• by Tanya Gazdik , June 10, 2009

Bank of America is partnering with Yahoo to build visibility online with the small-business community.

It's no secret that online entrepreneurship can be a rewarding and liberating experience, but it can also be a bit scary, especially if you're trying to make a living off of it in this economy. This is a good example of how advertisers are turning to Yahoo for more than a typical search or display ad buy, according to a Yahoo spokesperson.

The campaign, which launches this week, includes a social media push in which Kevin Salwen, former reporter, columnist, and national small business editor at The Wall Street Journal, will lead live Q&A sessions in Yahoo Answers -- giving small business owners a chance to get free advice. The series of four discussions begins June 22. Salwen will answer approximately 25 questions during the week for each event and will participate in live Q&A sessions.

The best question received during each Q&A, as determined by Salwen, will receive search advertising credits on Yahoo as well as a 45-minute phone conversation with Salwen. The winner will also be featured in the Yahoo Small Business Center.

Other aspects of the campaign include the creation of a Yahoo Small Business Answers Center built exclusively for and sponsored by Bank of America. The site, at http://smallbusinessanswers.yahoo.com, went live this week -- and features Yahoo Answers content, Yahoo editorial integration and Bank of America content, resources and community. Salwen will write three original articles to be featured on the site.

Each Q&A session will be supported with media promotion throughout the Yahoo Network. The Small Business Answers Center will be featured in Search Monkey results, Yahoo Search's open platform.

Yahoo, Bank of America, and their ad agency Starcom have worked together on a variety of innovative online media programs across the search and display landscape. Previous to this effort, Bank of America has run other media campaigns to target small business owners. On Yahoo, these have been display campaigns using advanced targeting platforms and search campaigns, said a Yahoo spokesperson.