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	<title>The Stairwell &#187; Business</title>
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	<link>http://stairwellblog.com</link>
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		<title>Integrating Radio With Your Digital Ad Campaign</title>
		<link>http://stairwellblog.com/2012/04/integrating-radio-with-your-digital-ad-campaign/</link>
		<comments>http://stairwellblog.com/2012/04/integrating-radio-with-your-digital-ad-campaign/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 05 Apr 2012 21:07:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>joshuasinason</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Digital Advertising]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Findings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Software]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://stairwellblog.com/?p=3157</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>They say print is dead, and the movie theaters are losing out to online streaming and home video, but one of the oldest forms of mass media is not only going strong, it&#8217;s having a resurgence and is becoming a great place to put your advertising dollars.  Radio, both online and not, has become a great way to expand regionally and in some cases even nationally.  Podcast hosting sites get some of the biggest traffic outside of Facebook, Twitter and Google and even traditional radio is still a great way to reach a new audience.  The difficult part is still&#8230;</p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>They say print is dead, and the movie theaters are losing out to online streaming and home video, but one of the oldest forms of mass media is not only going strong, it&#8217;s having a resurgence and is becoming a great place to put your advertising dollars.  Radio, both online and not, has become a great way to expand regionally and in some cases even nationally.  Podcast hosting sites get some of the biggest traffic outside of Facebook, Twitter and Google and even traditional radio is still a great way to reach a new audience.  The difficult part is still the difficult part online or on the traditional radio.  Get people to care enough and remember you enough to go to your Facebook, Twitter, and website. And get them interested in about 30 seconds.  Some people have had good success using internet radio advertising to grow their business and some have been able to use traditional radio to bolster their digital presence and some people have managed to build an entire business out of it.</p>
<p>Chris Hardwick’s company, Nerdist, started life as a single internet radio show and has ballooned into a network of several podcasts and merchandise machine.  It all started because Hardwick, a former MTV and host of the show Singled Out, wasn’t happy with the current outlets for getting his product out there.  “Youtube is basically a snack for your eyes,” Hardwick says of his initial attempt to get his brand out in the world, “It’s not a responsive medium; I wanted something that could build a better community.”  Hardwick found what he was looking for in internet radio.  His site catered to a niche market of game enthusiasts and people looking for video game themed apparel.  He took a little following and made it into a pretty huge deal using podcasting.  Hardwick’s site has become a must stop place for anyone wanting to hit that market via a viral marketing campaign.        </p>
<p>One company that did just that is Carbonite.  Carbonite began life as a backup software program and has grown into a nationwide software brand thanks to a very calculated internet advertising campaign that included targeting internet radio shows like Hardwick’s.  They took advantage of the increased demographic targeting social media has to offer as well as podcast hosting sites like Last FM and  Spotify.  They clearly didn’t have the money to compete so they found a way to build a groundswell using these already built communities.   </p>
<p>Some places are still doing big business with traditional radio.  With the current state of flux between digital radio permutation and the still strong traditional FM stations it’s actually a much more inexpensive proposition considering the audience you reach.  I worked at a casino that made huge add buys in prime radio hours.  The trick is to get in the information needed while maintaining your brand identity.  The challenge with advertising in the regular radio is that you have to give out a lot of information in a very short period of time as oppose to internet radio when you usually have more time or can just sponsor a podcast and have your brand attached.  The downside of that is that, like anything on the internet, it’s never certain just how many people are going to catch on.  If you have a niche market product and you know where your audience is going to listen then internet radio is definitely worth your time.  If you want to reach a broad audience with multiple demographics, keep trying traditional radio.</p>
<p>When I was at the casino I had one rule of writing regular, FM, radio copy, never bury the lead.  You have about a minute to get your message and your brand identity out there.  I played a rival casino’s commercial in meetings once because it took them 30 seconds just to mention the name of the place and it wasn’t until the end they even got into any sort of brand identity.  I liked working on thirty second commercials better, especially if you go from that to minute long ones, the transition to the longer format is a breeze compared to shifting down.</p>
<p>Ultimately radio, on the internet or in your car, is basically the same principal: get your message out clearly and concisely and make sure you do your demographic due diligence to make sure the right people are hearing it.  In a world of media that is in a state of flux not seen since the invention of the television one of the oldest forms of mass media is still the most reliable.  </p>
<p><a href="http://www.thenational.ae/thenationalconversation/industry-insights/media/internet-thrills-the-radio-star">http://www.thenational.ae/thenationalconversation/industry-insights/media/internet-thrills-the-radio-star</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/media-network/media-network-blog/2012/apr/04/internet-radio-somafm-leading-way">http://www.guardian.co.uk/media-network/media-network-blog/2012/apr/04/internet-radio-somafm-leading-way</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/177002">http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/177002</a></p>
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		<title>Our Take on Two Emerging Marketing Trends</title>
		<link>http://stairwellblog.com/2012/03/our-take-on-two-emerging-marketing-trends/</link>
