— Yahoo! (NASDAQ:YHOO) and American Express (NYSE:AXP) today announced a new phase of their partnership, offering small business owners access to tools and content that will help them grow their businesses. The new features will live within the newly created Business Solutions website (BusinessSolutions.yahoo.com) sponsored by American Express OPEN and located within Yahoo! Small Business.
The Business Solutions microsite will offer Yahoo! Small Business users access to American Express OPEN’s newest products, including:
- AcceptPay, an online payment and invoicing solution;
- SearchManager, a platform to manage pay-per-click campaigns in one place; and
- InsuranceEdge, a new way to do real-time quote comparisons and purchase customized business insurance.
In addition, the Business Solutions site will provide users access to OPEN Forum from American Express OPEN, an online community designed to help small business owners run their businesses. OPEN Forum content will be featured on the site including articles and video interviews with the world’s leading entrepreneurs. Virgin Group’s Sir Richard Branson and designer Diane von Furstenberg are among the businesspeople who share their insights through the site’s video forum.
“This partnership is a perfect example of how Yahoo! can create custom programs with our advertising partners,” said Mitch Spolan, vice president of North American field sales at Yahoo!. “Our goals were to work with American Express OPEN to create an online experience that would engage the small business audience, enhance the American Express OPEN brand, and reach a massive audience — and this project accomplished all three goals.”
The Business Solutions website initiative is the latest launch from the Yahoo! and American Express’s small business partnership, which also includes American Express OPEN’s integration into the Merchant Solutions section of Yahoo! Small Business, showcasing products such as AcceptPay.
“Integrating American Express OPEN into Yahoo! Small Business allows us to reach and connect with new customers,” said Scott Koehler, vice president of Digital Marketing, American Express OPEN. “Partnering with Yahoo! has allowed us to further amplify our OPEN Forum content and promote our new business product offerings like AcceptPay, SearchManager and InsuranceEdge. This partnership is an ideal way for us to continue to promote the OPEN brand as a vital resource for small business owners.”
Housed within Yahoo! Small Business, Business Solutions content will be integrated into relevant sites across the Yahoo! network, including Yahoo! News, Finance, and Local, to extend its reach to a targeted audience interested in small business topics. Further expansion of Business Solutions and the tools it offers is scheduled for early 2011.
About American Express OPEN
American Express OPEN is the leading payment card issuer for small businesses in the United States and supports business owners with products and services to help them run and grow their businesses. This includes business charge and credit cards that deliver purchasing power, flexibility, rewards, savings on business services from an expanded lineup of partners and online tools and services designed to help improve profitability. Learn more at www.OPEN.com and connect with us at openforum.com and twitter.com/openforum.
American Express is a global services company, providing customers with access to products, insights and experiences that enrich lives and build business success. Learn more at www.americanexpress.com and connect with us on www.facebook.com/americanexpress, www.twitter.com/americanexpress and www.youtube.com/americanexpress.
About Yahoo!
Yahoo! (NASDAQ:YHOO) is an innovative technology company that operates the largest digital media, content, and communications business in the world. Yahoo! keeps more than half a billion consumers worldwide connected to what matters to them most, and delivers powerful audience solutions to advertisers through its unique combination of Science + Art + Scale. Yahoo! is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. For more information, visit pressroom.yahoo.com or the company’s blog, Yodel Anecdotal (yodel.yahoo.com).
SOURCE: Yahoo!
