Google set to remain top target for search engine marketing

Google is set to remain the top target for online marketing after it increased the number of queries it handled during September.

Figures from comScore show the company's sites processed 10.59 billion explicit core searches from home, work and university locations last month, up three per cent on August.

Google remained well ahead of Yahoo!, which accounted for 2.68 billion queries, down two per cent from the previous survey.

Microsoft, which is taking on Yahoo!'s pay per click marketing accounts as part of the companies' Search Alliance deal, saw its site handle 1.79 billion explicit core searches in September, a three per cent increase on August.

Overall, comScore said Google accounted for 62.9 per cent of the total core searches conducted on the top five search engines last month.

Yahoo! had a 19.2 per cent share and Microsoft was on 12.5 per cent.

The top five was completed by the Ask Network on 3.4 per cent and AOL on two per cent.

LSF Interactive and KENSHOO Announce Partnership to Enhance Online Media Buying Offerings

LSF Interactive, a technology-focused global online marketing and media buying solutions and services company, today announced its partnership with KENSHOO, a global leader in search marketing and online advertising technology. The partnership brings together the custom optimization for which LSF Interactive is known and KENSHOO’s proprietary search marketing platform, offering unparalleled online media buying efficiency for client campaigns.

“This partnership helps position our organization at the forefront of online media buying, ahead of some of the largest paid search managers in the world,” said Daniel Laury, LSF Interactive’s president and CEO. “We will now be able to more quickly evaluate and react to data for client campaigns, and provide improved reporting and dashboarding capabilities, both in the U.S. and in Europe, giving LSF Interactive a significant edge in mastering large SEM campaigns on behalf of its clients.”

LSF Interactive will combine proprietary tools like Analytics+, and more than 10 years of search engine marketing experience, with KENSHOO’s industry-leading platform, KENSHOO Search™. The pairing will help make paid search campaigns more streamlined and ensure the most comprehensive and strategic approach is applied. It will also advance LSF Interactive’s goal of creating synergies between all online advertising options including paid search and display, and allow for proper attribution management.

The combined methodologies are being beta tested among select clients, and LSF Interactive plans to leverage a new platform for its global clients over the coming months.

“We’re thrilled that LSF Interactive has selected KENSHOO to power its paid search campaigns,” said Yoav Izhar-Prato, CEO of KENSHOO. “The KENSHOO Search™ platform will allow LSF to continue delivering innovative strategies and bottom-line results for its clients.”

Bradenton and Lakewood Ranch Online Marketing Seminar Offered by Manatee County Chamber of Commerce

Manatee County area businesses will have the opportunity to attend a joint educational event on the topic of "Mobile Marketing via Tagging", Tuesday October 12 in the Manatee Chamber's Lakewood Ranch Office at the McClure Center.

Online PR News – 11-October-2010 – Lakewood Ranch, FL - October 08, 2010 -- The Manatee Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Lakewood Ranch, is offering a FREE SEMINAR on "Tagging" on Tuesday, October 12, 2010 at 9:30 AM at the Chamber's Lakewood Ranch Office at the McClure Center, 4215 Concept Court.

Troy Newport of Webtivity Design Solutions and a representative from Lakewood Ranch / Microsoft will present information on 2D barcode technology (QR Codes and Microsoft Tags) and ways companies can use this technology to promote a person, a business, or their products and services.

Registration is required to attend this event. The registration form can be found at http://www.manateechamber.com/articles/mobiletagging.pdf'

About 2D Barcode Technology:
A 2D barcode can be viewed in similar terms as a Universal Product Code (UPC), except UPCs can only represent numbers. 2D barcodes can be used to represent text, web addresses and other data. Newer smartphones now include the scanning software necessary to take advantage of this technology, while a quick application download will integrate with older smartphones to enable the functionality. Once the software is on a phone, the user simply aims the camera phone at a 2D barcode, and the smartphone scans the code.

