What Does A Marketing Manager Do

December 8, 2021

If you are in the business of marketing, it’s highly likely that you would wonder what exactly does a marketing manager do? From developing a marketing strategy to managing promotional activities, marketing managers are responsible for a variety of tasks. In this blog post, we will look at the duties that make up a marketing manager’s role and responsibilities.
What Does A Marketing Manager Do

In this article:

1. Introduction to the Role of a Marketing Manager

As a marketing manager, you play a crucial role in helping a company effectively market its products or services. As a marketing professional, you are charged with understanding the needs of the organization, developing a comprehensive marketing strategy and managing the related programs and campaigns designed to achieve the goals and objectives of the organization.

  • Creating Brand Awareness: As a marketing manager, it is your role to develop brand awareness in the market. This involves managing various communication channels, such as social media, digital campaigns, website content, public relations, and more, to ensure your brand is seen, heard, and engage with customers.
  • Developing Strategies: Another key role of a marketing manager is to develop strategies that align with your company’s overall goals and objectives. This includes researching the market, developing a comprehensive marketing plan, and setting and monitoring the budget. Additionally, you should be able to identify any new trends or opportunities in the market and build an effective campaign strategy to capitalize on them.
  • Executing the Plan: Once the strategy has been developed, it is your responsibility to lead the team in executing the plan. This can include developing and launching campaigns, managing the online presence, optimizing content, managing customer engagement, and other related activities.

As a marketing manager, you must also be able to measure the impact of your strategies and initiatives, as well as make adjustments as needed. Additionally, it is important for a marketing manager to understand the latest marketing tools and techniques to ensure that the organization is using the most effective methods to reach its goals.

Overall, the role of a marketing manager is an integral part of any organization’s marketing efforts. By understanding the customer, the market, and the organization, and developing an effective strategy and managing the associated programs, you can help ensure that the organization is able to meet its goals and objectives.

1. Introduction to the Role of a Marketing Manager

2. Understanding the Marketing Manager’s Job Responsibilities

Accountability for Performance

Marketing managers must set, monitor, and report on goals as they relate to all marketing initiatives, including leads, sales, and ROI. They need to build a solid understanding of prospective customers, their interests, and expectations. They must ensure that all initiatives are strategically aligned with the brand vision and values, and also meet marketing objectives.

Strategic Guidance

Marketing managers play a key role in developing and executing a comprehensive marketing strategy for their company. They are expected to keep up to date with the latest marketing and promotional trends, and analyze target audiences to develop tailored marketing campaigns. They should also create social media campaigns and content to promote brand awareness and engagement.

Team Leadership

Marketing managers need to take the lead in managing a team to ensure that campaigns are delivered on schedule and within budget. They should also be keenly aware of any issues that arise along the way, and take the necessary steps to get them resolved.

Campaign Management

It is the responsibility of marketing managers to develop and manage campaigns, as well as review their success when completed. They must determine the best channels through which to reach audiences in order to maximize ROI and brand visibility. They must also monitor performance regularly to make sure that campaigns are successful and adjustments are made as needed.

Budgeting

Marketing managers should manage the budget for all marketing activities, allocate resources wisely, and ensure that costs remain within agreed limits. They must track all expenses to make sure that the budget is being adhered to, as well as manage any budget cuts that have been made.

Data Analysis

At the end of each campaign, it is important for marketing managers to review the performance and analyze the data to make sure that the campaigns are as successful as possible. They must take the time to review any feedback from the campaigns, and suggest ways to improve them in the future.
2. Understanding the Marketing Manager's Job Responsibilities

3. Assessing the Market and Analyzing Competitors

Understanding the Market

The most effective businesses understand the market inside and out. To start, ask:

  • Who are the people buying the product or using the service?
  • What is the size of the market and who are the biggest competitors?
  • What is the competition doing differently or better?

Understanding the market involves gathering information through surveys, industry reports, interviews with customers, and even informal conversations. Becoming familiar with the players in the market also helps inform and hone strategies.

Analyzing Competitors

Taking the time to understand the competition is essential to avoid being blindsided or having to play catch up. Analyzing competitors covers both direct and indirect competitors.

Direct competitors are businesses selling the same, or very similar, products or services. When analyzing direct competitors, consider their pricing, promotions, pricing pros and cons, marketing strategies, and more.