		<comments>http://stairwellblog.com/2012/03/our-take-on-two-emerging-marketing-trends/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 05 Mar 2012 15:39:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>ted</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Digital Advertising]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Findings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Convergence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Experiential brand building]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Relevance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TheLiveAds]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://stairwellblog.com/?p=3138</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I was sitting under a fig tree the other day and it occurred to me that while convergence and relevance are often discussed, there is still plenty of work to be done to clarify what each term means and how we as marketing professionals can harness the opportunities each presents. So here's our take on convergence and relevance.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I was sitting under a fig tree the other day and it occurred to me that while convergence and relevance are often discussed, there is still plenty of work to be done to clarify what each term means and how we as marketing professionals can harness the opportunities each presents. So here&#8217;s our take on convergence and relevance.</p>
<p>Convergence &#8211; a word often over-used in these times. Experiential brand building has met digital data. Media is becoming friends with creative. And software is now another critical touchpoint in the mix. Traditional and digital have converged, but there is more work to do. Creative is still playing catch-up and math men are still very much driving media. Brand experiences are still disconnected from activation. True &#8220;convergence&#8221; will arrive when great creative, driven by media performance and technology, reaches consumers at every touchpoint in consistently positive ways.</p>
<p>Relevance &#8211; another word that is over-used in these times. But it has good intentions. At a very basic level we all want to be relevant, to be heard, to have relationships that are more than fleeting. As marketers and agencies we know the challenge is to build these relationships with customers, and again data is important because it&#8217;s the fuel that drives the engine. But great creative is still how we craft the message that touches us as people. It gets really exciting when we realize that technology allows us to have an intimate yet widely broadcasted conversation with each person. Not only can we target the right consumer at the right place with the exact right message, but we can create experiences that keep consumers intact. I just hope we as marketers and advertisers can avoid abusing these wonderful abilities, because it&#8217;s all very uplifting when done right.</p>
<p>We&#8217;ve created a creative campaign platform for marketers to embrace and take advantage of these challenges. Take a look! <a href="http://www.theLiveAds.com/">www.theLiveAds.com</a></p>
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		<title>How The Tablet Wars Benefit Small Business</title>
		<link>http://stairwellblog.com/2012/02/how-the-tablet-wars-benefit-small-business/</link>
		<comments>http://stairwellblog.com/2012/02/how-the-tablet-wars-benefit-small-business/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 29 Feb 2012 22:10:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>joshuasinason</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Digital Advertising]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Findings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tablet]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://stairwellblog.com/?p=3132</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When Myspace hit it big toward the beginning of the new millennium they immediately opened themselves up to business with the biggest consumer corporations in the world.  Pepsi and Warner Brothers in particular flooded things with ads and used it as a way to push their new music and movie labels.  While Myspace made a lot of money in that time they didn’t have any kind of structure to support advertising and that let a lot of spam bots and not-so-legitimate advertising squeak through and take over.  Facebook and Twitter learned a huge lesson from this and made sure to have an infrastructure that serviced advertising but didn’t turn off small businesses.  Apple and the other tablet makers took that model and ran with it but with a difference.  Facebook had no competition when it really tried to rack up the advertising (Myspace was on its way down and Twitter hadn’t really started yet) The competition amongst the tablets to be the last one standing will ultimately benefit the small business wanting to advertise.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>When Myspace hit it big toward the beginning of the new millennium they immediately opened themselves up to business with the biggest consumer corporations in the world.  Pepsi and Warner Brothers in particular flooded things with ads and used it as a way to push their new music and movie labels.  While Myspace made a lot of money in that time they didn’t have any kind of structure to support advertising and that let a lot of spam bots and not-so-legitimate advertising squeak through and take over.  Facebook and Twitter learned a huge lesson from this and made sure to have an infrastructure that serviced advertising but didn’t turn off small businesses.  Apple and the other tablet makers took that model and ran with it but with a difference.  Facebook had no competition when it really tried to rack up the advertising (Myspace was on its way down and Twitter hadn’t really started yet) The competition amongst the tablets to be the last one standing will ultimately benefit the small business wanting to advertise.</p>
<p>One reason the competition amongst tablets will ultimately help small business advertising is that, with things like Kickstarter, we’re now seeing these companies try and go for them as a source of income, particularly niche market advertisers.  Kickstarter proves that if you curtail your product to help small businesses you get more natural SEO and more of a grassroots buzz.  This means that companies like Apple. Sony, Samsung, and Lenovo don’t have to spend nearly as much as they would otherwise to get up there on search engines.  For that reason above all, the fact that the manufactures get more off your buzz combined then they do off the others, they will cater to small businesses wanting to expand via digital advertising.  The Nike shoe app isn’t getting people talking any more than they already are about the Nike smartphone app or the Nike Facebook page but having an app that services small businesses like Kickstarter is going to build buzz all on its own.</p>
<p>Another way the Tablet wars benefit small business is that they are quicker to develop more practical applications that help consumers at a local level.  Let’s face it, just like with a Plasma TV or your DVD player; they all largely do the same thing.  Every tablet computer is going to have the capability to watch Hulu and Netflix, surf the net, and send email along with all the basics.  What is going to separate them is how they help you personally.  Things like GPS (one of the glaring omissions from some of the first tablets) and QR code readers benefit small business in a huge way.  It’s only a matter of time till, seeing how Tablets can help small businesses, Foursquare makes a huge leap into Tablet marketing and that will be a huge boon to small business and to whichever manufacture embraces it.</p>