About Manatee Chamber of Commerce:
The Manatee Chamber of Commerce, a Florida Chamber of Commerce, is located in Bradenton, Florida and serves Anna Maria Island, Bradenton, Bradenton Beach, Ellenton, Holmes Beach, Lakewood Ranch, Longboat Key, Palmetto, Parrish, and Myakka City. Lakewood Ranch and Longboat Key are bi-County areas, split between Sarasota and Manatee. The Chamber provides education and networking opportunities, job / employment assistance, and small business start-up counseling while working on community issues such as legislation, water, transportation, and general quality of life. The Manatee Chamber has a full-service Better Business Council, Drug-Free Workplace Program, and Economic Development Council.

japanese users "most connected" to mobile online marketing services

Japanese mobile users are "most connected" to media through their devices, according to a new report comparing the country's market to Europe and the US.

The comScore study found that 75.2 per cent of smartphone subscribers in Japan access a browser, downloaded content or used applications during June.

This compared to 43.7 per cent of those in the US and 38.5 per cent in the UK, Germany, France, Spain and Italy.

Some 59.3 per cent of Japanese subscribers went online during the month, compared to 31.1 per cent in America and 25.8 per cent in the European markets.

Mark Donovan, comScore's senior vice-president of mobile, said the report shows use of mobile media is accelerating across the globe, but there are "dramatic differences" in how it is consumed.

Users of internet marketing services looking to establish themselves in multiple markets therefore need to understand "usage dynamics across geographies" in order to achieve successful campaigns, he added.

The study comes after comScore revealed there were 234 million smartphone subscribers in the US during the three months to August.

Yahoo! launches online PR drive for new search experiences

Yahoo! is rolling out a set of new "Search Experiences".

The California-based company said the features are the first in a series of improvements that will bring more news and entertainment together in a single page.

With a new set of shortcuts, users will be able to view film trailers, listen to songs from a forthcoming album, see the latest photos and read tweets about popular topics.

Yahoo! said the move builds on its recent introduction of contextual search tools like the "Infinite Browser", which helps individuals find related content about a particular news story.

It added that the changes will also make the search engine "even more popular" with the target audiences of online marketing services.

The latest announcement comes after Yahoo! chief products officer Blake Irving said it would be overhauling a number of features including search and email in bid to "get its cool back" and challenge the dominance of Google.

According to comScore, Yahoo! handled 2.7 billion searches in August compared to Google's 10.2 billion.

News brought to you by ClickThrough – a provider of SEO Services & Pay Per Click strategies.

The buzz network: Online marketing finds new ways to engage moviegoers

When it comes to using anything digital to advertise movies, the buzzword is “engagement.”

Unlike traditional movie advertising, such as trailers, billboards and bus ads, digital advertising is by nature interactive. Web banners expand with a click. Trailers are found, played and passed along to the next user via a share module. Games, quizzes and other content propagate due to the gleeful posting of high scores on Facebook. Engagement, advertisers hope, creates consumers who will go out and buy tickets to a movie, and tell their friends while they’re at it.

“Digital is 100% of an opportunity to engage with that user on a really emotional level,” Dimitry Ioffe, CEO of The Visionaire Group (www.TVGLA.com), states. “Make them laugh, make them cry, surprise them. The trailer and print is a very isolating individual experience. It’s just advertising talking directly at you and you don’t have a way to talk back or engage in any capacity.”

Besides being emotionally involving, the web allows users to easily e-mail a friend or post a link on Facebook, Twitter, Digg and a host of other sites. “How often do I see a billboard on the bus and run and tell a friend?” Jason Yim, CEO of Trigger LA (www.triggerglobal.com), asks. “For a conversion, the Internet’s a lot more powerful.”

