New App AllSocial Looks To Restore The Promises Of Social Media Giants
The creators of a new, grassroots social media app want to remind users that the current big name platforms such as Facebook and Twitter often push less than 5% of their chosen content to friends and followers. That means, on the other end of the equation, that user is only seeing a fraction of the posts from the people and pages they follow. To return social media to a concept of friends, families and followers, the new app AllSocial is a platform promising to operate without algorithms limiting the reach of content. The service will not filter or highlight content based on any particular promotional deal, ideology or interest.
Twitter Updates Tweet Embeds, Including New Presentation Style
This is a relatively small update, but relevant to note either way. Today, on the Twitter Developer Forums, Twitter has announced a change to the way tweet embeds will be displayed on websites, which could cause some presentation impacts.
Facebook Publishes New Report on the Impact of COVID-19 on Small Businesses
Of all the sectors impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, SMBs look set to be among the hardest hit. Small to medium businesses generally operate at very tight margins as it is, and they don’t have the same safety nets that larger corporations are able to fall back on. As a result, predictions suggest that up to 7.5 million small businesses in America are at risk of shuttering permanently in the coming months unless they’re able to find a way to recoup costs, and get back to some level of regular operation.
Google Lists 5 Key Trends Shaping Consumer Behavior Amid COVID-19
Google has published a new set of research designed to help marketers respond to the changes brought on by COVID-19. Over four billion people are staying home worldwide as of this week, Google says, which has lead to significant shifts in online behavior.
Google Ads Shortens Business Identity Verification Time
Google Ads has updated their policy on their identity verification program, shortening the time frame businesses have to submit documentation. Announced late last month, Google will be requiring verification of identity for all brands who advertise on their platform.
Marketing’s New Challenge: Moving to the Next Normal
How do you market to both audiences without disenfranchising one of them? And, in this world where people take to social media within seconds of feeling offended, how do you avoid accusations that you’re pandering to one group or another? This is becoming more important now that businesses that shut down all or part of their operations are beginning to look at the best ways to reopen them. In communicating how you’re going to approach reopening or ramping up your business, you have to consider this deep polarization.
Every industry is about to undergo significant changes. That seems especially true for the hotel and hospitality industry.
Few verticals are poised to change as dramatically as the hospitality industry. Currently, these verticals rely heavily on the oft-heralded “personal touch”; the staff of a hotel going the extra mile in providing a tailored, high-end experience that leaves guests feeling as though they’re staying in a familiar place, no matter the size of the structure. What we’re now seeing is a shift of guest priorities, however. That lends itself to a dramatic refocusing of both the technology and communications initiatives undertaken by properties and organizations in order to cater to this new dichotomy, and realign guest expectations with the new circumstances we’ve come to face.
The New Normal
Here’s where we stand when it comes to the current situation:
Consumer priorities have shifted largely to place a much heavier value on safety and security
Employees want assurances that their safety is being considered by their employer and around the workspace in general
There is a preference from the majority of consumers to a contactless/limited contact experience with organizations and service providers
Travel and hotel stays will likely be relegated to essential and business travel for the foreseeable future (with several flash polls suggesting that this preference will last until there is a vaccine available)
So where does that leave the hotel and hospitality industry?
Technology
There is no shortage of technology already in place at a hotel or resort. From check-in, to guest services, to the concierge, there is an entire system of logistics in place to make a guest’s stay the best experience possible. But much of what is in place includes a personal touch that is almost always required for the technology to work. We’re likely about to see that change.
There are several new (and some not-so-new) technologies that can remove the human interaction from the guest experience, and not only keep it in place, but actually improve it. Most of those changes come in the form of AI or contactless capabilities. If you want an extreme example, just look at the Henn-na Hotel in Japan, which is completely operated by AI and robots.
While we likely won’t see this kind of radical approach for the majority of hotels, some of the artificial intelligence that operates logistics and optimizes the guest experience could move further into the scope of what’s normal in a hotel experience. Integrating AI into check-in and check-out in order to reduce bottlenecks, leveraging AI in valet to lessen human contact (when/if it returns further down the line), and upgrading the concierge and subsequent logistics all seem like inevitable changes.
On-property upgrades will also likely include a consolidation of data-centric assets into a guest-facing mobile application capable of handling the entirety of the experience. This could range from checking in, to operating the elevator, to, in its simplest form, using a phone as an RFID room card, which many hotels already do, or have the capability to do.
Communications
Marketing is a particularly complex area for hotel and hospitality brands to tackle, largely because there is so much to focus on in order to reopen and recover. To effectively communicate with prospective guests, properties and brands will need to highlight how they are keeping employees safe, how they are providing the safest possible environment for guests, and, perhaps most importantly, reeducate prospective visitors on new technological implementations, processes, and expectations.
When it comes to employee safety, communications need to focus both internally and externally. Employees need to be made aware of the new operational reality and should be kept abreast of any updates or changes in real-time, but without the need to conduct in-person gatherings or meetings. This might require updates to internal communications efforts, and might also require a comprehensive overhaul of the existing system altogether. On the guest front, transparency and authenticity in how properties are protecting and caring for their employees will be crucial. Visitors want to know what measures are being taken to protect employees, not just for the sake of the employees, but also for their own safety. The steps being taken need to be made clear in order to highlight how those transcend into the guest’s experience.