Indirect competitors are businesses which occupy the same general market space. While the products or services may be different, they are competing over the customer’s “wallet share.” Take a close look at indirect competitors and consider how their offerings might affect the market, seasonality, pricing pressure, and customer loyalty.

Research Competitors

Researching competitors goes beyond looking at their products or services. Take a look at who is winning and why. Check out competitors’ blog and social media posts to find out what customers think and are talking about. Digging deep, it’s important to read up on industry analysts’ reports and research studies.

Benchmarking

When analyzing competitors, it’s a good idea to create a benchmarking framework. This means creating KPIs or metrics to use in the analysis. Benchmarking helps to quantify performance and understand what makes the competition successful. Additionally, benchmarking allows for comparison along multiple metrics and makes it easier to measure performance.

Identifying Opportunities

Analyzing competitors not only helps to discover who stands in the way of achieving a goal, it also helps to identify opportunities. Examining what competitors are doing can be a source of inspiration and help create an edge over the competition.

It’s important to pay attention to the details and strategically look at the competition. Spend time researching, understanding the competition, and making data-driven decisions. Armed with the right insights, businesses can identify potential opportunities and shape a competitive advantage.
3. Assessing the Market and Analyzing Competitors

4. Developing and Implementing Marketing Strategies

Once there is an understanding of who the company wants to target, how to reach them, and what products or services to offer, how to market these products and services can begin to be developed. Although this is often the next step, it’s important that this step isn’t skipped. Developing more comprehensive marketing strategies can have a huge impact on a business’s success.

So how can a company develop effective strategies? There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to marketing, but there are a few steps that can be taken:

  • Set goals: Start by setting realistic goals for what you want the marketing strategy to achieve. Aim for a specific increase in sales, or customer engagement, or even to increase brand awareness.
  • Familiarize yourself with the market: Know what competitors are doing and how you can stand out. Don’t underestimate how powerful brand awareness, customer satisfaction, or even price can be in helping to entice new customers.
  • Come up with an idea: Once you know the market and the goals of the marketing strategy it’s time to come up with a creative concept to entice people to your business.
  • Plan your campaign: Follow the plan and stick to it. Establish a timeline and create deadlines to make sure that everything is on track.
  • Implement and track: Use analytics or other measure of success to track the progress of the strategy – if it’s not working, don’t be afraid to tweak or adjust the plan.
  • Evaluate: Gather feedback from customers and use this to evaluate the strategy and consider what worked and what didn’t.

Once the marketing strategy has been developed and implemented, businesses need to find ways to monitor its effectiveness and establish KPIs to track success. However, strategies are not always set in stone – don’t be afraid to make adjustments and changes if they are necessary. With the right tools and techniques, businesses can find creative and effective ways to craft successful marketing strategies.

4. Developing and Implementing Marketing Strategies

5. Managing Advertising and Promotional Campaigns

It is essential for any business to manage their advertising and promotional campaigns. In this article, we will take a look at five key methods to optimize these processes.

1. Establish Clear Goals
As part of any promotional campaign, it is important to know exactly what you want to achieve. Do you need to create awareness of the product or service? Do you want to reach out to a new audience? You need a solid understanding of what constitutes success for your business, and then you can work towards those goals.

2. Leverage Online Advertising
In today’s digital world, online advertising is one of the most effective methods for reaching an audience. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are great places to start. You can create targeted campaigns and monitor the results in real-time. Keep in mind that it is important to remain mindful of the audience you are trying to reach and ensure that the messaging resonates.

3. Analyze & Monitor Results
Once you’ve launched a campaign, it’s important to measure its success. Metrics such as website visits, click-through rate, and conversions can give you a sense of how successful the campaign has been. This kind of analysis will help you to develop better strategies in the future.

4. Use Events to Promote Products
Events are a great way to promote products. From trade shows, conferences, and product launch events – they can be a powerful tool to create buzz and get people talking about your business.

5. Consider Mobile Advertising
Data indicates that mobile has become the primary device for accessing the internet, so it is important to consider mobile advertising strategies. Developing and launching campaigns via apps and on mobile platforms is key for any successful promotional initiative.

