Jumo.com: New social media volunteerism site

We’re often asked, “What is the next big thing in Social Media?” Today we might have the answer. When one of the co-founders of Facebook develops something new, we tend to listen closely. Chris Hughes has soft-launched Jumo.com, a new social media site that promotes global volunteerism.

Given his track record, Hughes is on to something. First he co-founded a little thing called Facebook. Then he took an interest in government, serving as the architect of a site for some fellow named Barack Obama.

And now comes Jumo.com – the culmination of everything Hughes has learned about bringing people together and getting them involved in a cause.

Jumo.com connects people and organizations around the world for volunteerism projects and causes.

Study says Facebook fan pages do pay off

In our experience offering social media marketing to e-tailers of all shapes and sizes, we know it’s the single biggest roadblock to a brand’s decision to invest in social media marketing. Is there a return on investment? Will we see a return on the time, resources and money we invest? A new study by Rice University says YES.

A study by Rice University finds that Facebook fanpages have a positive impact on customer loyalty and purchases. The study included more than 1,700 respondents. The results were proof that social media marketing can have a positive effect on branding, customer loyalty and, most importantly, on sales. Of those surveyed, those who were Facebook fans of the brand spent 33 percent more than non-fans, and Facebook fans were 41 percent more loyal to the brand than non-fans.

If you’re still not convinced, it’s time for your brand to enter the conversation, tear down the walls, interact directly with customers and potential customers and experience the true power of social media.

N-fini Shape hires PartnerCentric to manage Affiliate Marketing, Social Media Channels

PartnerCentric announced today that N-fini™ Shape has hired the company, a full-service Internet marketing agency, to manage its affiliate and social media marketing channels in order to increase awareness and attract new customers for the N-fini Shape line of women’s shapewear, body shapers, sports bras and playwear.

Everyone is buzzing about N-fini Shape, which has earned rave reviews in such media outlets as Casual Living, Women’s Wear Daily (known in the industry as WWD), Splendicity.com, The Capital Fashionista blog and The Lingerie Post. The company’s new affiliate program will enable web site publishers to promote the N-fini Shape line to customers and earn commissions for sales.

“We’re excited to be able to introduce the N-fini Shape body shaping line to a wide audience,” said Stephanie Lewis, Director of Client Services for PartnerCentric. “N-fini Shape has everything affiliates are looking for – in-demand products that you can’t get anywhere else – of exacting quality and with an excellent pedigree.”

After coming across line after line of shapewear and body shapers that didn’t fit the wearer’s needs, N-fini™ creator and 20-year industry veteran Martha Istefanidis decided to launch her own line that the average woman could wear all day, one that tones the body without sacrificing comfort.

As Martha explains: “I want the wearer of N-fini to be able to wear any of our styles all day, and be so comfortable that she doesn’t want to rush home and take it off when she walks in the front door.”

Following two years of product development, design and testing, N-fini™ debuted in August 2007 to rave reviews in the fashion and apparel industry, becoming an instant success. Clearly this is NOT your grandmother’s girdle!

“N-fini Shape is going to be very attractive to affiliates because it meets the needs of such a large segment of the population – namely women who are looking for shapewear solutions for virtually every part of the body – from the utmost lift, shape, support and comfort,” Lewis said. “We look forward to bringing this amazing brand and its large line of products to the affiliate space.”

PartnerCentric will also manage the N-fini Shape brand presence on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube in order to open new avenues of communication and interaction between the brand and its customers.

N-fini Shape manufactures all of its products in-house at the brand’s Tampa Bay, Florida plant. The high-end shapewear brand offers a wide range of flattering styles, ranging from strapless, tank, thong, scoop neck, and cami styles to shaper bras, bustiers, torso trimmers and long-sleeve tops. For the lower half of the body, thigh shorts, capris and leggings come available in both regular and high-waisted styles.

Innovative features such as Non-Invasive Micro-Fiber Elastic Trim, Breathable Upper-Arm Plush Adjustable Straps, Upper-Arm Trim Shapers and All Day Comfort Wear can be found throughout the collection. Made with LYCRA®, freshFX® fabric and LYCRA® fiber, each style comes available in S/M, M/L, L/2XL, 2X/3X, and 3X/4X to fit every body type, in black and nude to be worn unnoticed under any garment. All shapewear products have been tested and certified by Invista. LYCRA® freshFX® fabric and LYCRA® fiber are trademarks of Invista.

