Yahoo, MerchantCircle to help local businesses

LOS ALTOS, USA: MerchantCircle, the largest online network of local business owners in the nation, has announced a partnership with Yahoo that allows MerchantCircle members exclusive access to Yahoo! Local online marketing services. As a Yahoo 'Local Ambassador', MerchantCircle will promote Yahoo-specific products to its ever-growing online business network of more than 525,000 local businesses. The program is set to begin at the end of summer.

"Yahoo is one of the most important brands on the Internet, one that really appeals to our local business members. Local business owners tell us they want to advertise on Yahoo! to get more local customers to their storefront," says Darren Waddell, Vice President of Marketing, MerchantCircle. "This partnership creates an important product option in our growing suite of advertising products for local merchants."

"I love the fact MerchantCircle has so many tools and advertising products I can choose from. There's different levels of opportunity depending on how much you want to be involved," says Vickie Wills, CandleStick Farm in Watertown. "Many of the businesses in my town have been forced to shut down with the troubled economy. I've been able to grow my business and find customers outside my town using MerchantCircle's suite of products."

Since revamping and increasing its breadth of online advertising products in December 2007, MerchantCircle's paying customers have increased by a factor of 10X. The new Yahoo! offering will be offered alongside other online marketing services including Search Engine Marketing, Online Business Verification, Local Content Creation and Local Directory Submission.