Thursday, May 31, 2012

Feature Your Business

Make your business more successful and recognizable among your community, right now.  Interact with non-profit organizations, the people who work there and their supporters.  Mingle with other business owners and their customers.   Publish an offer to your business for any discount you want to as many or as few people as you want.  Be a catalyst for donations to non-profits and the betterment of your community.

HOW?

Unlock the potential of your business by creating a Merchant Page for your business on SoRewarding.com.  You’ll be joining fellow merchants, great non-profits and potentially new customers on the site.  We like to think of it as a utopia, a setting for the growth of your business and the strengthening of our community.

Growing your business has never been SoRewarding.  Join our community today by making a personal profile and then adding a Merchant Page for your business. 

Questions?  Find us here:  contact@sorewarding.com

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Make a difference today. Make a difference tomorrow. Make a difference now.

I think it goes without saying that many of us take for granted what Non-Profit organizations do for us, our kids and our community.  It is commonplace for non-profits to work behind the scenes, quietly providing help and care to hundreds, thousands, sometimes millions of people.  Not for accolades or recognition but based on the principle of humanity and to lessen the suffering of others.

At SoRewarding.com we have 15 non-profit partners.  We believe that each one of these profits offers positivity, happiness and immeasurable value to our communities.  You can learn about our non-profit partners by visiting each of their pages.  For example, the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado page can be found here:  http://www.sorewarding.com/page/big-brothers.

Non-profit pages make it easy to find a mission statement or get information like website or phone number, but the BEST part is that you can DONATE directly to your favorite organization through their page on SoRewarding.com!  Look at the picture below that shows the Mile High Leaps andBounds non-profit page, you’ll notice a ‘Donate’ button.


You can log-in to SoRewarding.com and make a donation to any of your favorite non-profit organization with the click of a button!  We like to think this will help raise awareness and increase donations made to these wonderful organizations and people who make so many things possible for the less fortunate.  Visit SoRewarding.com … save money, connect with your community and make a difference today.

Friday, May 25, 2012

Icons and browsing SoRewarding.com

There are many features on SoRewarding that we have implemented in the hopes of improving the functionality of our site and making your experience as enjoyable as possible.  One feature to keep in mind is the different icons on our merchant pages.  Our icon’s work as an easy visual reminder of what each page has to offer to our users.  When you’re using the search bar to find your favorite merchant or a non-profit and stumble across a few icons you don’t recognize, simply hover over them to get a quick description.

Here’s a quick run-down and description of our most popular Merchant Page icons:

    • The icon above is simple.  If you see this icon on a page it means this is a merchant page that has NOT yet been claimed by the owner but has been added by a member of the SoRewarding community

    • The icon above signifies that this merchant is a Registered Merchant of SoRewarding.  In other words, the owner of the business is in control of this page and may respond to your reviews, questions and compliments.  So be nice!

    • The icon above is the holy grail of our merchant icons.  If a merchant page has this icon it means that they have enabled their consumer driven deals.  That means, SEND DEAL REQUESTS!  No, really, you can create a deal with any merchant that has this icon.  You can customize your deal how you want it, even including the percentage off!




How to Send Deal Requests and Create a Deal with a merchant:


  • After finding a merchant page by using the search bar on the homepage, create a deal with them right then!  All you do is click on the ‘Create a Deal!’ link (shown above) and fill out a few fields and presto, you’re done!

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Merchants: Publish your own deals on the SoRewarding homepage!

Are you a business owner? Do you want to publish your own deals on the SoRewarding homepage, but don’t want to wait for someone to send a deal request to you? 
SoRewarding is not only the home of Consumer Driven Deals, we're also one of the only places that's automated the process for merchants to publish their own deals. Getting started is easy, just follow these simple instructions:
  • In order to publish your own deals on the SoRewarding homepage, you must have a SoRewarding profile and a page for your business. Next, you must enable your Consumer Driven Deals feature, which will allow you to receive deal requests from consumers and publish your own deals.
    Click the links to learn how to do each.
  • After you’ve logged in, make sure you’re using SoRewarding as your business. Click Menu and then click the Dashboard button.
  • Once you’re on the Dashboard for your business, click “Publish a Deal.” This will open up a calendar for you to select the day you’d like your deal to publish on.

