Visa boosts Facebook's ad efforts with $100 credit for 20,000 businesses

Ed: Merging advertising, Facebook apps, and web services into a campaign to gain small business owners.

Visa boosts Facebook's ad efforts with $100 credit for 20,000 businesses

SAN FRANCISCO - Facebook Inc.'s quest to lure more advertisers to its popular online hangout is getting an assist from Visa Inc.'s marketing machine.

As part of a small-business network Visa designed for Facebook, the world's largest credit- and debit-card processor is paying for $2 million of advertising on the socializing site. Visa also will promote the new Facebook service in a multimedia marketing campaign beginning next month.

Visa is giving a $100 advertising credit on Facebook to each of the first 20,000 U.S. businesses that download the Web application needed to join the network, which debuts today. About 80,000 small businesses already have profiles on Facebook.

Visa's service is designed to provide small-business owners with tools and tips on attracting new customers, trimming costs and other ways to make more money. Businesses that belong to the Visa network on Facebook also will be able to communicate with each other to share ideas or even negotiate deals...

Visa boosts Facebook's advertising efforts with $100 credit for ... Sun-Sentinel.com - Fort Lauderdale,FL,USA