Lyris Inc. (OTCBB: LYRI) shares powered higher by 8% Tuesday to 27 cents, on the one-year anniversary of entering the lucrative Latin American market. Volume for the stock totaled 400 shares.

In recent years, Latin America has seen tremendous growth in the number of active internet users throughout the region. As companies ranging in size from small and medium businesses to large enterprises seek ways to reach their customers, optimize marketing resources and measure results, organizations are investing more than ever in online marketing tools.

In the June 7 press release commemorating the occasion, Lyris General Manager Pablo Gersberg pointed particularly to Brazil, where the email marketing industry has experienced major changes in the last year.

“Increasingly, Latin American companies are realizing the value of online marketing and partnering with technology leaders like Lyris to help them integrate traditional email, online and social channels,” said Gersberg.

In the same press release, Lyris CEO Wolf Maasberg said, “we continue to realize strong customer demand for email marketing solutions and services worldwide. Building off of last year’s market growth in Latin America makes today’s announcement even more significant for Lyris.

“Latin America broadens our overall global presence, where we will continue to expand strategically to new territories in the near term. We now have a very competitive footprint in the region to support service and growth requirements for our customers.”

Based in Emeryville, Calif., Lyris, Inc. is the online marketing expert delivering the right mix of software technology and industry knowledge to help its customers simplify their marketing efforts and optimize campaign ROI.