  • After you’ve selected the day you want your deal to run on the SoRewarding homepage, the rest of the “Publish a Deal” form will open up. Your default deal settings will automatically populate. 

  • Just fill in the fields with the details of the deal you want to publish and then click “Add the Deal.” You’re done! Your deal will publish on the date you selected. You can even enter your customers' email addresses and share this deal with them!

Merchants: How to Enable the Consumer Driven Deals feature for your business

The first step to driving new and existing customers to your business is enabling your Consumer Driven Deals! 
Getting started is easy, just follow these instructions:
  • Before you can enable your Consumer Driven Deals, you must have a merchant page for your business. If you haven't done so already, click here to learn how.
  • After you’ve been verified as the owner/authorized manager of your business, you can enable your Consumer Driven Deals feature. First, make sure you’re using SoRewarding as your business. After logging in, click Menu and underneath Use SoRewarding as:, select your business page. 

  • Now that you're using SoRewarding as your business, click Menu again and then click Dashboard. Next, click the Enable Consumer Driven Deals button.
  • There are 2 parts to enabling your Consumer Driven Deals. 
    • First, you must agree to the Terms and Conditions. Just check the box saying “I agree…”
    • Second, you'll set up your default deal settings. Each time you accept or publish a deal, this information will appear on the page for your deal. You'll have the opportunity to change/edit this info each time, but to save time, this is the info that will automatically populate every time.


If you're confused about something when filling out your default deal settings, just hover your cursor over the question mark icons. A tip will appear that will tell you what to enter in that field.


    After agreeing to the Terms & Conditions and entering your default deal settings, click "Save" and you're ready to go! You'll receive an email alert when you get a deal request with instructions on how to respond. You'll only have about 24 hours to respond, so once you get that email alert, you should respond sooner rather than later.

    If you accept or counter-offer a deal request, here's an example of what your deal page will look like. The area circled in purple is where your highlights will appear, the area circled in green is where your fine print will appear, and the area circled in blue is where your ad copy will appear. The pictures you add (up to 4) will cycle every 5 seconds.


    You can also publish your own deals on the SoRewarding homepage after you've enabled your Consumer Driven Deals! To learn how to do this, click here.

    Wednesday, May 23, 2012

    How to get your business on SoRewarding

    Setting up a merchant page for your business on SoRewarding is easy! Just follow the simple instructions below. Click on the pictures for a closer look.
    • First, you’ll need to create a personal profile. From your personal profile, you can add pages for businesses and/or non-profits.  You’ll manage your pages from your personal profile.
    • After creating a profile, log in and click "Menu" in the top right corner. Then click “Add a Page” from the dropdown menu.

    • Select “Merchant.”
    • Fill out the form with information about your business.  Under “Relationship to Business,” if you select I’m the owner of this business or I’m a/the manager at this business, a “page claim” will be sent to SoRewarding. A SoRewarding representative will follow up with you to verify your identity as owner/manager of the business. This is a measure taken to prevent people misrepresenting your business and running fraudulent deals under your business name. After verification, you’ll be able to enable your Consumer Driven Deals feature and start receiving deal requests/publishing your own deals!
    • While waiting for verification, you can view and edit your merchant page. To edit or add info to your page, simply click the “Edit Page” button and then click the info you want to edit.



    As soon as you've been verified, you can enable your Consumer Driven Deals! Then, you can start receiving deal requests from customers or publish your own deals on the SoRewarding homepage. 
    To learn how to enable your Consumer Driven Deals, click here.

    Thank You!

    Hi Friends,

    Hopefully at least a few of you caught us on the local news in Denver.  We were on CBS channel 4 last week, which as you know (if you live in Denver) is the equivalent to being nominated for and winning an Oscar on Primetime television!

