal?
A: First, use the short description to grab people’s attention and highlight the most compelling aspect of the offer. What benefits will the consumer derive from purchasing what you’re offering? How much is it being discounted? How quickly will the deal disappear? How many of the item are left?
Secondly, include additional details in the long description. Upload a deal-specific image that will further whet the consumer’s appetite. And if you have a web site that can provide additional information, be sure to include the link in this description.
Q: How can I measure the success of my deal?
A: If you’re logged in as a business owner, mouse over My Business in the top-right corner of the page. Then select "manage deals." You’ll be taken to a page that will display all of your deals (past and present), along with measures such as how many people viewed your deal, how many people liked your deal, and how many people commented on your deal. We intend to eventually add other success measures to this page.
Q: Someone commented on my deal. Now what should I do?
A: Obviously, if it’s a favorable comment, you should pat yourself on the back. If the comment is negative, you can certainly respond, though we highly recommend that you take a respectful tone toward the commenter. Obviously, if the person has provided misinformation, you’ll want to politely correct what has been stated. If the customer has shared a negative experience, you may want to invite the person to contact you directly so that you can resolve the problem offline.
Q: What other advertising opportunities does DealChirp offer businesses?
A: Whether you subscribe to DealChirp or not, you can purchase banner ad space on our home page. We will also offer in the near future the ability to feature your products or services in our email newsletter. In addition, to ensure that your deal reaches the maximum number of people through our different distribution network, you can pay an additional fee to ensure that we promote your deal through email, Facebook, and Twitter. And, we also offer opportunities for co-marketing (see below).
Q: Does DealChirp offer co-op marketing?
A: We have set aside a certain portion of our budget for co-op marketing, whereby we pool our money with our clients advertising dollars to maximize exposure for both your business and ours. Contact us to learn more.
Q: Can I integrate DealChirp with my web site?
A: As a matter of fact, you can. We offer a widget—basically a mini-version of the DealChirp site—that we can create for your web site. Whenever you post to DealChirp, your deal would also show up on your web site, as part of a real-time feed that would only show deals that you’ve posted. Contact us for more information.
