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Earn $$ with New Marketing Alliances Program

Ambassador program expanded to smaller businesses that manage accounts for clients; two other money-making options also available to businesses that want to refer new Yahoo! Search Marketing accounts

Yahoo! Search Marketing announced earlier this month that it is expanding its partner programs to smaller search marketers and web professionals who manage or refer clients to Yahoo! sponsored search campaigns. This enhanced offering is known as the Marketing Alliances Program, and it provides a variety of options for businesses that want to earn recognition and cash commissions for referring clients to Yahoo! Search Marketing products.

"Yahoo! Search Marketing was the first to provide industry-leading education, training programs and revenue opportunities to third-party partners through our Ambassador Program," says Dan Boberg, Senior Director, Strategic Alliances at Yahoo! Search Marketing. "After four successful years, we're excited to announce that we're building on our commitment to this community by introducing a new Yahoo! Search Marketing Alliances program, specifically designed to help agencies, search engine marketers (SEMs) and Web professionals earn money and grow their businesses."

We offer several different options for participation in the program, depending on whether you want to manage Sponsored Search accounts on behalf of clients or simply refer your clients to sign up for Yahoo! Sponsored Search:

Manage Client Accounts Many larger search engine marketing firms (SEMs) and online agencies that manage accounts for clients have long participated in our three-tier "Ambassador" program. Through the introduction of the Marketing Alliances program, we have opened the Ambassador program to smaller SEMs, agencies and individuals that manage client campaigns. The newly enhanced Ambassador Program includes these benefits:

• Elimination of the minimum spend requirement to become an Ambassador
• New online training and testing to increase your search marketing expertise
• The program logo to display on your site and business communications
• Commissions on all Sponsored Search and Local Sponsored Search referrals
• Promotional credits on Yahoo! Search Marketing that can be offered to your clients
• Customizable marketing materials

Three Ambassador tiers offer additional benefits for SEMs and agencies that meet the program requirements: the introductory Ambassador level, Certified Ambassador and Strategic Ambassador. To become an Ambassador, your must take comprehensive web-based training and successfully pass a test on the training materials, as well as a pay a one-time $50 registration fee.

Refer Client Accounts
Those wishing to refer customers to Yahoo! Search Marketing without actively managing their sponsored search accounts have two options:

Certified Affiliate Program
The Certified Affiliate Program is designed to reward web professionals and other individuals who educate customers on the benefits of sponsored search before referring them to Yahoo! Search Marketing. Certified Affiliates are not expected to manage accounts on behalf of their customers. They will receive many program benefits, including web-based training, a Certified Affiliate logo to use on their web site and business communications, customizable marketing materials, sign-up commissions of up to $80 per referral, and promotional credits to offer to their clients. Prospective Certified Affiliates must complete a web-based training course and pass a test of search marketing knowledge, in addition to paying a one-time $50 registration fee.

Affiliate Program
Yahoo! Search Marketing continues to offer its self-service affiliate referral program for smaller publishers managed by Commission Junction. Publishers can download banners and text links to place on their site and drive referrals to Yahoo! Search Marketing. This program offers cash commissions for publishers referring new Yahoo! Search Marketing sign-ups--up to $80 per referral.

For more information on any of Yahoo!'s Marketing Alliances Programs, please visit http://searchmarketing.yahoo.com/af/index.php.