    We are extremely flattered to be recognized by CBS4 and Denver as a company they deemed worthy to have a spot on the nightly news.  This only reinforces our commitment and dedication to connecting our communities and rewarding our users.  We didn’t get here without any help; we couldn’t possibly show enough appreciation to the city of Denver, our blog readers, Facebook fans, Twitter followers, SoRewarding users and YOU!  All the thanks in the world, you guys are truly great and we couldn’t have done it without your support.

    We’re overjoyed with the reception we have received thus far and our optimistic about the future!  If you didn’t catch the piece on CBS4, you can find it here:  http://denver.cbslocal.com/2012/05/18/new-website-allows-customers-to-create-own-savings/#.T7qngXnX-jQ.twitter

    Until next time… SoRewarding, out!

    Tuesday, May 22, 2012

    The RewardingCrew

    Hey guys!  I want to share some news with everyone about an exciting new development at SoRewarding.  (Drum Roll) ….

    It’s the RewardingCrew!  So, what is the RewardingCrew you ask?  It’s simple, instead of having a hangover and a ludicrous credit card receipt the morning after a night of partying.  You’ll now still have a hangover BUT also a sense of self-satisfaction by knowing that you and your friends Partied For a Purpose!

    What purpose, you ask?  Well, at each of our RewardingCrew parties we select one of our non-profit partners to be the star of the evening.  As the party goes on till the wee hours of the morning, and some of us take the early cab home, this Non-Profit will receive donations from patrons and proceeds from the purchases made that night! 

    All the usual suspects will be there, booze, socializing, lost phones, laughs, tears, joy, BUT in addition to these things we Party for a Purpose.  Finally, it is our turn to reward these people who do so much to positively change and impact the world!  Now that we’ve whet your palate and you’re eagerly waiting to find out the location of our next RewardingCrew party…  

    Stay tuned for more… COMING SOON!  

    Monday, May 21, 2012

    Good Monday everyone!

    Monday’s can be rough, we know.  How about brightening the prospect for the week by getting yourself one of our Offers!

    How about a phenomenal lunch at Aria for 50% off?  Aria is located in Cherry Creek North and has a beautiful outdoor patio, perfect for Denver summers!  Enjoy a world-class lunch delicately prepared by the chefs at Aria, the food is outstanding.  Make a day out of it and pick up some groceries at Whole Foods, did I mention you could get those for 50% off as well?  Well, you can and it’s redeemable at any Whole Foods Market location in Colorado.

    Let SoRewarding brighten your week, reward yourself with a few excellent offers and make a positive impact on your community by choosing which non-profits we donate to!  How about Big Brothers Big Sisters?  Reward yourself and your community… visit SoRewarding.com today.

    Don’t forget, if you don’t see any offers that interest you, create your own!  If we don’t have a merchant that you’d like an offer from, suggest them!  The SoRewarding team is at your beck and call to make your life easier and to make your community more enjoyable.  Have a fabulous Monday and a great rest of the week.

    Friday, May 18, 2012

    Enjoy Colorado this weekend!

    In keeping with our commitment to spam our readers with worthless junk every single day, we want to make sure you know about:  Estes Park to host 22nd Jazz Fest May 19-20! 

    As you all know, and should go without mention - this is not junk, Estes Park is an absolutely stunning place.  The natural beauty of a city like Estes, is second to none.  So get out this weekend and have some fun in a beautiful setting, enjoy jazz at its best while being surround by the mountains and nearby the river.

    Max Wagner, who was quoted by the article, says:  "The program is eclectic and varied because jazz is," Wagner continues, "There's something for everyone in it.”

    If jazz just isn’t your cup of tea, there will also be an Art Walk!  So enjoy living in this wonderful state we call, Colorado, and get out there!  Have a fun & safe weekend.

    What:     Estes Park Jazz Fest & Art Walk
    When:    Noon-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, May 19-20.
    Where:   Performance Park, 417 W. Elkhorn Ave., Estes Park.
    Cost:       FREE!
    Info:        Call 557-9900

    Create the deals you want.  Support the causes you love.

    Thursday, May 17, 2012

    Get yo'self a reward of a deal!

