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How to Grow Your Email List With Facebook Ads

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Want more email subscribers? Have you considered paying Facebook to help grow your list? In this article, you’ll discover how to improve the chances that you acquire and keep email subscribers. Why Combine Facebook Ads With an Email Nurture Sequence? No matter what type of online business you run, your email list is the most […]

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September 28, 2020 at 05:04AM

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What to Know About The Social Dilemma

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Criticism of social media isn’t new, and it’s often warranted. 

For example, social media has been linked to self-esteem issues, cyberbullying, and car accidents. 

Distracted driving is one of the primary causes of car accidents, and yet people continue to use their phones to scroll social media when they’re behind the wheel. We’re learning that the compulsion to scroll social media, even in dangerous situations could highlight the deeper issues of these platforms. 

The distractions of social media sites extend to work and relationships. It’s hard for most of us to be present when there’s the constant pull of social media at our fingertips. 

The Social Dilemma is a buzzy new Netflix movie exploring the topic and opening up many people’s eyes to the difficult truths regarding social media. So what should you know if you haven’t watched it yet?

The Basics

The Social Dilemma is a documentary from Jeff Orlowski, which looks at how things like addiction to Facebook and Instagram aren’t accidental and are rather part of the design on the part of tech companies. The documentary deep-dives into the fact that social media companies are manipulating and exploiting human behavior for profit. 

For example, those push notifications you receive are a way to keep you constantly tethered to your social media. Personalized recommendations are not just using your currently available data but are influencing your every action. 

Through the course of the film, Orlowski speaks with the people who built social media and now are worried that they’ve created a monster in terms of democracy, mental health, and more. 

According to Anna Lembke, who is a Stanford University addiction specialist, social media companies rely on the evolutionary need of the brain to have a sense of connection. 

Interestingly, the documentary combines interviews with fictional scenes of a suburban family dealing with the ramifications of an addiction to social media. 

The documentary looks at former decision-makers in the tech industry dealing with the business models that have led to their power and influence, but perhaps many negative outcomes. 

The ability of social media to play into human psychology and drive behaviors is why these companies have become so staggeringly rich. 

Most of us at the individual level are entirely unaware of how social media is affecting us, and that’s by design. 

The Effects of Social Media on Your Brain

It sounds dramatic, but we are increasingly seeing that social media is turning us into addicts. Social media platforms target the same brain circuits as drugs and gambling. 

For example, consider how you feel if you realize you don’t have your phone with you at any given moment in your day. You may feel panic because if you don’t have your phone you can feel incomplete. We’re entirely reliant on our phones, which is why we find ourselves using them even when we shouldn’t, like when we’re behind the wheel. 

Smartphones themselves aren’t necessarily addictive—it’s what on them. 

Social media lets you carry your social life in your pocket. There are, unfortunately, links between smartphone use and anxiety and depression, diminished sleep quality, and a higher risk of car accident injury and death. 

Even if you want to spend less time scrolling social media on your phone, you may not be able to. This is how an addict feels with substance use. 

Social Media and Dopamine

Understanding the addictive nature of social media relies on gaining insight into dopamine. 

Our brains produce dopamine, and it plays a role in motivation. Dopamine is released when we do something pleasurable, including having social interactions. The dopamine response we have from pleasurable behaviors motivates us to keep repeating those stimuli. The dopamine pathways in our brand are considered reward pathways. In addiction, there is dysfunction seen in these paths. 

Reward pathways in the brain reinforce our feelings of feel-good reward that follows certain behaviors.

Smartphones and social media apps provide non-stop, rewarding stimuli in the form of social interactions. Each time we see a notification on our Facebook or we get a like on Instagram, there’s a flood of dopamine that triggers the addictive reward cycle. 

Consider over the past decade how many more notifications you likely get from Facebook as part of this. You are now getting notifications for interactions you have with groups and for things that you aren’t even directly involved in. It’s those notifications that keep you going back for more and incentivize you to repeat your behaviors and Facebook knows that. 