Conclusion
With the right strategies in place, businesses can optimize their advertising and promotional campaigns. By following the tips outlined above, businesses will be able to reach the right audience and maximize their return on investment.
5. Managing Advertising and Promotional Campaigns

6. Enhancing Brand Presence

Establishing an effective presence is an important part of creating a successful brand. Here are six powerful ways to enhance your brand’s presence that every marketing department should utilize.

  • Create a Cross-Platform Strategy
    In today’s digital world, having a unified marketing strategy and presence across all social media platforms is vital. Create accounts on every major platform and post frequently to build your following. Social media doesn’t have to be limited to organic posts; platforms such as Facebook and Twitter offer paid campaigns and options for targeting specified users.
  • Invest in Professional Images
    Investing in professional photography is essential for attracting potential customers. Quality visuals are especially important when targeting a specific demographic of a younger generation. Consider working with professional photographers or creating an engaging product video.
  • Hire an Influencer or Ambassador
    Draw in new users or customers by using influencers or brand ambassadors. Ambassadors act as direct representatives of your brand, so it’s important to understand their brand storytelling ability and expertise. Ambassadors can interact with customers and review products to gain deeper insights.
  • Launch Paid Advertising Campaigns
    Paid campaigns can help your business reach a larger audience, while also increasing brand awareness. Consider making use of platforms such as Google Ads or Facebook Ads. You can also target specific users based on their interests, age, industry and more.
  • Leverage Search Engine Optimization
    Utilize search engine optimization (SEO) techniques to drive more organic traffic to your website. Make sure all your content is properly optimized for search engines. Additionally, regularly analyze your analytics to help refine and improve your SEO efforts.
  • Develop Strategic Partnerships
    Develop relationships with other related businesses or local influencers. These partnerships can help your brand gain deeper insights into potential customers. Additionally, explore ways to collaborate together to create unique content for both brands.

The power of marketing is immense, and when done properly it can establish your brand as an industry leader. With the right strategies, you can build an engaging presence and draw in potential customers. Leverage these six methods to enhance your business’s brand presence and take your brand to the next level.
6. Enhancing Brand Presence

7. Evaluating Online and Offline Media Platforms

The digital world has drastically changed how we experience and consume content. For communications professionals, choosing the right platform for a message is the key to driving maximum engagement. To make the right choice, here are some tips to evaluate online and offline media platforms.

1. Target audience

Your target audience should be the first factor to consider in evaluating media platforms. Does the platform make sense for your audience? Which channels will effectively reach your desired audience? Social media channels have diverse demographics to consider and vary greatly in their ability to deliver a message.

2. Reach and engagement

Reach and engagement are also important factors in evaluating media channels. How many people can you realistically expect to reach with a given platform? What forms of engagement are available? Can you measure success? These are all questions you should answer prior to launching a campaign.

3. Limitations

Different platforms come with limitations that need to be considered. Does the platform have any restrictions when it comes to what content you can share? Are there any time limits on how often you can post? Is it limited to sharing one type of message or can you mix multiple messages? Is it a platform that’s best for specific campaigns?

4. Cost

Costs associated with certain online and offline media platforms can be either a major benefit or a deterrent. Before investing in a particular platform, consider how much you’re willing to spend on each channel and compare them to find the most cost-effective choice.

5. Compatibility with other channels

It’s important to make sure a chosen platform is compatible with any other channels you’ll be using. Can the platform integrate with existing campaigns and messages? Will it work as part of a larger strategy? Will it be able to create more exposure and deliver better results?

6. Measurement tools

Ultimately, a platform’s measure of success is what matters most. Does the platform have proper measurement tools or analytics to track performance? Can you access detailed insights on how well the platform works? These questions will help you determine which media channels offer best value for money.

7. Evaluating Online and Offline Media Platforms

8. Supervising Customer Research and Analysis

Accurately tracking performance and customer research requirements is a crucial task for any business. Understanding the customer’s needs is fundamental to providing quality services. This section will explore how to effectively supervise customer research and analysis activities.

  • Identifying Trends – Keeping up-to-date with market trends and customer behaviors keeps you in the know. Make sure to identify any patterns that may indicate growing or declining usage patterns.
  • Data Collection – Efficiently collecting customer data and usage stats is a key factor in producing up-to-date customer profiles. Utilize customer surveys, interviews, polls, and feedback forms to gather relevant data.
  • Analytical Reports – Generating analytical reports that provide a comprehensive picture of customer needs and behaviors should also be a top priority. The reports should include data on customer preferences, demographics, and customer buying habits.

