Business owners and managers: If you've ever wondered about how to increase your online visibility or social media presence, this is the event for you.

On Oct. 23, Northville Patch will hold its inaugural Main Street Meet-Up at the Northville Community Center at 5:30 p.m. Our event is expected to last about 90 minutes.

The informal, very Patchy — and free — gathering is aimed to give local business owners tips for increasing their online visibility on Patch and social media sites. We’ll serve light refreshments, give out free swag and more. Learning stations will help you learn about social media, business directories, blogging and other ways you can tell your story online.

We'll also soon announce a surprise expert speaker who will discuss do-it-yourself online marketing for businesses.

If you're interested in joining us, just fill out the information above.

We’ll be helping participating business owners claim their Patch Places business page on our site, a free service that you can use to better promote your business. And if you’re already an active Patch user, we’d still like you to come and help your fellow business owners and the Patch team learn more about what works when it comes to navigating the web.

If you're a new business that needs a listing created, click the green "Add it" button at the bottom of the Places page and fill out the form. Our directory team will get in touch with you in a couple of days when your listing is ready.

For more information, email Patch Ad Manager Susanne Spruit at susanne.spruit@patch.com or Local Editor Nancy Kelsey at nancy.kelsey@patch.com.

Would you like to meet with our ad manager for a brief 1:1 to discuss advertising? Just check 'yes' in the appropriate field above. Space for 1:1 meetings on Oct. 23 is limited but can also be scheduled for a later date.