Because most digital advertising requires the user to do some hunting or clicking, the medium has become an especially popular way to feed information to “fanboys” and “fangirls” who are already passionate about a comic book or novel that’s headed to theatres. On the Internet, a studio can post information about an anticipated project as soon as it’s announced in trade magazines, to “start controlling, creating an experience for the target person,” according to Ioffe. They can also reassure audiences about the direction the adaptation is taking.

IAB reports 10% increase in online marketing revenues

Online advertising spend increased by ten per cent during the first six months of 2010, according to a new joint report.

Research conducted by the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) and Big Four firm PricewaterhouseCoopers indicates that online video, social and 'performance' marketing supported a rebound in the market following the UK's exit from recession.

UK marketers invested £1.969 billion on web-based advertising between January and June 2010, as the medium achieved a record market share of 24.3 per cent.

The IAB said the return to double-digit growth mirrored the general recovery of the entire advertising industry, where total UK expenditure rose by 6.3 per cent to £8.1 billion during the first two quarters of the year.

Online display advertising spend increased by 6.4 per cent to £381 million, taking a 19.3 per cent share of online advertising, with banners accounting for £272 million of this.

Video marketing spend continued to soar, rising by 82 per cent to £20.7 billion, while social media advertising accounted for an estimated 13 per cent of internet advertising spend, the report stated.

Social Media Dashboard Can Help Businesses Coordinate Online Marketing

Companies of all sizes and entrepreneurs from all industries are being told that in order to be successful in the 21st century, they need to develop a compelling digital marketing strategy that incorporates social media usage.

Doesn't it get overwhelming though when one has to keep track of a myriad of Facebook pages, Twitter feeds and LinkedIn accounts?

Tech experts point out that the best way to keep track of your businesses' social media presence without the unnecessary confusion, is through a so-called networking "dashboard."

Most dashboards are relatively inexpensive online programs that give users a bird's eye view of all their social media activity.

One of the least expensive programs is called HootSuite and is available for under $6.00. This tool ensures that entrepreneurs are able to keep watch over their social media presence on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, all on the same page, thus saving them from having to log on to each site separately, or having to fish for new user comments. HootSuite also offers a more basic, limited version that is free of charge.

Jungle Torch may also soon become an indispensable online tool for businesses. The app allows users to determine how best to improve their company's search engine optimisation (SEO), by showing them how their websites rank in major search engines.

Twitter and Facebook – the Future of Online Marketing?

Social Media Portal founder Tim Gibbon has claimed that social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook have more potential for online marketing than straight advertising.

Mr Gibbon said that online marketing social media had the advantage of “seamless” integration and so was able to avoid the weakness of direct online advertising – the “unwanted” factor.

He said that since 2005 there has been a huge shift towards social networking, a shift that was finally being recognised by companies who are now focusing on Facebook and Twitter for their online marketing efforts.

A number of companies even print their Facebook and Twitter URLs on receipts to make customers aware of their social media presence, Mr Gibbon noted.

New research this week identified another important phenomenon in the UK online marketing sector, which will have quite an impact on the future – mobile devices and applications.

A study by the Association of Online Publishers (AOP) revealed that most publishers are looking to build online marketing campaigns on mobile devices such as the iPad and even more were planning to launch new apps in the 12 months, offering some of their content and services free of charge.

Researchers found that half of those surveyed were already delivering mobile content, and one in six already had iPad apps. Some 72 per cent had mobile websites up and running, while another 25 per cent were planning to launch them over the next year.

An overwhelming 91 per cent of respondents identified the mobile online sector as an opportunity or “major opportunity” for marketing in the next 12 months – 86 per cent saw the iPad and other tablets as a good place to concentrate, while 84 per cent picked the smartphone and apps 80 per cent would be focusing on apps.

Search Engine Marketing Tips for B2C Marketers

Best described as the Yellow Pages of the 21^st century, Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is currently recognized as the highest performing marketing medium available for B2C businesses. SEM is an aggressive method to target prospective customers who are actively seeking a particular product or service in real time. Put yourself in the customer’s shoes and ask, “where would I look first?” More than likely, your answer is a search engine.

