Twitter advertising now available to SMBs

Small businesses that use American Express, and Cardmembers, can now feature promotions and messages more prominently in their customers' Twitter timelines, and find new customers by promoting Tweets.

This week Twitter has begun notifying eligible Cardmembers and small businesses who registered for access to the social media site's new small business solution that they can now begin advertising.

Participating businesses will be able to use Promoted Accounts and Promoted Tweets to better interact with the companies and people they want to reach.

The first 10,000 eligible Cardmembers and small businesses will receive $100 in free Twitter advertising, courtesy of American Express, although whether that number has already been attained is not mentioned.

Initially the Promoted Products for Small Businesses solution will be available to a small group of businesses but will be made more widely available over the next few weeks.

American Express Cardmembers and small businesses can still register for access. Applicants must use Twitter to Tweet business news and updates to their Followers and actively engage with and respond to other Twitter users through Mentions, ReTweets and Replies. Furthermore, it is only accessible by those with a U.S. billing address that has never before advertised on Twitter.

Tags: microblogging, small business, social marketing, social media, Twitter