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SBJ Editor Eric Olson interviews Mark Steiner for the 12 People You Need to Know series.SBJ photo by WES HAMILTON
SBJ Editor Eric Olson interviews Mark Steiner for the 12 People You Need to Know series.

SBJ photo by WES HAMILTON

GigSalad engages marketing in lofty revenue quest

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GigSalad is stepping up its marketing efforts with a towering revenue figure in mind.

A self-described dreamer, co-founder and CEO Mark Steiner said this morning $100 million in revenue is doable for the web-based event booking agency and entertainment portal operator.

“It’s not that far-fetched,” said Steiner, who was interviewed live this morning as the featured guest for Springfield Business Journal’s 12 People You Need to Know series. “It’s very likely and very possible.”

GigSalad has made the fast-growth Inc. 5000 list twice, most recently ranking 690th with 2015 revenue of $4.1 million and three-year revenue growth of 570 percent. The company has over 90,000 signed on as members for hire.

Word of mouth and search engine optimization have mostly fueled the company’s growth, but increased marketing efforts may be necessary to grow at the pace Steiner envisions. Central to the company’s recent marketing efforts was a commercial that ran last year in 30 markets via online streaming service Hulu.

“We gave it a shot,” he said. “When things work, we do it again.”

And so they did.

The self-produced ad — which features GigSalad talent, including an Oprah impersonator and a princess for kids’ birthday parties — started playing last week before showings of “Beauty and the Beast” at theaters in Los Angeles. Ads will continue to run in that market for six months, Steiner said.



Next up for GigSalad is plans to go international by 2018 — currently, the company operates in the United States and Canada — and to launch an app.

“So many people (use) GigSalad on their mobile devices,” Steiner said. “For us to have an app will be a game changer.”

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