On Instagram, there’s a trick where likes are withheld on your photos so that then they can be delivered in a larger burst. What happens is that you initially may feel let down because you aren’t getting the responses you thought you would on Instagram, but then your dopamine centers are activated when you get that collection of likes later on. 

So, What Can You Do?

How you decide to handle the information provided in The Social Dilemma is up to you and what your goals are, but research is increasingly showing us that at least limiting your social media exposure can be tremendously beneficial for your mental health. 

Consider a social media detox, or put yourself on a strict timer to only use social media 30 minutes a day. 

What you have to realize is that this is going to be tough if you’re used to engaging with social media all day. 

You have to rewire your brain, and it takes time to do that. You may get frustrated when you find yourself picking your phone up after you just put it down, but if you can be more mindful of what you’re doing, it can help you change those pathways in your brain hijacked by social media. 

Watching The Social Dilemma can provide you with more insight into how social media is affecting you without you knowing it. The film might give you the motivation you need to cut social media out of your life or at least make changes in how you use it, interact with and it, and rely on it.

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September 25, 2020 at 06:27PM

Shalom Lamm on Housing Social Media

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As the applications found on our devices become more and more specific to our brand and needs, it’s hard to imagine that now social media controls the housing market. The million-dollar app, Zillow, allows people to search an area in-depth to find their perfect home. Even professional realtors like Shalom Lamm couldn’t have expected a large number of users this app would reach. 

Zillow has done remarkably well for the little advertising it’s done. It ranks number one on the app store and according to Shalom’s Personal Blog, it will remain that way for quite sometimes. The app designers and creators made Zillow into almost a monopoly. No other app like this existed thus, it helped circulate momentum around the development. Lamm says realtors can be directly connected to a person after interest in a property is shown. Then, a profile will come up for the user and the realtor can start making sales. Zillow even offers time slots for home visits or meetings. Shalom says he wished that the app was invented when he first started in the realtor business because it would’ve saved him a lot of trouble. 

Advertising can be very costly when it comes to rebranding something. If a realtor company is struggling and needs to get more sales, they might try designing logos, reaching new markets, and having lower prices. With Zillow, none of that had to happen because the consumers weren’t necessarily house-hunters. According to Lamm, a large percentage of app users are actually people who are just bored. They look at million-dollar mansions or expensive condos in the area because they just want to snoop. Lamm believes it’s human nature but that’s one of the reasons Zillow is so successful. Whenever a company taps into psychological aspects that make them money, it’s almost a guaranteed clement. 

It certainly is great to see the housing market be so successful amidst the pandemic. With people having immediate access to what houses are for sale, it’s a lot easier to recommend the app to others. On Ambit Success, Shalom makes it clear that in order to be profitable in the housing market, one must know how to advertise properly. Marketing the business by sharing the app through word of mouth is very important. Lamm states that Zillow is so successful because of how much people genuinely enjoy the app. By having a couple or family looking for a home together, it makes it much more enjoyable. Shalom Lamm has been caught saying that it is more of a social media then it is a housing application. Even if the app still exists on someone’s phone, untouched or unused, it still collects data. That data can be sold to other platforms and then they can come up with campaigns that market the user better. It’s all very complex but the developers are doing their best to get engagement on the app, no matter the person’s interest.According to LinkedIn, Shalom Lamm gained his knowledge of business development through his non-profit. Of course, he is a well-established realtor who used marketing techniques that world on buyers for years. But how did he become so knowledgeable on social media? Luckily, Lamm is one of the only people who try to stay ahead of the game. He is a lax person but is a very good businessman. That’s why investing in companies like Zillow right when they first debuted was of interest to him. He believes that the housing market will soon have to be controlled solely through social media. As online developments grow, l fewer people are going to interact. Thus, more platforms like Zillow will occur. It’s very important that those developers stay ahead of the times and continue egregiously working to connect people closer together instead of farther apart. Apps like these will end up being a monopoly, which no realtor ever wants to see. Will the housing market be online only one day? Are houses going to be filled with robots that do virtual tours? Only the experts can comment and we will soon find out.