<p>The tablet wars will also help small business by pushing the new tech in streaming video.  The more streaming video advances as genuine alternative to traditional TV the more it will benefit small business.  The faster they develop and dive into new streaming technology the more it could influence cable and internet providers like ATT and Comcast to go that direction as well.  Ultimately if the tablet wars help push streaming video, and it looks as if they will, then you could soon see a lot more regional advertising on sites like Netflix and Hulu.  You watch commercials before you see a movie in the theaters, why not when you stream one from Netflix?</p>
<p>Ultimately competition is good with any new technology, whether it’s TV, video games, computers, or music downloading, it’s been proven that the times with the most new leaps in new technology have been amongst the most competitive.  That’s when they take chances and throw things at the wall to see what sticks.  Ultimately the winning dog in this fight could very likely be the one that caters to small business the most.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/02/22/the-tablet-wars-get-more-interesting/">The Tablet Wars Get More Interesting</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hkcHPi3If4DdWhQBkGOfti3hC3zg?docId=CNG.df650b22fbe6c870cb964d8baf835bdc.211">Smartphone meets tablet as makers look at big picture</a></p>
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		<title>Kickstarter Kicks Into The Next Level With Some Huge Money Projects</title>
		<link>http://stairwellblog.com/2012/02/kickstarter-kicks-into-the-next-level-with-some-huge-money-projects/</link>
		<comments>http://stairwellblog.com/2012/02/kickstarter-kicks-into-the-next-level-with-some-huge-money-projects/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 17 Feb 2012 22:39:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>joshuasinason</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Findings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Search Engine Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kickstarter]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://stairwellblog.com/?p=3125</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Some time ago I wrote about Kickstarter at length and how it’s definitely something you should keep your eye on.  Maybe you listened to me (there’s got to be at least one who has) but if you didn’t you wouldn’t know that just recently a Kickstarter page hit $1 million in less than 24 hours.  This just highlights the reality of Kickstarter and actually puts it miles ahead of Twitter and Facebook as a small business tool.  Kickstarter has already demonstrated the amount of money going through it.  Even now people are still questioning just how to monetize their Facebook and Twitter pages, but Kickstarter has genuine proof that there is big money coming through.  It’s clearly waiting for the taking.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Some time ago I wrote about Kickstarter at length and how it’s definitely something you should keep your eye on.  Maybe you listened to me (there’s got to be at least one who has) but if you didn’t you wouldn’t know that just recently a Kickstarter page hit $1 million in less than 24 hours.  This just highlights the reality of Kickstarter and actually puts it miles ahead of Twitter and Facebook as a small business tool.  Kickstarter has already demonstrated the amount of money going through it.  Even now people are still questioning just how to monetize their Facebook and Twitter pages, but Kickstarter has genuine proof that there is big money coming through.  It’s clearly waiting for the taking.</p>
<p>A lot of people think of Kickstarter as being synonymies with charity but the winner of $1 million in just one day was the <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/66710809/double-fine-adventure?ref=live">Double Fine Video Game Company</a>.  These 2 guys asked for $400,000 and now have $600,000 profit before distribution and even better they own 100% of their intellectual property.  They’ve already made a profit, not to mention the press and SEO benefits their social media pages got from this entire thing.  Ladies and Gentleman, this is the future of small business.</p>
<p>Kickstarter’s like this are essentially selling a product before it’s even made, I helped a good friend Kickstart a small business and I used the phrase “extreme pre-ordering,” (quite possibly my favorite phrase I’ve ever come up with.)  People have used Kickstarter for everything from Bookstore’s to clothing lines, to pretty much every small business you can think of.  Just like everything on the internet with 1500 new pages being uploaded every second a lot of it is just dumb luck but there are a few things you can do if you want to use Kickstarter to get a new small business off the ground and pump up your SEO in the process.</p>
<p>One thing that works great for SEO and Kickstarter is that they’re very supportive of videos.  Having a video explaining the product you want to Kickstart will give you a much bigger chance of getting on the front page of the site, and that’s worth a lot in hits.  Also, utilizing sites like Digg, and obviously your other social media is essential.  The more the link is out there the more it might show up in searches and the more people will see it.</p>
<p>One mistake people using Kickstarter make is assuming their audience isn’t consumer minded.  Kickstarter has a reputation of being a place for hipster’s to try offbeat ideas that they don’t think would get money in the mainstream.  That’s changed as the site got bigger but even so a niche audience has largely the same mind set as other consumers, they’re just a more ravenous fanbase.  They still won’t buy a product from a company they don’t have confidence in.  Double Fine made sure to have a detailed business plan right there on the Kickstarter page.  The more detail you include, the more people are going to trust you with their money.  Getting people to buy a product that doesn’t exist yet is a huge leap.   Double Fine knew this and they took their page seriously.  Even including a picture of the creators with Cookie Monster shows them in a professional light.  The trick is giving as much detail as possible while still projecting yourself as a fun brand that people want to actively be a part of.  In this respect, it’s like selling stocks, but with just a little bit more showmanship.</p>
<p>Another project that recently broke the 1 Day $1 Million milestone is a high-end aluminum <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hop/elevation-dock-the-best-dock-for-iphone?ref=live">Elevation iPhone Doc</a>.  One thing these guys did beautifully was include user reviews of the prototype, they sent out a few to some magazines and users with social media pull and they got back some great reviews, not only does this give them a much higher SEO profile, it alleviates some people’s fears regarding types of projects.  They clearly have a tested prototype and a business model in mind.  They just needed a little extra boost to get going.  They invited consumers to be a part of something big and that gave them the push they needed to skyrocket past their goal.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2012/02/13/on-kickstarter-two-projects-pass-the-1-million-mark-in-a-single-day/">On Kickstarter Two Projects Pass The $1 Million Mark In A Single Day</a></p>
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		<title>Twitter Offering Regional Targeted Ads and Becoming The Place For Social Media Marketing in 2012</title>
		<link>http://stairwellblog.com/2012/01/twitter-offering-regional-targeted-ads-and-becoming-the-place-for-social-media-marketing-in-2012/</link>