About N-fini Shape
N-fini™ Shape Creator and Owner Martha Istefanidis is a garment business veteran with more than 20 years in the business. After receiving a Business Management education from the Jorge Tadeo Lozano University and a Fashion Design degree from the Arturo Tejada Cano School of Design, both located in Bogotá, Martha attended the International Academy of Merchandising and Design in Tampa, Florida, receiving yet another Fashion Design degree as well as a scholarship award for graduating first in her class. After honing her skills at various internships and assistant positions at prestigious design houses, Martha founded MGI Graphics, Inc. in 1995. The vertical apparel manufacturing company located in Largo, Florida, with an impressive in-house design team who have previously designed and developed lines for various major designer brands.

In 2001 Martha added Santoni (seamless) technology to the mix, making MGI Graphics a leading manufacturer in the seamless business, and the N-fini™ brand was born. Its first line, N-fini™ Playwear, launched in 2001, consisting of seamless, colorful mesh cover-ups that many customers purchased and wore as lingerie. It only seemed natural to continue in this direction, and in August 2007 N-fini™ Shape arrived on the marketplace, becoming an overnight success and already rivaling top shapewear competitors. Realizing there was a need in the marketplace for truly functional undergarments, Martha made it her mission to identify the customer’s needs and wants in her approach to the design and creation of N-fini™ Shape, spending two years developing and testing the line on women of different ages, shapes, and lifestyles. For more information, visit http://www.n-fini.com.

Women dominate the Social Media landscape

Women outnumber men on social media sites, according to data analysis by PR firm Futuree Works. The two biggest social networks – Facebook and Twitter – both have user bases that are 57% female and 43% male. The gender gap is even bigger on MySpace at 64% female. The only exception was social bookmarking site Digg, where the user base is 64% male. YouTube was evenly split.

PartnerCentric joins with eBay to develop affiliate relationships and increase posts to eBay program’s blog

PartnerCentric, a leading Internet marketing agency, announced today that it has partnered with the eBay Partner Network to help support the network’s affiliate program in the United States.

PartnerCentric will work closely with eBay’s in-house team to recruit new affiliates and work directly with current affiliates to make those partnerships more successful.

“Our team is excited to be joining forces with the eBay Partner Network,” said PartnerCentric President Linda Woods. “We know that success depends on the strong relationships we’ll be building with the network’s affiliates, and we have a lot planned to help improve the quality of traffic that affiliates drive to eBay.”

In addition to affiliate recruitment and activation, PartnerCentric will also be helping the eBay Partner Network increase the number and frequency of posts on its blog.

PartnerCentric’s team of Internet marketing professionals, each with more than five years of experience managing affiliate programs, will share their expertise to bring on guest bloggers who will talk about SEO, website design and optimization and other topics of interest to affiliates. Blog posts will include videos and podcasts that highlight strategies for affiliate success.

The partnership between PartnerCentric and the eBay Partner Network builds upon the successful relationship eBay Partner Network established with ROEye in the United Kingdom in 2008. Just as ROEye offers increased support and expertise to eBay affiliates in the UK, PartnerCentric will do the same for eBay affiliates in the United States.

PartnerCentric is a full-service Internet marketing agency that specializes in affiliate program management. The agency also offers such services as search engine marketing, social media marketing management, video marketing and website design and development. For more information, visit www.partnercentric.com.

Podcast to feature eBay Director of Internet Marketing

William Martin-Gill, director of Internet marketing at eBay, will join host Linda Woods for a live edition of the Affiliate Marketing Insider podcast today on WebmasterRadio.fm.

The two will discuss the new agreement PartnerCentric has signed with Ebay to help support the more than 100,000 affiliates within the eBay Partner Network.  PartnerCentric will work with about a dozen eBay employees in the United States who focus on top accounts such as EarthLink and AT&T.

Martin-Gill will also be discussing some of the new resources eBay is investing in their affiliate program.

Affiliate Marketing Insider is a weekly podcast that features professionals within Internet and affiliate marketing and covers hot topics and trends. The podcast is broadcast at noon Pacific (3 p.m. Eastern) each Thursday on WebmasterRadio.fm.

The Tweet Heard Round the World

James Andrews of the Ketchum PR agency was en route to a meeting with a little client (FedEx) when he did something thousands of Twitter users do everyday – updating us on his current status: “True confession but I’m in one of those towns where I scratch my head and say, ‘I would die if I had to live here!’

