Twitter has partnered with American Express to offer both customers early access to an online advertising platform for small businesses.
Set to launch late March, the first 10,000 eligible businesses that register will receive $100 in free Twitter advertisements when using the platform.
The move marks a further step in Twitter’s plans to expand revenue from advertising including promoted Twitter messages and accounts.
On the signup page, Twitter has also announced the offer, inviting American Express card members and merchants to try “our new advertising solution for small businesses”.
Twitter’s online self-service platform has been expected for some time, but will be initially available to businesses with a billing address in the U.S., who have never advertised on Twitter before.
The program is currently open to American Express card members and merchants who use Twitter to send business news and updates to their followers and who actively interact with other Twitter users through facilities on the service, Twitter said.
Twitter is currently running a beta with a few advertisers of some of its programs such as Promoted Tweets which are priced on a “cost-per-engagement” basis, so that businesses pay only when an user “retweets, replies to, clicks or favorites” a Promoted Tweet.
Promoted Accounts feature in Twitter searches and “who to follow” recommendations.
Last month, Twitter bought Internet security firm Dasient which introduced in 2010 a service to protect advertisement networks and publishers from malicious ads.
https://ads.twitter.com/amex/