		<comments>http://stairwellblog.com/2012/01/twitter-offering-regional-targeted-ads-and-becoming-the-place-for-social-media-marketing-in-2012/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:20:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>joshuasinason</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Digital Advertising]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Findings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Advertising]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Flash Sale]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social media marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[twitter]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://stairwellblog.com/?p=3120</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Twitter has always been a hard thing for me to get a handle on.  For one, it always seems to skew a little young and it didn’t have a great infrastructure for targeted ads until very recently.  In the last year Twitter has made huge strides in being friendly to advertisers and they’ve also done a great job of doing it without alienating their fanbase.  Clearly they learned a huge lesson from the failures of Myspace.  They didn’t dilute their core product and alienate their fanbase.  They managed to integrate more advertising pretty seamlessly.  By doing things like putting a promoted topic in with the trending ones and not changing the user experience, twitter has become a great place for advertisers without sacrificing the simplicity that made them unique and interesting in the first place.    ]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Twitter has always been a hard thing for me to get a handle on.  For one, it always seems to skew a little young and it didn’t have a great infrastructure for targeted ads until very recently.  In the last year Twitter has made huge strides in being friendly to advertisers and they’ve also done a great job of doing it without alienating their fanbase.  Clearly they learned a huge lesson from the failures of Myspace.  They didn’t dilute their core product and alienate their fanbase.  They managed to integrate more advertising pretty seamlessly.  By doing things like putting a promoted topic in with the trending ones and not changing the user experience, twitter has become a great place for advertisers without sacrificing the simplicity that made them unique and interesting in the first place.</p>
<p>While the promoted topics weren’t really targeted regionally at first, over the last year they’ve started to become a great place for regional and local marketing to get the word out in a major city for a major event very soon.  In the next year Twitter will make some huge strides in making themselves accessible to local businesses.  They’ve talked at length about just how in depth their targeting can be, and unlike Facebook and Myspace, it can change up to the minute.</p>
<p>Unlike Facebook, Twitter is a great place for short term and event marketing.  With Facebook you have to take some time to build up your event page, maybe even a few weeks.  With Twitter’s promoted items you can have your event scene and get a following built in a few days or even a few hours (although you should still give it some solid time to build).  Twitter has taken its big advantage, the fact that their feeds move a lot faster than other social media sites, and developed an infrastructure that takes full advantage of the fact.  The result is that Twitter is one of the best places on the web to promote a marketing event.  I’ve talked a lot in the last few weeks about what the major video game retailers, like Gamestop, have been doing on social media.  That’s because, more than any industry I’ve seen, they’re taking advantage of the new things Twitter has to offer for businesses.  Twitter is offering a level of demographic targeting unheard of before, and they’re able to do it in a timely manner.  Once they really start rolling out the regional advertising and promoted topics they could very quickly unseat Facebook as the place to spend your time and advertising dollars.</p>
<p>Another advantage of Twitter in 2012 is that they are working to overcome the idea that they tend to skew toward a younger demographic.  In the past, advertisers had a difficult time advertising toward kids largely because they aren’t the ones who control the cash flow.  A lot of big companies eschewed advertising directly to kids and instead focused those ads on the adult women demo (i.e. Mom). They’ve forgone advertising to kids altogether, the logic being, to “cut out the middle man” and not rely on kids to convince their parents to fork over their cash.  Thanks to social media and digital streaming this has started to become antiquated thinking.  By targeting specific demos with ads that are easy to vary and easy to send to different people virtually whenever you want you give kids something they can take to their parents directly instead of relying on them to sell your message on their own.  Also, just like with Facebook, the Twitter audience will start getting a bit older and more and more of the over 25 crowed will join in.  In 2012 Twitter could find itself the far and away most diverse social media platform as far as age groups go.</p>
<p>One thing I talked about at length some time ago but I haven’t mention in a while is the notion of a Flash Sale.  Basically you tell your social media followers you have a deal going on in the next “x hours” (or minutes if you want to see who is really paying attention)  It’s a great way to spread your message virally and will establish your Twitter as the place to go for awesome deals.  With Twitter being friendlier to advertisers and growing in demos in a big way it would be a great time to try one out.  You could also get a great gage on how much your customer base is online and just what kind of audience you have without all that expensive and time consuming focus grouping.</p>
<p><a href="http://blogs.imediaconnection.com/blog/2012/01/19/the-5-hottest-social-ad-trends-of-2012/">The 5 Hottest Social Ad Trends of 2012</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.btobonline.com/article/20120118/SOCIAL01/301189998/on-social-sites-tune-the-message-to-the-medium">On social sites, tune the message to the medium</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.zdnet.com/blog/facebook/online-advertising-budgets-5-for-facebook-in-2012/7689">Online advertising budgets: 5% for Facebook in 2012</a></p>
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		<title>Social Media Aspects That Failed in 2011 But Could Explode In 2012</title>
		<link>http://stairwellblog.com/2012/01/social-media-aspects-that-failed-in-2011-but-could-explode-in-2012/</link>