This is why the importance of paid search is insurmountable for any consumer business. When it comes to online marketing, paid search has the ability to put a company’s advertisement directly in front of the right audience, rather than rely on the search engine to decide how a company should rank on the organic listing.

However, in order for an SEM campaign to be successful, there must be the right knowledge, time and industry expertise in place. Here are a few tips for B2C businesses to keep in mind if they are planning to implement an SEM campaign into their marketing budget:

Tools and Reports - Whether a business has someone in house specifically hired for SEM services or has hired an SEM firm, make sure the right tools and reports are in place to monitor the campaign’s performance. Also, make sure the person in charge of your campaign knows how to interpret and use these tools.

Industry Expert s- Along the same premise as above, it is important to have an SEM expert optimizing the campaign, considering the campaign will be competing against other industry professionals whose sole purpose is search engine marketing. Ensure there is enough experience, knowledge, and focus backing any online marketing effort.

Keyword Selection - When selecting keywords, remember to include words people would use to search for the product, including misspellings. The less competitive the keyword, the lower the cost per click.

How To Conquer Social Media Marketing

Want to learn how to leverage the best social media marketing techniques to boost your online marketing performance. At this week’s Social Ad Summit, we will be discussing the latest techniques being implemented by the leading agencies and brands.

We’ve finalized the agenda and this year are pleased to welcome speakers from Johnson & Johnson, Organic, Huge Inc., Buddy Media, and more. I’ll also be speaking about the best Facebook marketing tactics to boost your performance, something that I’ve been covering in depth on this site for the past three and a half years. If you are looking to stay abreast of some of the latest and greatest strategies, this is an event that you shouldn’t miss.

Cary-based online marketing firm raises $4M, looks to hire 35

Startup netsertive is looking to hire 35 people and plans to move its headquarters to Research Triangle Park after raising $4 million in venture financing.

Netsertive has developed proprietary technology for localizing digital and online advertising.

Greycroft Partners and RRE Ventures led the first round financing.

“We wrote the book on using technology to localize online marketing for small and medium businesses and deliver national online exposure through local online channels,” Netsertive says on its website. “We’re passionate about the industries we serve and continue to add chapters to our book by working closely with dozens of industry leading clients around the country.”

The company is led by Chief Executive Officer Brendan Morrissey, who at one time was an executive with mobile technology firm Motricity.

“Our mission is to help businesses that serve their local area bridge the gap between online discovery and offline sales,” Morrissey said in a statement. “Far too many small and medium businesses lose out to larger competitors simply because potential customers cannot find them online. Our approach enables these smaller companies to affordably compete for online presence with the largest companies in the world. The return on investment that our clients experience speaks for itself. ”

Netsertive plans to move into new office space on Oct. 1.

“We’ve looked at many companies in this space and Netsertive was the most attractive to us,” said Jim Robinson IV, managing partner at RRE Ventures, in the funding announcement.

“Netsertive is far beyond simply being a good business idea,” he added. “They have experienced rapid and responsible growth, implementing hundreds of campaigns for clients nationwide. We expect this momentum to continue, as their unique technology solutions play a key role in helping smaller businesses effectively compete for online visibility in their local markets.”

Those Getting Feet Wet in Online Marketing May Find Visa Business Network Helpful

You may or may not be aware of the Visa Business Network. This is a site the company just launched as a way to connect small business owners with one another, providing resources like goal toolkits, mentors, content-ranked information and more.

We feel some of our readers may find this valuable, so we spoke with Michael Lee of the Visa Business Network Outreach Team. He talked about how it helps businesses get started with building their Facebook and Twitter presences.

Lee says, "There are two Facebook goals on the Visa Business Network; one is a basic step to help little business owners set up a Facebook page. The other goal is to help these business owners take the next step and actively promote their businesses through their newly-created Facebook page."