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September 25, 2020 at 03:39PM

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10 Efficient Ways to Save Time So You Can Follow Your Dreams

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Time is something we all need more of, but how can you get more of it when there is only 24 hours in a day? Sadly there is no way to put more hours into each day, but what you can do is be more efficient with your time so you can follow your dreams. Here is how I was more efficient during my college years, which allowed me to run a business at the same time.

1. Watch television on the web – the problem with television is that you had to watch TV shows when they want you to watch them. Now with the technology advancements most entertainment channels like NBC, FOX, CW, and even a few cable networks let you watch your favorite TV shows online. It is free, you can watch the shows when you want to, and an hour show usually ends up being 45 minutes because there are a lot less commercials.
2. Sleep more – if you learn to take power naps, you will have more energy throughout the day. Although you may lose some time from napping, you will be able to work more efficiently, which will give you more time.
3. Eat healthy meals – changing your diet maybe hard at first, but eating balanced meals will affect how you do your daily tasks. It will give you more energy so you can get your work done faster.
4. Do less work – a lot of the things you do on a daily basis, don’t need to be done. Think about your daily routine and cut out anything that isn’t essential. You will be surprised on how much time you are wasting.
5. Tell people what’s on your mind – being honest and to the point is a great way to accomplish things quicker. When you beat around the bush things don’t get accomplished as fast. Just think about boardroom meetings, people are hesitant to say what is on their mind, which causes meetings to drag on forever.
6. Have some fun – all work and no play is a good way to make you feel depressed. Get some fun into your life, it will make you feel better, work harder, and hopefully make you want to accomplish your dreams.
7. Adjust your working hours – many companies are very flexible on what times you can start and end work. If you work in a heavy traffic city such as Los Angeles you can easily spend an hour or 2 commuting to work during rush hour. But if you adjust your working hours you can cut back on driving time drastically.
8. Cut down on your communication methods – cell phones, email, and instant messaging are just a few tools you probably use to communicate with others. The problem with some of these methods is that they can easily be abused. For example if you log onto AIM, you may waste an hour talking to others about junk. Try and use communication tools like AIM only when you need them.
9. Don’t multi-task – when you mult-task you tend to switch between what you should be doing and what you shouldn’t. By single tasking you are more likely to do what you are supposed to be doing.
10. Get rid of distractions – things you may not be thinking of can be distractions. Whether it is gadgets or even checking emails every 5 minutes, this can all distract you. By getting rid or distractions or controlling them, you will have more time on your hands.

Saving time creates time to focus on you and your goals. But finding time is only half the battle. You need to remain as productive as possible with the time you have to make the most of it.

Need help? Here are 51 free productivity apps that can help you out.

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September 25, 2020 at 03:09PM

Model and Actress Katya Bakat Reaches Out to Help Others

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Katya Bakat’s story began at the age of 14 when she left her home in Russia and started her modeling career. Bakat was an independent self-starter from the very beginning who knew the value of a hard day’s work. She excelled in her modeling career and became associated with multiple brands, including Armani, L’Oreal, and Bulgari Jewelry.

After traveling the world with modeling, Bakat wanted more and dreamed of being on the big screen. She started studying at the Lee Strasberg Film Institute and Theatre. Bakat then relocated from New York to LA to become a method actor. All of the hard work paid off when she landed a lead role in Empire Queen. Her acting career expanded to include roles in Angel Has Fallen, Honeymoon in Paradise, African Mystique, and Shadow Wolves.

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, opportunities to the entertainment business began disappearing. Bakat knew others were struggling with mental and physical health being stuck inside. She wanted to take this time to use her wealth of knowledge in nutrition, exercise, and fashion to reach out and inspire others.