		<comments>http://stairwellblog.com/2012/01/social-media-aspects-that-failed-in-2011-but-could-explode-in-2012/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:48:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>joshuasinason</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Digital Advertising]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Findings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Digital streaming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social media marketing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://stairwellblog.com/?p=3116</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[2011 was a big year as far as social media marketing, big sites came and went and Facebook continued to change despite certain fan objections.  Sites like Netflix blew up huge and pushed digital streaming sites to the forefront of controversial subjects like digital piracy.  There were some big false starts and some crashing and burning.  The truth is that some of those things just weren’t ready and some of them are going to make huge comebacks and get off the ground in a big way in the coming year.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>2011 was a big year as far as social media marketing, big sites came and went and Facebook continued to change despite certain fan objections.  Sites like Netflix blew up huge and pushed digital streaming sites to the forefront of controversial subjects like digital piracy.  There were some big false starts and some crashing and burning.  The truth is that some of those things just weren’t ready and some of them are going to make huge comebacks and get off the ground in a big way in the coming year.</p>
<p>The biggest change coming that missed 2011 by just a tick is <strong>Digital Streaming Integration</strong>.  They had some stumbling but 2012 could very well be the year that digital streaming takes over some portion of your local cable.  With the number of people relying on their X-Boxes, Playstations, Internet ready TVs and Blu ray players instead of traditional cable is growing daily. (Myself included) It’s hard to ignore the notion that cable is old fashion.  This year the NFL, ESPN, Major League Baseball and Fox Sports are all making deals where you can watch all their content via subscription. HBO and other major networks are putting the majority of their content on Hulu.  Digital streaming will cement itself as a viable alternative and more.</p>
<p><strong>Twitter Targeting</strong> is getting more and more specific and will become a great place for regional business to get into this year.  The major video game companies have used it to great effect over the Christmas season so it shows that Twitter can be even more of a hub for niche marketing than Facebook if used right.  Soon regional and local business will use Twitter to target specific demographics in their specific region.  This could make Twitter the perfect place to do flash sales (something I’ve been a huge proponent of for small businesses wanting some big social media traffic).  They’ve already expanded their profile pages in anticipation.  Keep an eye out for big Twitter news in the beginning of 2012.</p>
<p>Don’t count <strong>Google +</strong> out just yet.  They still have 65 million users and 20% of those were in the last few months of 2011.  It’s also emerged as a great place for business-to-business marketing and more adult oriented consumer products.  Twitter’s problem is that they’ve always seemed young and that makes it harder to market to them considering, ultimately, kids don’t control the purse strings. (Ever notice how kids movies tend to play during shows women 35 and over enjoy. They’re targeting mom).</p>
<p><strong>Foursquare</strong> is another one to watch.  Here is a fact for you; roughly 10,000 smart phones go active everyday.  With all those new users, mobile marketing is now as important and necessary as having your social media and SEO up to date.  One mobile site that would be good for a small business to follow is Foursquare.  Foursquare has actually been around for a few years but it didn’t have the mobile Internet to get things going until smart phones really blew up.  Now even Facebook is trying to adapt its model as one of their features but that hasn’t really taken off just yet.  Foursquare is getting more and more fans everyday and could rival Twitter in social media use if they play their cards right in 2012.  Start some exclusive giveaways for people with a high number of check-ins and encourage people to talk you up and you could be at the front of a site that’s really exploding next year.</p>
<p><strong>QR Codes </strong>have been a prickly area for a lot of business.  I worked with one in April that wanted to put them on their tray tables and displays in their restaurant.  The reality is that it wasn’t easy to scan and view them online.  It doesn’t take an ad wizard to know that people don’t want to work to see your advertising.  But with some new tech springing up and mobile Internet getting faster and faster it’s a lot easier.  QR Codes are going to be a huge deal very soon.  They can also be a great way to gage your customer’s mobile marketing potential.  Use them to reward loyal customers that use your Facebook and Twitter.  Remember the more you give them the more likely they are to talk and the better your SEO will be.  (See, everybody wins)</p>
<p><strong>Not for profits on social media </strong>are also on the verge of getting some big boosts in the coming year.  With sites like Kickstarter making national headlines it’s only a matter of time before Facebook, Twitter, and other sites make special considerations for charities using social media to raise funding. I’ve actually been working with some non-profits on social media for years and I’ve been a little annoyed with the lack of consideration on the part of some of those sites.  But 2012 looks like a great year for non-profit groups to get what they need using social media.</p>
<p><a href="http://venturebeat.com/2012/01/02/facebook-total-world-domination/">Facebook Will Take Over The World In 2012</a></p>
<p><a href="http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/social-media-facts-bank-2012/231859/">5 Social Media Facts For 2012</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.cio.in/article/five-tips-your-2012-social-media-strategy">Tips For Your 2012 Social Media Strategy</a></p>
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		<title>Take A Lesson From The Muppets:  Kermit The Frog and Social Media</title>
		<link>http://stairwellblog.com/2011/11/take-a-lesson-from-the-muppets-kermit-the-frog-and-social-media/</link>
		<comments>http://stairwellblog.com/2011/11/take-a-lesson-from-the-muppets-kermit-the-frog-and-social-media/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:14:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>joshuasinason</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Findings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social media]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://stairwellblog.com/?p=3103</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When Facebook and Twitter can do something even the juggernaut that is the Disney Corporation couldn’t you know they have something really special.  The Muppets have scratched and clawed their way back into the spotlight and they owe a lot to social media.  A while ago I wrote about how some brands have rejuvenated themselves using social media.  Like those brands, the Muppets had a loyal following and Disney, at least partially, used that following to re-invigorate the brand in a big way - and they did it without spending loads of cash.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>When Facebook and Twitter can do something even the juggernaut that is the Disney Corporation couldn’t you know they have something really special.  The Muppets have scratched and clawed their way back into the spotlight and they owe a lot to social media.  A while ago I wrote about how some brands have rejuvenated themselves using social media.  Like those brands, the Muppets had a loyal following and Disney, at least partially, used that following to re-invigorate the brand in a big way &#8211; and they did it without spending loads of cash.</p>