Maybe if the writer hadn’t been a PR exec at a well-known agency, the tweet would have passed quietly in the night. Instead, the client saw the post and issued a comment on the company blog.

Mr. Andrews,

If I interpret your post correctly, these are your comments about Memphis a few hours after arriving in the global headquarters city of one of your key and lucrative clients, and the home of arguably one of the most important entrepreneurs in the history of business, FedEx founder Fred Smith.

Many of my peers and I feel this is inappropriate. We do not know the total millions of dollars FedEx Corporation pays Ketchum annually for the valuable and important work your company does for us around the globe. We are confident however, it is enough to expect a greater level of respect and awareness from someone in your position as a vice president at a major global player in your industry. A hazard of social networking is people will read what you write.

Not knowing exactly what prompted your comments, I will admit the area around our airport is a bit of an eyesore, not without crime, prostitution, commercial decay, and a few potholes. But there is a major political, community, religious, and business effort underway, that includes FedEx, to transform that area. We’re hopeful that over time, our city will have a better “face” to present to visitors.

James, everyone participating in today’s event, including those in the auditorium with you this morning, just received their first paycheck of 2009 containing a 5% pay cut… which we wholeheartedly support because it continued the tradition established by Mr. Smith of doing whatever it takes to protect jobs.

Considering that we just entered the second year of a U.S. recession, and we are experiencing significant business loss due to the global economic downturn, many of my peers and I question the expense of paying Ketchum to produce the video open for today’s event; work that could have been achieved by internal, award-winning professionals with decades of experience in television production.

Additionally Mr. Andrews, with all due respect, to continue the context of your post; true confession: many of my peers and I don’t see much relevance between your presentation this morning and the work we do in Employee Communications.

This is a cautionary tale, and a lesson for anyone who uses social media for business purposes.
- Personal opinions should be kept in check on social media when representing your company, its clients or customers
- Be aware that your tweets can be taken out of context. Try to include enough detail to prevent confusion.
- If the worst happens and you find yourself in a similar situation, be honest like James Andrews. Fess up and get past it.
- Learn from FedEx, too. Many people believe the company’s response was excessive as well.

I remember something my first boss once told me. Don’t ever write anything (whether it be in an e-mail, a Post-It or a letter) that you wouldn’t say to someone’s face. That goes the same for social media posts. Before your post, remember that your boss, client and parents might be following your every word!

To follow PartnerCentric on Twitter, visit http://www.twitter.com/partnercentric1/

Help us fight affiliate taxation in California

The Performance Marketing Alliance, of which PartnerCentric is an active member, is leading our industry’s fight against a California bill that would establish an affiliate sales tax not unlike one created by New York two years ago.

California Assembly Bill 178 would impose a sales tax on affiliates that, if passed, could open the door to similar laws in other states. Tune in to our Affiliate Marketing Insider podcast at noon Pacific (3 p.m. Eastern) this Thursday for a round-table discussion about this bill and its potential effect on our industry.

For more about the California Assembly Bill, read on:

• PMA.com Primer: The Fight Against California Assembly Bill 178
• ABestWeb Forum: California Affiliates Get Ready

Tune in for “The Women of Affiliate Marketing” podcast

Host Linda Woods is hosting a special edition of her Affiliate Marketing Insider at noon Pacific (3 p.m. Eastern) tomorrow featuring some of the best-known women in affiliate marketing. The live 30-minute podcast will include insights from the following industry leaders:

• - Carolyn Tang – ShareaSale
• - Melissa Salas – Buy.com
• -  Rachel Honoway – Lurn.com (formerly AffiliateClassroom.com)
• - Lisa Riolo – Hammock Ventures, Industry Consultant
• - Anne Fognano – Clevermoms.com (not confirmed)
• - RosalindGardner – Affiliate Marketing Consultant, Speaker, Author
• - Kathleen Lindsay – Director, Merchant Accounts, Allegiance

Linda and her guests will discuss how they got started in affiliate marketing, what’s changed through the years for better or worse, and what challenges and opportunities lie ahead. To tune in, visit http://www.partnercentric.com/Affiliate_Marketing_Insider.php.

Listen to the show here:

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Mobile Trends in Affiliate Marketing

Linda Woods speaks with M3 Mobile President Gary Ackerman about the trends in mobile marketing.

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