    Today, I wanted to do a little blog entry to help my fellow Denverites.  I should clarify, by help, I mean saving you money at some of the best restaurants in our awesome community.  Not only save you money, but give you the opportunity to select a worthy non-profit to receive donations from us.

    You like saving money and helping people, right?  Excellent.  Everybody likes to spend less and help their community become a better place.  Sometimes it’s just not the easiest thing to do, but I think we’ve helped make doing both saving money and helping people, as easy as pie. 

    Log-on to SoRewarding.com and spend less at your favorite places while making a positive impact in your neighborhood, with a few clicks of your mouse!  Create a deal with any of our merchants, like Japon, Whole Foods, Indulge Bistro & Wine Bar, Belvedere, and the list goes on.  Creating a deal is easy, a simple 4-steps and you’re done!  You’ll be notified within 24 hours on the status of your request.

    We think this is a fun, interactive, and beneficial way for the community to become more connected and for people to spend less so they can do more!  Also, because you’re creating the deal, it’ll be exactly what you want.  Join us on SoRewarding.com and create your own deal today!

    Create the deals you want.  Support the causes you love.

    Wednesday, May 16, 2012

    Connecting the city

    Exciting news to share – Denver, there will be a new Light Rail!

    This is great news for any Denverite as the city will be that much more accessible by public transportation.  That translates to visiting new places, trying new things and enjoying more of what Denver has to offer.

    As quoted from the article:  “Planners say Denver Union Station will serve as a multimodal transportation hub, integrating light rail, commuter rail, and intercity rail (Amtrak), as well as regional, express, and local bus service, the 16th Street mall shuttle, Downtown Circulator, and intercity buses, taxis, shuttles, vans, limousines, bicycles and pedestrians.”

    Besides the fact that this strengthens our community, there is another positive.  This positive is pretty exciting, wait for it, “A lunch time grand opening celebration for the Light Rail Plaza at Denver union Station will be held Friday, May 18, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.”   Celebrate! 

    There will be festivities at Denver Union Station, starting with a concert by Electric Hammer at 11:30 a.m. and finishing off with a Roz Brown performance at 12:40 p.m.  Bring some snacks and have a great afternoon.  Be there or be square.

    Article:  http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_20636387/denvers-union-station-host-light-rail-plaza-party

    Tuesday, May 15, 2012

    Business owners! Have we got something for you…

    Based on speaking, listening and meeting with business owners… We proudly present to you: SoRewarding.com - Merchant Pages.  Our merchant pages give you a way to increase your exposure and get involved with your community!  

    See how our merchant pages look here:  Merchant Page, Get one!
    Check out a few of the features for Merchant Pages below!

    Publish your own deals
    • No more time spent working with sales representatives from a thousand deal companies.  Create customized deals that benefit you and your customers the most.

    Receive deal requests
    • Have requests sent directly to your business from paying customers.  Accept, reject, or counter-offer the requests with a click of a button from your mobile device or on SoRewarding.com.

    Enjoy new customers
    • SoRewarding brings you customers in your area to your business so that you can win them over and keep them coming back again and again.

    Get paid
    • You don’t need anything upfront to run a deal.  On the day your deal runs, buyers will pre-pay and you’ll get paid in full a few days later.

    Connect with your community
    • Each time an offer is purchased on SoRewarding.com, we donate to a local non-profit.  Your business will receive recognition for making these donations possible and gain exposure among the supporters of different charity organizations and the community as a whole.

    Monday, May 14, 2012

    Is this a good Offer, what’s this place like?

    I love having a great group of friends and co-workers to rely on for opinions, everything from how my shirt looks to what I should do this weekend.

    SoRewarding isn’t much different!  Our little community does a great job at expressing their opinions by writing reviews and sharing tips.  So now, when you’re considering buying an offer and naturally the question arises, “Is this a good Offer, what’s this place like?” you can find out in one-click on SoRewarding.com.  Our tips and reviews on Merchant pages give you useful information about a merchant.  Like, what are the best things they offer at this place, what should I avoid, where is this place, when is it open – all of this info can be found on SoRewarding!