"There is a Twitter goal, which is called 'Learn to Use Twitter'. The Twitter goal goes through setting up a Twitter account and provides tips on best practices for promoting one's business through Twitter. Besides the Facebook and Twitter goals, the site also features a goal on setting up email newsletters and another one on getting found online via services such as review sites and local directory listings."

Online Marketing Excellence Launches New Website for Online Learning

om Aikins, founder of the Online Marketing Excellence training course, announced today the launch of a website that allows consumers to purchase the course and access the 60 video segments that present the course’s information. The site address is http://www.seonorthamerica.com.

Online Marketing Excellence was developed over a two-year period of research and development and was designed in particular to assist small business owners in creating more traffic for their companies’ websites. Unlike many other online marketing and SEO training courses, Online Marketing Excellence was created for people who have limited or no knowledge of how internet marketing works. It was really designed for beginners and does not assume that the users of the course have prior knowledge of online marketing.

Also, the course material is presented completely in video format with most of the video segments showing users how to do things step-by-step using computer screen capture software. Users are shown exactly where to go, where to click and how to use SEO and online marketing techniques in a simple easy-to-follow manner.

According to Aikins, "This course will allow anyone to easily master the techniques and methods that are needed to successfully drive traffic to a website. The concepts are easy to learn and our site offers users unlimited usage for a whole year for only $379 for the entire course. Individual modules can be purchased for $44. Because usage is unlimited, employers can have as many of their staff learn from the course as they want. And, new videos will be added to the existing 60 each week so that users can keep up with new developments as they happen in this fast-moving industry."

The course is broken up into 10 modules with each module containing 4-8 video segments. Module titles include Introduction To Online Marketing, Keywords, Creating Content, Posting Content Online, The Importance Of Video, Using Blogs, Link Building, Using Facebook , Google Analytics And Places, Google And Facebook Pay-Per-Click.

By covering all of these topics the course presents to users all of the methods and techniques that are needed to be successful at online marketing. The overall emphasis of the course is on showing small business owners how to market their bricks and mortar businesses on the internet. It is not for people looking to make money only from a website business. Another key segment of potential users of the course is people who are looking for training so that they can work in the online marketing industry which is one of the fastest growing in the world.

Online Marketing Excellence is presented in English but there are written transcripts of each segment available also beneath each video that are in Spanish, French and German. Other languages to be added soon include Arabic, Portuguese and Russian. And, other sites will be added in other areas of the world.

Founder Tom Aikins is a sales and marketing expert with over 30 years experience and spent 27 years in the magazine publishing industry. He supervised the launch or re-launch of 11 publications covering both consumer and trade segments. He has concentrated on online activities for the last five years and regularly presents short seminars on online marketing.

New Program Helps Companies Improve Online Marketing Success

Phoenix Arizona based AKA Internet Marketing has launched a new service aimed at helping bridge the gap between senior executives and tactical web staff. Their Virtual Search Engine Marketing Director Program bridges the gap between the vision of the Senior Management and the tactical Internet Marketing team responsible for deploying a winning online marketing strategy. This program is designed for Mid-Sized companies that employ an in house web marketing team yet does not have the budget for an in house expert to provide strategic direction to accomplish the goals in the most efficient manner. According to Anthony Kirlew, Founder of AKA Internet Marketing “Oftentimes a CEO or Senior VP may know what end results they want, but they simply don’t have the expertise to develop and deliver a solid execution plan to their web marketing staff.”

Kirlew is very clear to emphasize that his company is not looking to take Director level jobs from those who currently hold them, but rather help companies that have not been able to benefit from the expertise of a Search Engine Marketing Director (and often due to cost). “A Search Engine Marketing Director is someone who usually possesses both tactical Internet Marketing skills, as well as high level marketing and business skills. They are often the missing component that a company needs to truly thrive online,” states Kirlew.