On her Website and YouTube Channel, Happy Healthy Fancy, Bakat shares her tips and tricks to stay healthy and happy while discovering your own stylish and trendy fashion personality. While working as a model and actress, Bakat learned some essential keys to a healthy lifestyle. She spent countless hours studying nutrition and nutrients and their relation to a healthy body. Eating clean and sticking to a good diet always gave Bakat the energy she needed to keep up her busy schedule.

Of course, fitness and exercise fell right in line with eating clean and staying healthy. Bakat learned to keep to an exercise routine and morphed into a fitness guru. With more people being stuck inside during the pandemic, she started to develop her YouTube Channel and fitness videos for inspiration while inside. Her videos cover a wide range of practices from meditation, exercise and planking, and stress relief.

However, wellness doesn’t merely start and end with the body. Bakat believes, “To be happy, healthy and complete…you need to find balance in your heart, body, and soul.” If you can find happiness, you can find balance in the other aspects of your life, including health and wellness. 

One way Bakat stays happy is by exploring her love for fashion, and beauty. Being a model has allowed her to explore numerous designs and fashion trends and come into her own style. She loves sharing beauty and fashion secrets, such as Why You Need a Silk Pillowcase.

Bakat all too well knows the pressures that being in the limelight can bring on. She wants to spread the message that each person needs to take the time to figure out what is the right path for their own happiness.  Her message is all about confidence and reconnecting with your inner self to find a happy and balanced life.

To keep up with Katya Bakat and her evolving career paths, you can follow her on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/katyabakat/?hl=en, or subscribe to her YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHE8VCNj4PRQHEmDxuVdcxg?view_as=subscriber.

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September 25, 2020 at 01:22PM

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Twitter warns developers that their private keys and account tokens may have been exposed

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Twitter has emailed developers warning of a bug that may have exposed their private app keys and account tokens.

In the email, obtained by TechCrunch, the social media giant said that the private keys and tokens may have been improperly stored in the browser’s cache by mistake.

“Prior to the fix, if you used a public or shared computer to view your developer app keys and tokens on developer.twitter.com, they may have been temporarily stored in the browser’s cache on that computer,” the email read. “If someone who used the same computer after you in that temporary timeframe knew how to access a browser’s cache, and knew what to look for, it is possible they could have accessed the keys and tokens that you viewed.”

The email said that in some cases the developer’s access token for their own Twitter account may have also been exposed.

These private keys and tokens are considered secrets, just like passwords, because they can be used to interact with Twitter on behalf of the developer. Access tokens are also highly sensitive, because if stolen they can give an attacker access to a user’s account without needing their password.

Twitter said that it has not yet seen any evidence that these keys were compromised, but alerted developers out of an abundance of caution. The email said users who may have used a shared computer should regenerate their app keys and tokens.

It is not immediately known how many developers were affected by the bug or exactly when the bug was fixed. A Twitter spokesperson did not immediately comment when reached by TechCrunch.

In June, Twitter said that business customers, such as those who advertise on the site, may have had their private information also improperly stored in the browser’s cache.

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September 25, 2020 at 11:18AM

Why Social Media Cleanses Are Important

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Social Media can be very toxic. Now, more than ever, online presence has been valued higher than human connection. How is that possible? Why is our online profile more important than being present with our family and friends? Ken Kurson, a media specialist, believes the only way to solve this presiding issue is by doing social media cleanses.

Think about it like a detox. Plan certain hours in the day when going on your phone is appropriate. Once that time is up, stow it away for as long as you can. It may be difficult at first but being connected to your family is so much more important than we believe. Phones are not part of surviving. Water, food, air, are the only things humans need. Checking Facebook an abundant amount of times a day is not going to improve the quality of life a person has. Yes, occasionally logging on is perfectly acceptable. The addition is where most people, especially younger generations, start to suffer. Ken Kurson has had talks with his children about the negative effects social media can have, so you should too.