    These reviews and tips are written by people just like you – Y’know beautiful, intelligent, sociable people.  We encourage people to share their experiences with friends on SoRewarding, whether it is a positive or negative one. We think it’s pretty neat that you can write reviews and share tips about Offers and merchants we have on SoRewarding.  Hop on SoRewarding, like literally jump, and let your voice be heard!

    Friday, May 11, 2012

    How do you get exclusive offers and great deals to the best businesses in Denver?

    We hear it all the time, “I’d love to go to that sushi place, it’s just so darn expensive!”
    SoRewarding is here to be the shining light at the end of the tunnel, your saving grace, the jelly to your peanut-butter, the milk to your Oreo cookie… I think you get the gist.
    Seriously, you can log-in to SoRewarding.com and suggest a merchant you’d like to get deal from, did I mention it takes less than 2 minutes?  We’ll do our magic to get the merchant on-board and presto!  You’ll be able to request deals directly from the merchant and take advantage of exclusive offers they publish to SoRewarding.
    How do I Suggest a merchant?  On the city page directly below the current offers from Whole FoodsWild Bangkok and others – there is a search bar.  Type the name of your favorite places in that search bar, if your place doesn’t show up, click the suggest button that appears under the search bar.  From there, answer a few questions and you’re done!  We’ll send you an Email when the business you suggested joins.
    Get on SoRewarding and let us know who you’d like to get Offers from.  We’ll make it happen.  It’s that easy.  TGIF!  Everyone have a great weekend.  Check out SoRewarding for offers you can use this weekend, OH YEA make sure not to miss the Nuggets game on Saturday, May 12th at 10:30 PM ET.  #BEAT LA!

    Thursday, May 10, 2012

    Did you know merchants can publish their own deals on SoRewarding?

    Well, you can! And it's really easy, too.

    SoRewarding is not only the home of Consumer Driven Deals, but we're also one of the only places that has automated the process for merchants to publish their own deals. Getting started is simple:

    1. Join SoRewarding and create a page for your business: If you don't already have a SoRewarding account, visit SoRewarding.com to request an invitation. An invitation will be emailed to you. Create a personal account, and then from there you can create a merchant page for your business. Just click the arrow in the top right corner to get started creating your merchant page.
    2. Claim your business page: After creating a page for your business, go to the Dashboard and click "Claim Page." Enter the contact info and someone at SoRewarding will contact you to verify. We verify all of our merchants to prevent fraudulent deals being published.
    3. Enable your Consumer Driven Deals: After verification and your page is officially claimed, go to your dashboard and click "Enable Consumer Driven Deals." Agree to the Terms and Conditions, fill out your default deal settings, add pics and click "Save."
    4. Publish a Deal: Now that you've enabled your Consumer Driven Deals, you can publish your own deals on the SoRewarding homepage! To publish a deal, go to your Dashboard. Under "Deals," click "Publish a Deal." Select the day you want your deal to appear on the homepage and then fill out the details. Click "Add the deal" and you're set! 
    Here's an example of what your deal will look like:

    Need help? Hover your cursor over the question mark icons and a helpful tip will appear. 

    Charity: Water

    Hi Everyone,

    Today I wanted to share some information with you about a great non-profit known as Charity Water.  I learned about their cause only a few days ago and am so excited to be able and share their mission.  If you have been on the fence about supporting a Non-profit and you’re looking for a cause to support, this may be it.  As stated on Charity Water’s website:

     “90% of the 30,000 deaths that occur every week from unsafe water and unhygienic living conditions are of children under five years old. Many of these diseases are preventable. The UN predicts that one tenth of the global disease burden can be prevented simply by improving water supply and sanitation.”

    Most of us in developed nations are very fortunate and we sometimes forget that much of the developing world still doesn't have access to one of the most basic necessities of life; water.   I know I’m not much different than everyone else; I fill my Nalgene with clean, precious water, without thinking twice.  After learning about Charity Water, it is evident how lucky I am.  Putting myself in the shoes of the less fortunate, I don’t think I’ve ever been really, really thirsty.  I’ve never had to leave my house and walk five or ten miles to fetch some water.  But still, there are billions of people on the planet who don’t have clean water.  They need our help.