The delivery of the service starts with an initial (paid) consultation where a Senior Search Marketing Strategist will discuss the current status of the company’s Internet Marketing program. This includes an analysis of the company’s Internet Marketing goals, progress, and concerns and is followed by recommendations which can be implemented with or without the oversight of a Virtual Search Engine Marketing Director from AKA Internet Marketing. If desired, the Director can oversee the implementation and monitor progress on an ongoing basis, otherwise the company (AKA Internet Marketing) will arrange for periodic check-ups to confirm that the client is meeting their goals.

The basis of Search Engine Optimization in online marketing

Search engine optimization is a kind of complicated methods that help to improve the placing of a website in the search results of the major online search engines. This is because most consumers see the details that they need through the major search engines like those provided by Google, Yahoo, Bing, and AOL, the rank of the online website in the search engine results is a very vital thing in deciding how many searchers will see and look the page.

There are lots of methods that can be used when utilizing search engine optimization. One of the first method that web masters avail search engine optimization is to increase the count and location of keywords on the website that users are possibly to use when browsing for services and goods proffered by the website. Most search engines list a page depend on keyword phrases and many times annex value if the keyword arrive within some concentration level. The warning in this case is that many search engines will reduce the web page ranking if the keyword repeats so many times since it is noticed as a try to cheat the search engine. Keyword SEO utilizes not only keyword concentration but also keyword positioning. Most search engines put higher importance on keyword terms that are positioned in HTML header tags and page titles.

Another way of search engine optimization is to improve the count of links to the website being optimized. Many search engine enterprises outline their algorithms with the belief that a webpage that is greatly linked to be more possibly to proffer quality content than a page that has no links to it. Many webmasters use this technique to increase the search engine optimization of their website. Because of this, many search engines now under estimate to and fro links in favor of one way link. This signifies that a major target of latest search engine optimization is the maintenance and creation of one way links.

Sine one of the major targets of the search engine optimization professional is to improve the count of one way links, lots of techniques have been developed to attain this target. One of the excellent techniques to make one way links is to give testimonials on webpage. These methods will generally produce a link to the testimonial provider’s webpage. Another technique to make one way link is to create posting on internet message boards and place the web page URL in the base line.

SEO is an important factor of any internet marketing plan. By placing a web site rank highly in search engine results, it is likely to improve the count of visitors to the website.

Lee Elliott Enterprise Offers New Online Marketing Service

Lee Elliott Enterprise LLC, Houston, has launched a new online marketing service for orthodontic offices. The service, which is tied to Google Maps and Google Places, provides local online marketing for orthodontic offices.

Google launched Place pages for Google Maps last year. These local maps provide targeted information for users on local products and services based on their searches. Smart phone GPS applications also are starting to use Google Maps Place pages.

According to the company, the service helps make new patient leads and will help push orthodontists’ Web pages to page 1 of Google rankings.

One of the cofounders of the service is Sonny Elliott, who has been involved in the orthodontic community since 1984. He co-founded the seminar company Quest for Orthodontics and also cofounded Omega Orthodontics, a publicly traded company, He spent many years providing in-house consulting, appearing on national programs, and authoring practice-management works.

Dublins Best Hostels Choose Tailor Made SEO As Online Marketing Partner

The start-up website, which launched in February 2010 is a partnership between 10 of Dublin's Leading Hostels. The website offers in-depth profiles of each of the hostels in the partnership together with online booking facilities.

London based TailorMadeSEO specialises in online marketing and search engine optimisation for small businesses, its parent company also provides web development and business support services focused on the SME sector.

Dublin's Best Hostels began working with TailorMadeSEO in June 2010 and has already achieved several #1 positions on Google and more than ten page 1 listings in the organic search results. The result – an impressive 700% increase in visitor numbers and an upturn in Dublin hostel bookings made through the website.