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September 25, 2020 at 09:16AM

A Quick Guide to Brand Building through Social Media

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Social media doesn’t feel quite ‘social’ when you are merely another face in the horde, does it? And then you glance at some at likes of the Starbucks, or GoPro with their huge fan following and wonder how you can replicate only a portion of their performance. However, the reality is you are certainly not alone if you are struggling to be noticeable as a brand.

Today marketer’s top priority is brand awareness. Indeed, social media platforms are a one-to-many solution to get the word out about your services and products. By building a strong brand presence on at least one or two social media, you can easily target a broader audience.

If you have just started out with social media to enhance your brand awareness, then you’re in the right place.  Here, you’ll learn the importance of brand presence on social media and powerful strategies to boost your brand awareness through social media.

Let’s dive right in!

The Importance of Social Media for Branding

Social media marketing provides equal weights for all. All have a voice and all can share their opinion. There are different kinds of social media networks and tools out there. You need to build your brand using these platforms and tools.

Let’s have a look at some reasons for choosing social media for brand building.

1. Google Loves Social Media

Social media marketing is great for SEO. Because of the very intuitive temperament of online networking, the primary platforms are at the greatest stage of the query items for your target keywords. You just need to determine what your audience searches for and employ these keywords throughout your social media websites and web journal.

2. Social Proof Your Brand

Many customers are looking online for ideas and searching for feedback and results. Draw the attention of such customers, demonstrate to them that your business is trustworthy and secure by simply owning a social media presence.

3. Humanize Brand

By having a simple and genuine social media presence and being keenly interested in feedback, you’re permitting your brand sector for getting no holds barred. People purchase services or products from ones they like, trust, and have faith. Engaging social media websites can help you quite a lot.

4. Converse with Your Business Sector

Social media marketing helps you interact and join the group of onlookers, which are relevant for discussions. During the middle of the discussion, you can plant the seeds. However, this is not a method for direct marketing. It is a tool for customer relationship management.

Boost Your Brand Awareness On Social Media

1) Find Your Audience

Thousands of social networks are out there, below is a quick summary of the major social media to help you determine your audience.

• Facebook

More than 1 billion users are on Facebook. It is important to remember how people use Facebook: to form relationships and chat with friends. It makes Facebook an excellent place to build your existing customer base’s loyalty.

• Twitter

Twitter is a great platform to build and increase your brand awareness. Twitter offers a search option to look into what people are talking about, and you can craft your tweets with trending hashtags that will engage your post. Twitter offers valuable insights into trending things; it is the best social platform to grow your business.

• Instagram

It is one of the rising social platforms among a young audience. It focuses on conversational images and functions quite well for visual businesses such as fashion, food, shops, and beauty. It helps the business to generate leads as the scope is broader.

• Google+

Google+ is well known for its older age male population. This platform fits well for companies in the fields of software, engineering, and design. As the platform is connected to Google Search, driving traffic to your website takes a higher weight. Therefore, if your goal is to automate your search engine, you should consider using Google+.

Start with at least one social media platform and then start having your brand presence on more platforms and thrive day by day.

2. Content Is King

If you concentrate on creating valuable content, people want to share rather than cranking out the content into arbitrary publishing schedules. Just covering subjects you want to read should go without saying; you’ll build much stronger credibility as a brand.

Keep the pointers in mind as you craft content for social sharing:

• Every piece of content you post should support your brand image.
• Figure what content would most likely to gain visibility on your social networks. Images could resonate with your audience better than blog posts.

If your content ensures both i.e., quality content and the effective placement of that content, then your brand image benefits over time.

3. Leverage influencers

It is essential to publish engaging content to your social media, but it is just one part of the equation. You will probably lose your voice in noise when you have a relatively unknown brand. Although you can create your brand audience by producing great content, it takes time.

A much easier solution is to use proven market influencers to exploit their audiences. Below are two ways to do that-

• In your content bits, list their names or quote their websites.
• Add any influencers to your post on the social media accounts you have cited.