    Charity Water makes a significant, positive impact improving the quality of life for millions of people throughout the world.  Our CEO at SoRewarding has felt so strongly about the cause, he has personally donated to Charity Water.  Now, the entire SoRewarding Staff is eager to get involved and help Charity Water to provide less fortunate people, who didn’t ask for polluted water, clean and nourishing water.  This water will go a long way in health, sanitation, disease prevention and the growth of their community.  As you all know, that is what SoRewarding is all about.  Bringing communities together and helping provide a bright future by donating to outstanding Non-Profits, such as Charity Water.

    I hope that I’ve shared some information with you today, which will make us all more grateful and appreciative about the things we take for granted.  Hopefully we can have Charity Water soon be one of our Non-Profits on SoRewarding so that each of us can help this wonderful cause and help millions across the globe.

    Until next time… Reward yourself and your community.  Visit SoRewarding.com

    Wednesday, May 9, 2012

    The things someone in Denver should do...

    Good afternoon all!

    Today at SoRewarding, all the talk around the water cooler was about Denver and how wonderful this city is to live in.  This made us all think, what are among the best things to do in Denver? 

    After some discussion and asking for opinions from our friends, we’ve got a list!  Of course there are a ton of  great things to do in Denver, but amongst the top in our humble opinion are as follows.  A show at red rocks, a reindeer sausage with cream cheese and sautéed onions from Biker Jim’s Dogs, and a trip to Rocky Mountain National Park.  Luckily, I’ve had the privilege of doing all of these things and can say honestly say they were more than worthwhile!  Time for a shameless plug, if you’re reading this, you can hop on SoRewarding and check out Biker Jim’s Dogs and request an offer for yourself!

    So, how’s that for a list of great things to do, Denver?  If you have some suggestions, we’d love to hear them!  Drop us a comment and let us know.

    Until next time… Reward yourself and visit SoRewarding.com

    Tuesday, May 8, 2012

    Our Non-Profit Partners!

    Hey guys,

    Our week is off to a great start here at the SoRewarding offices!  As most of you know, and all of you should know, we have some great Non-Profit Partners at SoRewarding.  We are pleased that we have been able to raise money for these great charities in our community.  Not to mention, all of these donations have come at the hands of SoRewarding users who have been able to select the Non-Profit they would like SoRewarding to donate to.

    This stuff gives us a warm fuzzy feeling and keeps us motivated here at SoRewarding to provide you wonderful offers and outstanding Non-Profits to select from.  We are all making a positive impact on our community and it has never been SoRewarding!

    Monday, May 7, 2012

    It's raining.. It's cold.. It's a day for Thai!

    Hey gang!  So, pretty miserable weather in Denver right now… BUT not all is lost.  Hit up Wild Bangkok downtown and get a bowl of warm Wild Pumpkin Soup!   A homemade Thai style organic pumpkin soup sure to turn this dreary day around, oh did I mention we have an offer available at SoRewarding for Wild Bangkok?  Get this sweet offer and enjoy some warm, soothing and delicious soup!  In addition to the soup, get yo'self some Coco Salmon.. it's off the charts.

    Until next time... stay rewarded my friends.  Support your community, support a non-profit, enjoy some great stuff while saving money!

    Tuesday, May 1, 2012

    Our first offers!

    Hey Folks!

    How’s everybody doing?  Good, I hope.  As you’d expect, today is just another rewarding day here at SoRewarding… not only because we got to have pizza for lunch but because since our launch, we’ve had great Merchants and users sign-up for our site!  As of now, we have two offers running on our homepage – Whole Foods & Belvedere.  The cool part is that both of these offers were requested by users on our site and merchants responded!  That is what we are all about, providing users the offers they want, when they want them.  We are looking forward to the future and are hopeful about more and more merchants joining SR.

    Overall, we are super-pumped about helping non-profits, providing our users with awesome deals and giving our merchants increased exposure!  We hope to see you on SoRewarding… keep an eye out for more updates to come!

    Until then, have a rewarding day and stay positive.

    Sincerely,
    Your Friends at SoRewarding