It’s important to note that customer research and analysis can provide invaluable insights into customers’ needs and behaviors. This can prove to be invaluable when making decisions about product development, customer service, marketing, and more. Having access to detailed and reliable customer data can also be used to adjust prices, and product features to meet customer demands.

activities involves having a keen eye for detail. It’s important to remain proactive and be on the lookout for any discrepancies or patterns that may indicate a shift in customer demands. Utilizing the data collected is also a key factor when it comes to understanding customer trends and making informed decisions.

For businesses looking to stay one step ahead of the competition, investing in customer research and analysis is a must-have. Make sure to keep track of customer data regularly to ensure continuous monitoring of customer needs and behaviors. activities is a sure way of increasing customer satisfaction and boosting sales.

8. Supervising Customer Research and Analysis

9. Crafting and Executing the Company’s Marketing Plan

Once an organization’s market research has been completed and its target customer and market have been determined, it’s time to develop and execute the company’s marketing plan. The following steps should be taken to do so:

  • Create a budget to allocate appropriate funds for marketing. Include in the budget estimates for advertising, promotions, digital marketing, and event marketing efforts.
  • Set marketing goals. Goals should be specific, reasonable, and measurable. Be sure to create timelines to ensure these goals are accomplished in a timely manner.
  • Understand your competition. Research the products and services of competitors and identify opportunities or weaknesses that can be exploited to gain an advantage.

Once the budget and goals are set, the company needs to select its marketing activities and develop the marketing strategy that will be used to approach its target customers. Advertising is often the starting point for this, but it can encompass a wide range of activities, including public relations, promotions, direct marketing, and digital marketing.

After the strategy is determined, the next step is to develop messaging to communicate the company’s value proposition—the main benefit that potential customers should gain from purchasing its products or services. Messaging must be crafted with the target customer in mind, as different customers will be attracted to different aspects of the product or service. This messaging should cover every aspect of the customer experience with the company, from initial advertising to post-sale support.

The next step is to build a plan to execute it. This includes determining the necessary channels to use to reach the target customers, as well as producing the required materials for each channel. The execution plan should also include how it will be tracked, measured, and adjusted as needed.

Once the plan is crafted and ready, the company can then begin to execute it and track its progress. Continuous analysis of the results is essential to ensure the effectiveness of the marketing activities and, if necessary, make changes to the plan to reach the desired outcomes.

9. Crafting and Executing the Company's Marketing Plan

10. Analyzing Sales Reports and Generating Strategies

Sales reports are a critical part of assessing the success and health of your business. Without analysis and effective strategies in place, it can be challenging to plan for the future. Here are 10 ways to make sure you are getting the most out of your sales reports and generating successful strategies going forward.

  • Understand the key elements of the report. Sales figures, customer trends, and market changes are all important components to analyzing your data.
  • Identify successes. Look for the positive outcomes from your reports. Did your sales reach a certain benchmark? Is there a bump up in customer loyalty?
  • Mind the details. Keep track of the small things. Tiny changes can often have a big impact on your revenue over time.

Identifying patterns in your sales reports can also help to inform effective strategies. For example, if there is an uptick in sales after launching a new feature, it could suggest that the feature itself could be worth investing in further. How can you capitalize on this? Maybe it’s simply riding the wave of consumer interest or investing funds into streamlining the feature or creating a similar one.

It’s also important to pay attention to customer feedback and reviews. What have your customers been saying and does it match the data in the sales reports? All this information can help you come up with new strategies and ideas. If the reports reveal feedback from loyal customers that suggest a new product could be a success, you know it’s worthwhile to pursue.

  • Define goals and objectives. Set measurable, timelines goals that you can work to achieve.
  • Monitor the reports closely. It’s important to track changes often to make sure your goals and strategies stay on track.
  • Make data-driven decisions. Don’t forget to refer back to the reports when making changes. Your decisions should always be grounded in the data.

Last but not least, be sure to document any strategies that have not been successful. Be sure to list the reasons why they didn’t work, and if applicable, how they could be reworked. This can help you avoid repeating a wasted effort in the future.