Ronan Brady, co-ordinator of the Dublin's Best Hostels project commented “Working with Tailor Made SEO was a natural choice for us, their website development team did a smashing job on our website and their SEO services are competitively priced. After three months we are impressed with the results and have renewed our agreement for an additional 3 months”

The Dublins Best Hostels website was originally developed by Tailor Made SEO's sister company, Tailor Made Sites who specialise in producing Affordable websites for small businesses. In addition to securing web development services from TailorMadeSites and SEO services from TailorMadeSEO, Dublin's Best Hostels have now tasked the firm with managing their Google Adwords campaigns.

Saif Bonar, founder of Tailor Made SEO said “We are pleased to work with Dublin's Best Hostels on website development and SEO, we are delighted with the results we have produced in the first three months and look forward to continuing our relationship and building on the success so far”.

20% of Canadians hit by deceptive online marketing: Visa

One in five Canadians report having been the victim of unauthorized charges on their credit cards as a result of accepting a marketing offer online or over the phone, a Visa survey found.

Canadians have made purchases they didn’t intend to make or signed up for offers unintentionally as the result of not reading the small print, or failing to uncheck pre-checked acceptance boxes, Visa said.

While 20% have fallen victim to such deceptive marketing practices, awareness that they exist is high. About 78% of respondents knew of the potential pitfalls, it said.

"Deceptive marketing practices come in many forms," said Gord Jamieson, head of payment system risk at Visa Canada. "While the majority of retailers are honest and legitimate, consumers need to be conscious that there may be fraudsters out there and they should think twice before accepting an offer that sounds too good to be true."

Visa says consumers should check their card statements carefully for unauthorized charges and if they occur try tackling the merchant directly. If that doesn’t work, contact Visa and the report the case to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

Lyris Launches Email and Online Marketing Partner Program

online marketing expert, today announced the launch of the Lyris Partner Program. The program affords partners – resellers, online marketing solutions vendors, software companies and agencies – the opportunity to sell, implement and support an ever-expanding solution set that includes Lyris HQ, Lyris' flagship email and online marketing solution.

Together, Lyris and their partners offer marketing solutions for marketers who run complex email and online marketing campaigns. The Lyris partner network is comprised of innovative companies that share Lyris' commitment to deliver accelerated and truly accountable ROI to clients.

Unlike other marketing industry partner programs, Lyris' "high-touch" program takes a truly collaborative approach, providing partners with comprehensive offerings and personal support that enables them to grow their businesses.

Depending on the partnership level, specific benefits of partnering with Lyris could include:

• Marketing support: Marketing resources and support to grow partner business
• Competitive margins: Discounted internal use licenses
• Personal support: Dedicated account success managers
• Professional development: Exclusive access to partner portal and Lyris Learning Lab
• Lyris Community: Attendance at annual Lyris Customer Events and User Group meetings

The Lyris Partner Program also allows partners to intelligently integrate key business processes into Lyris HQ via robust APIs to let marketers act on even more complete profile and activity data. Lyris HQ already provides rich email, web visit and transactional data that can be further customized via technology integrations.

"As integrated marketing partner programs gain momentum as a method for online marketers to effortlessly expand their product and service offerings, it is important to understand what to look for when partnering," said David Daniels, CEO of the Relevancy Group. "Program aspects like a comprehensive product offering, a collaborative, supportive program that offers personal technology and marketing support along with robust technology integrations and competitive margins should all be considered when evaluating a program."

The Lyris Partner Program offers five categories of partners, each with a separate set of benefits specifically focused on individualized needs and business models:

• Reseller partners: Become certified by Lyris to sell Lyris subscriptions
• Solution partners: Sell Lyris HQ as a complement to or as part of their products and solutions
• Integration partners: Software companies that embed the Lyris HQ solution into their offering or complement it with an integration via Lyris' robust APIs
• Agency partners: Provide marketing expertise to their clients and are certified to properly sell, service and provide level-one support for Lyris HQ
• Referral partners: Connect Lyris with other marketers seeking a solution like Lyris HQ