All these acts have the function of enabling them to share your content through social networking with their followers.

Now it’s your turn

Building a buzz around your brand may take a bit of experimenting, but developing a dedicated plan for visibility remains the number one business concern today. Social media can be a fantastic way to boost your brand presence. As more marketers jump on the bandwagon, it can be challenging to compete with the marketing clutter. Be sure not only to use social media as a branding tool but also to stand out consistently and keep consumers involved and interested. You Got this!

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September 25, 2020 at 09:13AM

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Using Twitter to Grow an Organic Audience

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New businesses often face a huge dilemma: how to advertise their products while keeping their marketing budget low. Good advertising, especially in this digital age, needs to be longterm and across multiple platforms to be successful. However, new companies trying to raise awareness about their products often face massive competition from more established brands with huge advertising budgets.

Most new companies will opt to pay for ads on Facebook and Instagram. The pricing for these tends to appeal to small companies as you can regulate costs based on reach. Additionally, they can set an advertising cap, so you stay within budget. However, it is quite rare to find small companies marketing on Twitter, yet this is one of the free best marketing platforms there is.

Twitter vs. Instagram

When using social media platforms to increase reach, it’s crucial to understand how different platforms manage interactions. Twitter is built on a many-to-many network model, while platforms such as Instagram are based on a one-to-many model. The distinction between the two is how information spreads. With Twitter, the same tweet can be sent out by multiple accounts to other users using the retweet function. 

Instagram relies on the one-to-many model, which means that information spreads from a single user to their followers. Understanding how Twitter works will help you when curating and posting content that drives audience engagement. While on Instagram, you can rely primarily on catchy photos, Twitter engagement is entirely different. It will require a combination of good storytelling skills, a dash of humor, and relatability. 

Twitter and Good Brand Stories

Customers don’t buy products – they buy into ideas. With the number of new products that come into the market each hour, it can be difficult for people to choose. It has increasingly dawned on marketing gurus that the solution to this problem is not improving products but the stories behind them. A compelling story can improve brand loyalty as well as improve sales conversions. 

Twitter has a 280-character post limit. That may seem restrictive but used well, can provide just the right set-up to sell your brand story. You can curate your timeline to offer informative and exciting tweets in your industry. It’s crucial to provide accurate information so you can establish yourself as an authority. If the information is timely and relevant to the public, it is more likely to gain retweets. This way, your brand grows organically beyond your initial followers.

A Little Humour Goes a Long Way

Unless you are a modern-day Flintstone, you’ve come across and probably laughed at a few memes. The term ‘meme’ was coined in 1976 by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins to mean an idea that spreads quickly between people. In the modern sense, it denotes a relatable image with a funny caption that has gone ‘viral.’ Using memes in your business may seem like a risky idea, but you want to be sure people are laughing with you, not at you.

However, it is true that wit and charm work magic not only in making you more memorable but also likable. Additionally, most of the posts that go viral on Twitter tend to appeal to people’s sense of humor. To create witty posts, be sure that the humor is not offensive, that it’s in good taste, and complements your brand. You can choose to commission an animated video or even a short comic strip to aid in this. In this case, creativity is your friend.

Bet on an Organic Audience

As a growing business, your best bet for outlasting the competition is building an organic audience. These are customers that interact with and trust your brand. Eventually, they will be the ones who refer you to their personal and business networks. It may seem impossible when you start, but Twitter can be the key to creating an active and thriving business community.

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September 25, 2020 at 06:29AM

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How to Build Your Brand on YouTube

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Want to do more with YouTube? Wondering how to compete with established YouTube channels? To explore how to build a brand on YouTube, I interview Salma Jafri on the Social Media Marketing Podcast. Salma is a video strategist and YouTube coach who specializes in helping other coaches, solopreneurs, and consultants develop their brand with video […]

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September 25, 2020 at 05:09AM