<p>Rejuvenating the Muppet brand started with building buzz on Twitter.  They didn’t just create a page for the brand, they created one that embodies it.  They did it from the point of view of the characters (<a href="file://localhost/.%20http/::twitter.com:#!/MuppetsStudio">see here</a> my personal favorites Statler and Waldorf). Potbelly Sandwiches did the same thing, instead of just using their brand name they have it come straight from the VP of marketing.  They give it a real voice instead of just a faceless brand with a megaphone.  This plays great on Twitter and it’s really surprising that not a lot of people get it.  The second you treat Twitter like a department store P.A system is when you start losing followers.  Take a lesson from the Muppets, use it to interact, have fun and the people who are loyal to your brand will spread the word for you.  Once you have established that, then you can launch an entirely different twitter for special advertisements and offers just like Disney did (<a href="http://api.twitter.com/#!/muppetcentral">Muppet Central</a>)</p>
<p>So the Muppet Twitter took off pretty steadily to the point that it attracted a good and loyal fanbase.  The fanbase was so loyal they started creating offshoot twitter accounts.  The Muppets for Oscar Host Twitter took off in a huge way and got some national TV buzz, without Disney having to lift a finger.  This just shows what can happen when you take the time to build a loyal fanbase (And not go crazy with protecting your trademarks, but that’s another issue). This can happen on a global level like Disney and the Muppets or it can happen on a regional level like with 5 Guys Burgers or Play N’ Trade.</p>
<p>Along with Twitter, Disney launched a great Youtube and viral video campaign. Even smaller business shouldn’t underestimate the value of a good viral video.  Sometimes the cheapest ones are the ones that catch on the most.  Even the Muppet ones couldn’t cost more than what a small business could do.  Commercials like <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGJdNPiWZzQ">The Johnson Automotive Badger</a> are a fun easy way to get some great SEO with some videos.  The more people watch them, the more you show up in search engines. As with Twitter, start with getting eyes and then worry about pushing your brand.  The push will come naturally &#8211; getting people to look at your stuff is the hard part.</p>
<p>I did some work for a riverboat casino launching their social media.  We did a hard launch email blast and got a solid thousand out of that.  Then the first thing they wanted was a way to get people into their place.  The mistake made was putting together a hasty coupon promotion that didn’t boost our fan count and didn’t go over well.  The lesson from that and the example you should take from the Muppets is that if you push your brand on your customers too early, you could lose your momentum. But keep in mind there is also a expiration date to push your brand. If you wait too long you could lose that momentum and lose the interest of the people who want to look at you every day.  Take a lesson from the Muppets, give your audience something to talk about and build from there.  If things get going, your audience will create content and build your SEO for you. The car dealership above did the same thing as Disney, they just did it on a regional level.</p>
<p><a href="http://mashable.com/2011/11/20/muppets-social-campaign/">Muppets Social Campaign</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.fusedfilm.com/2011/11/analyzing-the-muppets-marketing-campaign/">Analzying The Muppets Marketing Campaign</a></p>
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		<title>In a Borderless World, How Can Indie Bookstores Use Social Media To Their Advantage?</title>
		<link>http://stairwellblog.com/2011/11/in-a-borderless-world-how-can-indie-bookstores-use-social-media-to-take-advantage/</link>
		<comments>http://stairwellblog.com/2011/11/in-a-borderless-world-how-can-indie-bookstores-use-social-media-to-take-advantage/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 01 Nov 2011 14:32:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>joshuasinason</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Findings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[facebook]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Indie]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kickstarter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[publishing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social media]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://stairwellblog.com/?p=3096</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[As we’ve seen in the past with some pretty big regional and national brands (i.e Hot Topic, Five Guys, Threadless, etc.) have blown up because of their shrewd use of social media.   Just like how smaller video game retailers have started hitting it big in the wake of blockbuster scaling back their stores. There is now a lot of room for independent and smaller bookstores to make a real impact if they use social media sites right.  Social media is, after all, nothing if not a great equalizer among retailers.  Mom and Pop’s books gets roughly the same amount of Twitter and Facebook space as Barnes and Noble.  Independent book retailers on a budget can do big things with social media.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>In a Borderless World How Can Indie Bookstores Use Social Media To Take Advantage</strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong>As we’ve seen in the past with some pretty big regional and national brands (i.e Hot Topic, Five Guys, Threadless, etc.) have blown up because of their shrewd use of social media.  Just like how smaller video game retailers have started hitting it big in the wake of blockbuster scaling back their stores. There is now a lot of room for independent and smaller bookstores to make a real impact if they use social media sites right.  Social media is, after all, nothing if not a great equalizer among retailers.  Mom and Pop’s books gets roughly the same amount of Twitter and Facebook space as Barnes and Noble.  Independent book retailers on a budget can do big things with social media.</p>
<p>Books are really the world’s largest niche market.  There is a massive market out there looking for the next great thing to read.  The goal for any small book retailer on social media should be to build up that excitement right on your page.  Build yourself up as the place to go to find the next big thing and keep up with what’s coming out soon.  As with all social media niche marketing, you are building a hub for people to talk to each other and build buzz for things like in store events.  Ask more questions than anything else and try to respond with statements that continue conversation. (Use the phrase “yes and…” in all your posts.)</p>
<p>One thing niche marketing businesses, particularly indie bookstores, can do is build events on social media.  A digital launch party is a great way to get some fans and establish yourself and maybe even get some free press out of it.  Make it an event both in store and online.  Give them a coupon or some small gift for being your fan and coming in.  The best social media events build interest in both the fan page and the physical store.</p>