Staying on top of emerging trends in the marketplace is essential to staying competitive. It can be difficult to identify new trends, but doing so allows businesses to capitalize on new opportunities that their competitors may not have. Knowing how to effectively find new trends can help you keep your business moving in the right direction.

Do Your Research
The first step in identifying emerging trends is to do the appropriate research. This means staying up to date on industry news, reading analyst reports, and keeping an eye on what your competitors are doing. You also need to be tracking customer feedback and using the data to identify any unmet needs or gaps in the market.

Analyze Existing Data
Using existing data, you can analyze customer preferences to identify emerging trends. Look at customer satisfaction surveys, customer feedback, and product data to determine which customers are using which features of your products. This can help you determine which direction you should be headed in terms of future innovations.

Know Your Past Successes
It’s important to identify what worked well for you in the past. Identify any successful marketing campaigns, product launches, or service initiatives that gained traction. Examining these successes can help you determine what type of changes you could make to stay competitive in the future.

Listen to Your Customers
Your customers are one of the best resources you have when it comes to identifying emerging trends. Regularly reach out to your customers to ask for their feedback on your products and services. This will give you valuable insights into their preferences and help you stay ahead of the competition.

Stay Open to New Ideas
Finally, it’s important to always be open to new ideas. Don’t dismiss any ideas or suggestions that may come up during research or conversations. Staying open to new ideas will keep you from missing out on any emerging trends that could put you ahead of the competition.

12. Establishing Strategic Partnerships

The growth of your business often requires a strategic partnership. Strategic partnerships can help reduce costs and risks, solve resource limitations, and create new customer relationships.

When considering a strategic partnership, you must weigh the potential opportunities against the potential risks. Here are five tips for establishing successful strategic partnerships:

  • Craft a win-win partnership. Think carefully about the mutual benefits of your proposed partnership. Make sure the terms are fair and equitable.
  • Know the other partner. Research your partner’s capabilities and track record. Make sure their standards meet your expectations.
  • Communicate clearly. Make sure everyone is on the same page and agree on the goals of the partnership. Establish clear expectation, deliverables, and timelines.
  • Identify any legalities. Obtain legal advice and/or insurance to protect both parties. Make sure your partner’s contracts and terms are in writing.
  • Protect proprietary information. Consider setting up a secure information-sharing system. Make sure confidential information is agreed upon and protected.

Creating a successful strategic partnership takes thoughtful planning and thoughtful execution. Lay out the terms of the arrangement and go into it with realistic expectations. If done correctly, the rewards — from cost savings and improved performance — can be extraordinary.

Whenever possible, use the power of strategic partnerships to share resources and lower costs. It will enable your business to compete better in a tough marketplace.

13. Reporting Progress and Handling Budgeting

Managing a project budget means more than simply estimating the costs upfront and ensuring that these costs aren’t exceeded. It also involves staying on top of the project’s finances, keeping track of expenses and revenue and handling any variations, and reporting on progress to key stakeholders.

The following are some tips on how to effectively handle budgeting and reporting your project’s progress:

  • Set clear goals and objectives: Before you can begin tracking expenses, it’s important to set upfront goals and objectives for the project. This will give you a better sense of what success looks like and help you stay focused on the larger picture.
  • Prioritize and delegate tasks: Managing tasks and delegating them to the right team members is essential for staying on top of the budget and meeting deadlines. Tackle the most important tasks first and invest more time and resources into them if needed.
  • Monitor costs and revenue: It’s important to have an accurate understanding of the costs associated with the project and how much revenue it’s generating. Track these figures regularly so that you can make any necessary adjustments to the budget if needed.
  • Stay organized: In order to keep effective track of the budget, it’s important to stay organized. This means setting up systems and processes for tracking expenses and revenue and setting up automated reports for key stakeholders.
  • Be proactive in communication: Regular communication is essential for ensuring that everyone remains on the same page in terms of budget and goals. Reach out to stakeholders as needed and make sure that everyone is kept up to date with any changes or progress being made.
  • Be ready for change: Changes are inevitable in any project and you need to be prepared for them. Be ready to adjust the budget or change direction if needed and communicate any of these changes to the stakeholders in a timely manner.

Keeping track of a project’s budget and staying on top of progress are important in any project. By setting clear goals, prioritizing tasks, monitoring costs and revenue, staying organized, being proactive in communication, and prepared for changes, you can ensure that the project remains on track and on budget.

14. Collaborating with the Creative Team

is essential for any successful project. In order to achieve the desired outcomes, everyone needs to be on the same page and work together. Here are some tips on how to collaborate with the creative team:

  • Communication: Communication is key when it comes to successful team collaboration. It’s essential for team members to stay in regular contact with each other and be available to answer questions and discuss ideas. Keep an open line of communication and make the most of any feedback received.
  • Creative Direction: Before the creative phase begins, it’s important to ensure that everyone is on the same page. Establish a clear creative direction with the team and make sure everyone is on board before moving forward. This will ensure that everyone is on the same page and that everyone can contribute to the project in a constructive way.
  • Goal Setting: It’s important to set clear goals for the creative team before starting any project. These should be measurable benchmarks which can be seen to be achieved at the end of the project. This will help ensure that the team is motivated and that the project is completed to the highest standard.
  • Be Open: Creativity often requires input from all angles. As a team member, be prepared to be open to new ideas and perspectives. This will ensure that the project reaches its full potential and that the final result is as stunning as possible.
  • Leadership: Lastly, it’s important to have good leadership when working with a creative team. Strong leadership skills will ensure that the team is focused and motivated, and that the project is completed on time and to the highest possible standard.

These are just some tips on how to collaborate with the creative team. Take the time to understand each team member’s individual strengths and weaknesses and utilise them to ensure the success of the project. Good communication and leadership skills are essential to any successful collaborative project.

15. Ensuring Quality Control of Products and Services

Quality control in any professional setting plays an essential role – it’s a vital part of ensuring the satisfaction of customers, as well as a representation of the values of an organization. Quality control is a systematic approach to ensuring high standards of goods and services provided.

Steps to Ensure Quality Control:

  • Establish quality objectives and standards.
  • Put in place procedures to evaluate quality.
  • Put in place a system to capture information and feedback.
  • Take into account the potential risks associated with quality.
  • Regularly monitor and review quality.

Organizations should use these steps to ensure ongoing quality control. Providing quality goods or services requires complete focus on detail throughout the entire process, from production to sales or delivery.

It is also important to ensure that staff are adequately trained and understand the quality control policies and procedures. If standards are not consistently met, then managers need to have disciplinary procedures in place to maintain the highest quality.

The regular monitoring of quality control is an important part of ensuring that customers are satisfied with the goods or services provided, and that issues or concerns are addressed and addressed promptly. This is best done through regular feedback sessions with customers and staff, as well as the implementation of any necessary corrective action.

By having a system in place to ensure quality control, organizations can confidently provide products and services that live up to their promises and meet customer expectations. Quality control is an essential component of any successful organization.

Questions & Answers

Q: What is a marketing manager?
A: A marketing manager is a professional responsible for overseeing the development, implementation, and execution of marketing strategies for a company or organization. They are responsible for increasing a company’s visibility, generating revenue, and driving growth.

Q: What tasks do marketing managers typically perform?
A: Marketing managers typically perform a variety of tasks, including developing and managing campaigns, conducting customer research, creating collateral and digital content, identifying emerging markets, managing budgets, analyzing competitors, tracking analytics, and more.

Q: What qualifications are needed to be a marketing manager?
A: Generally, marketing managers should have a Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, or a related field. Many employers prefer that candidates have 5-7 years of prior marketing experience, as well as operational and technical skills.

Q: What skills do marketing managers need?
A: Successful marketing managers should possess excellent communication, organizational, analytical, and creative problem-solving skills. They should also be proficient with relevant software and tools, including email marketing, SEO, customer segmentation, and more.

Q: What is the best way to become a successful marketing manager?
A: To become a successful marketing manager, it’s important to stay up to date with the latest trends in your industry. Keeping abreast of marketing trends can help you stay competitive, and capitalize on new opportunities. Additionally, staying organized, being able to work effectively across teams, and developing creative problem-solving skills are also important.

For those with the right experience and skill set, becoming a marketing manager is an exciting and financially rewarding career path. As you can see, the role is vast and varied, and requires someone with unique abilities, knowledge, and experience. So if you think you have what it takes to be a marketing manager, then you may very well be ready for a successful and fulfilling career.

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