<p>One site that is great for indie bookstores is Kickstarter.  No, I’m not saying you should go ask people to give you money just for opening but if you word it right you can get some good press and sell some merchandise too.  Kickstarters like <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1945935286/uncharted-books?ref=live">Uncharted Books</a> are offering great stuff for supporting them.   They’re basically building a following and hyping their launch date.  If you can get that buzz from Kickstarter over to a Facebook page you could have a pretty big following as you open your doors.  A dedicated social media following is like a perpetual motion machine for SEO.  The more they talk the more you show up on search engines.  Keeping people talking isn’t that difficult, it’s getting them there that can be tricky so taking advantage of your momentum from things like Kickstarter is crucial.</p>
<p>One more thing for niche market indie retailer to remember is that your audience is looking for you.  They’re hungry for the next big thing.  The good thing is that you have a dedicated group to take advantage of.  The problem is you have to compete with all the other niche market indie retailers too.  Don’t be afraid to do something aggressive to spread word of mouth and get some people talking.  Your audience wants what you have and you aren’t going to scare them away by running a promotion that asks them to repost on their own social media pages.   Ask them to bring friends and give them coupons for bringing people in.  The more people talk about you the more you people will see you.</p>
<p>I’m not always huge on the paid ads on social media.  I usually hold off until I have something huge or I’m not where I want to be as far as fan interaction but with a niche market audience getting momentum right on the outset is crucial.  If you can’t get a good social media crowed with Kickstarter or an in store promotion you might need to do a paid campaign.  You could also ask other groups or stores to cross promote with you.  Again, a niche market audience is an audience that likes to talk so take advantage of that whenever you can.</p>
<p><a href="file://localhost/%2520http/:www.annarbor.com:business-review:barnes-noble-takes-control-of-borders-social-media-pages:">Barnes &amp; Noble takes control of Borders&#8217; social media pages</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.noobpreneur.com/2011/10/15/social-media-for-small-businesses-a-modern-day-essential/">Social Media for Small Businesses – A Modern Day Essential</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/beverly-macy/social-media-business_b_1065400.html">Social Media &#8212; 4 Trends To Watch in 2012</a></p>
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		<title>Don’t Call It A Comeback: 5 Brands That Found a Second Life Using Social Media</title>
		<link>http://stairwellblog.com/2011/10/don%e2%80%99t-call-it-a-comeback-5-brands-that-found-a-second-life-using-social-media/</link>
		<comments>http://stairwellblog.com/2011/10/don%e2%80%99t-call-it-a-comeback-5-brands-that-found-a-second-life-using-social-media/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 21 Oct 2011 17:25:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>charles</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Digital Advertising]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Findings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://stairwellblog.com/?p=3087</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Advertising is full of great comeback stories from brands that were on their way out but came back with a vengeance. Radio Shack has clawed its way back from near extinction in recent years. Some brands have done it using social media to rebuild their audience. If you can find something that catches on virally via the web, it doesn’t matter what your past reputation was as a brand and here are a few brands that will show you how to do it.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Advertising is full of great comeback stories from brands that were on their way out but came back with a vengeance.  Radio Shack has clawed its way back from near extinction in recent years.  Some brands have done it using social media to rebuild their audience.  If you can find something that catches on virally via the web, it doesn’t matter what your past reputation was as a brand and here are a few brands that will show you how to do it.</p>
<p>It wasn’t that long ago that Blockbuster was being talked about in the same breath as Tower Records, a relic of a bygone era.  Heck, it was probably earlier this year.  But with a new deal involving Dish Network (another brand struggling to find a hole to fill in the cable TV/digital media world.) comes renewed interest and the potential to overtake their rival, Netflix.   Blockbuster made a huge push into social media and made itself into what Netflix wasn’t, a place for people who loved movies (and by extension places to rent them). They were able to utilize their niche audience to grow their fan base virally.  They re-branded themselves as a place on the cutting edge instead of a dying breed.  Criterion is also a similar brand that is using the same model as Blockbuster.  They’re both using social media as a platform to build goodwill and to host giveaways and let word spread from there.</p>
<p>Marvel Comics is another brand that has made huge pushes to rebrand via social media.  In the last decade, they’ve been victims of skyrocketing printing costs and piracy.  Instead of trying to downplay and ignore the issues that print publishing is going through, they made a genuine attempt to use digital and social media to reach a new audience.  They’ve promoted social media-heavy events like “Free Comic Day,” and built up their digital publishing in a way that enhances their print side and doesn’t detract from it.  If you only read their print publications you’d be o.k. and if you only read their digital media and followed their social sites you’d be o.k.  But if you did both, you’d see how they complemented each other &#8211; and that’s what we ad wonks like to call “synergy.”</p>
<p><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/26947728" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen allowFullScreen></iframe></p>
<p>Domino&#8217;s Pizza launched a huge campaign on television attempting to change their image, but they also made huge moves on social media.  They built up a solid group of funny videos on YouTube that caught on virally.  Domino&#8217;s sunk major cash into getting a load of Facebook followers before that TV campaign even started.  All those Facebook followers lead to some great online reviews on sites like Yelp and Google Places.  So when all those people saw those commercials and went online they found a huge assortment of reviews leading them to their local Domino&#8217;s phone numbers.  They showed that the best way to build a bigger customer base is to let your dedicated social media followers do it for you.</p>
<p>Pro Elite MMA isn’t a well known company right now.  They were running shows on Showtime and CBS while the UFC was struggling to gain ground a few years back, but for various reasons they came very close to bankruptcy at one point.  Now they’re on their way back and they owe it all to using social media and digital streaming.   They created events around social media chat sessions and Facebook giveaways while at the same time building toward their shows which just happened to be a click and few bucks away from their Facebook page.  Like Marvel, Pre Elite discovered that niche market customers are all about the path of least resistance.</p>
<p>Old Spice knew to never underestimate the value of a great spokesperson.  They found some unique voices and built social media followings around these personalities.  It didn’t hurt that their videos were really funny too.  I’ve always said making some well made funny videos is easy for small business.  There are always young talented artists in any community willing to work for experience and a sandwich.  Put an ad in a local college paper and get some talented kids to make videos for your brand and you have the makings of a great viral marketing campaign.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.marketwatch.com/story/blockbuster-is-back-from-the-doldrums-netflix-finally-has-competition-2011-09-27?reflink=MW_news_stmp">Blockbuster Is Back From the Doldrums &#8212; Netflix Finally Has Competition</a></p>
<p><a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/mma/10/13/pro-elite/">ProElite Readies for Second Life</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.reelseo.com/social-video-marketing-tips/">Social Video Marketing Tips With Domino’s Pizza Chicago’s Ramon DeLeon</a></p>
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		<title>Behind The Curve On Streaming Video: Netflix and The Streaming Video Debacle</title>
		<link>http://stairwellblog.com/2011/10/behind-the-curve-on-streaming-video-netflix-and-the-streaming-video-debacle/</link>
		<comments>http://stairwellblog.com/2011/10/behind-the-curve-on-streaming-video-netflix-and-the-streaming-video-debacle/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 14 Oct 2011 18:49:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>joshuasinason</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Digital Advertising]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Findings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[online streaming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[streaming]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://stairwellblog.com/?p=3082</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Remember TiVo?  When it first came out in 1999 TiVo was the biggest thing going.  TiVo was going to be the next Microsoft or Apple.  Judging from those first few years TiVo has got to be in every home in the country right?  Well a funny thing happened, when TiVo got popular companies took their business model and applied to a much larger infrastructure and improved upon the technology.  In the end TiVo was left with nothing but a mostly forgotten brand name.  Because, as social media has shown, being the first one in on new media means the moment you’re successful everyone is going to take your model and run with it in directions you can’t control.  ]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Remember TiVo?  When it first came out in 1999 TiVo was the biggest thing going.  TiVo was going to be the next Microsoft or Apple.  Judging from those first few years TiVo has got to be in every home in the country right?  Well a funny thing happened, when TiVo got popular companies took their business model and applied to a much larger infrastructure and improved upon the technology.  In the end TiVo was left with nothing but a mostly forgotten brand name.  Because, as social media has shown, being the first one in on new media means the moment you’re successful everyone is going to take your model and run with it in directions you can’t control.</p>
<p>Netflix had the opportunity to learn from both TiVo and MySpace mistakes.  They could have been prepared for the likes of Blockbuster/Dish Network and Hulu.  They chose to go another way and in the span of a few months they’re in danger of falling behind Hulu and other streaming video sites.  The problem is they’re unveiling products and add-ons like they’re Apple or Microsoft.  What they don’t realize is that at 5 years into their runs those companies were still branding one or two products.  Netflix needs to narrow its focus away from video games and such and focus on streaming video and mail order.   One reason Hulu made great strides in the last few years even though they raised prices is because they made a lucrative deal with X-Box.  (Actually they raised prices from zero which some saw as the kiss of death, making their success even more remarkable.) Netflix missed a golden opportunity to make a deal with Playstation and get some great press and strengthen their streaming video division.</p>
<p>The problem with TiVo, and the problem that Netflix is facing, is that, in the end, they really don’t own anything.  They rely entirely on the contacts they’ve made with their content suppliers.  The moment they start creating their own stuff the content suppliers will turn on them and the moment they find a way to squeeze more money out of streaming video they’ll move their support elsewhere. Hulu is looking like a more attractive place every day.  Then again, something could come up that draws there attention and Hulu and Netflix could be on their way out.</p>
<p>Streaming video needs to be stable for lots of big things to happen.  Social Media was a very unstable market when Facebook started blowing up and it caused a lot of big advertisers to sit out a while.   If streaming video is going to be a viable place for you to put your advertising dollars there needs to be an industry leader that you know is going to be there a year or two from now and there just doesn’t seem to be one yet.</p>
<p>There are a lot of major things on the horizon that can’t really happen until we get a viable marketing model for streaming video.  We are on the verge of 24/7 connectivity, where everything from your phone, your computer, and your TV is connected to the internet and accessing the same user data (what Apple calls “iCloud”). With both Cable and Network losing viewers to things like streaming video, and still struggling to monetize and stabilize in a realistic way, they are bleeding viewers and losing money at a time when they should be introducing new and exciting technology.  Your TV and your digital video streaming are going to be merging in the next few years.  Instead of getting HBO and watching things as they air you’ll be able to get the HBO app for your TV and things will become available to view at a certain time.  But none of that can happen till they find a way to stabilize the streaming video service market and make it an inviting place for major advertisers.</p>
<p>Ultimately, like social media, streaming video will turn into a place for smaller business to bust out of there regions and hit it big on a national level.   Just like social media it will also become more regionally targeted.  If you want to start a national viral campaign streaming video is a good place to put your advertising dollars but someday it will be a place to put big bucks into.</p>
<p><a href="http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/10/video-netflix-backtracks/">Netflix Backtracks</a></p>
<p><a href="http://searchengineland.com/in-house-video-marketing-via-youtube-95857">In House Video Marketing Via Youtube</a></p>
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