This poses the second question: how are these brands and properties supposed to communicate with prospective visitors? Again, there are two key areas of focus. The first has to do with on-property communications. Hotel guests are accustomed to a degree of upselling during their visit to a hotel. This might include nudges to visit a bar at happy hour, offers for meals, and vouchers for amenities. Now, and at least for the time being, the primary interest of visitors is going to be how they are being protected while on property. Using a touchless mechanism, such as the mobile app discussed above, guests can be given a walkthrough of how their rooms have been cleaned, where hotspots are on the property in terms of large gatherings, and recommendations on where to go and what to do that might limit human interaction.
The second form of guest communication relates to external marketing mechanisms. These will no doubt need to focus on transparency and reeducation, with an emphasis on community; inviting members of a property or brand’s audience to be part of the process will prove insightful and inclusive. A focus on room discounts or special package offers simply isn’t going to cut it. There needs to be a conversation that welcomes visitors into the process, shows them what is going on, and provides a degree of comfort that their needs will be met while their safety remains paramount.
In Summary
This is a process that is going to take some time. There is a lot to do and the future of many within the hospitality industry relies on effectively addressing the new challenges in a timely and transparent manner. If the right steps are taken, however, the road to recovery can be a lot less bumpy than some might fear for an industry so large yet so personal.
https://t2marketinginternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/future-of-hotels.jpg424640Corey Padveenhttps://t2marketinginternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/logo-t2-300x138.pngCorey Padveen2020-05-15 09:15:002020-05-14 15:50:55The Future of Hospitality: More Personalized, Less Personal
Facebook Brings its Cartoonish ‘Avatars’ to US Users
US users get excited – Facebook’s Bitmoji-style Avatars are coming to you. After initially launching them in Australia last June, then rolling them out across Europe last month, Facebook’s Fidji Simo today confirmed that the cartoonish likenesses will be available in the US from today.
Facebook Adds Messenger Rooms for Groups and Events
While it’s still in the process of rolling out its new Messenger Rooms group video chat feature to all users, Facebook has today announced that Messenger Rooms will also be available within groups and events, providing another engagement option within smaller audience subsets. First off, on groups – Facebook says that both group admins and members will be able to create dedicated group Rooms from the Groups composer, in which they’ll be able to host video chats of up to 50 people at a time.
LinkedIn Rolls Out New Updates for Sales Navigator, Including Detailed Link Tracking Insights
LinkedIn has added some new tools to its Sales Navigator platform to help marketers glean more insights into their on-platform efforts, and establish stronger connection with potentially interested users. First off, LinkedIn’s adding a new ‘Smart Links’ option, which will provide more insight into who’s viewed your posted updates, for how long, and when.
Pro Tip: How Brands Can Enter TikTok with a Viral Challenge
TikTok’s fame among marketers is largely rooted in its hashtag challenge. Almost every week, another brand joins the “TikTok Billionaire’s Club” — achieving over a billion views in a viral campaign. Unique to the platform, hashtag challenges are branded viral challenges supported by influencers, music and paid ads. Never before have brands been able to create virality on such a massive scale. Top-performing challenges inspire hundreds of thousands (and sometimes millions) of TikTokers to make videos about a brand. Imagine that many people taking 30-60 minutes to make a video celebrating your brand. This can add up to a staggering number of video views. NYX’s #ButterGlossPop garnered a whopping 10 billion, and P&G’s #DistanceDance passed 14 billion. How can other brands emulate this success? It starts with understanding these challenges and the culture that surrounds them. From a marketing perspective, hashtag challenges are generally top of funnel campaigns. They are designed to create buzz, awareness and of course, affinity.
In a Google Webmaster hangout, a publisher related how sites attacked by negative SEO suffered ranking drops. Google’s John Mueller was asked, considering that anecdote, if he still insisted that negative SEO does not exist.
How to Counteract Dips in Productivity as Workflow Disruptions Become the New Norm
The number of employees working from home has skyrocketed from 5 million to 75 million since the start of the COVID-19 crisis, according to a recent report from 451 Research. “Sixty-two percent [of companies] have already experienced a fall in employee productivity,” said Erica Gunn, VP of product marketing for Workfront, “Thirty-four percent of those surveyed have delayed or halted their strategic hiring and 22% have actually changed their go-to-market plans for products or services.” Gunn shared 451 Research’s recent data during her “Adapting to Changing Market Forces: How to Iteratively Plan and Prioritize Work” Discover MarTech webinar.
Making Video An Effective Part Of Your COVID-19 Marketing Strategy
Leaning into digital should be the rallying cry for companies right now. Why? Studies show 80% of consumers have consumed more content since the coronavirus outbreak than they did before. What’s more, video is the type of content they want. It’s estimated that by 2022, 82% of all content creation will be video. By the end of 2020, the average person will watch 100 minutes of video content per day.
Instagram Adds New Anti-Bullying Measures, Including Bulk Comment Actions and Mention Controls
Instagram has announced some new tools to give users more control over their on-platform experience, and reduce the impact of trolls and abusive actions within the app. First off, Instagram’s rolling out a new bulk comment removal process, which will make it easier to manage your post comment streams.
LinkedIn Launches its Own Polls Option to Facilitate More Engagement
After it was spotted in testing last month, LinkedIn has now officially launched its new native polls option, providing another way to gather feedback, and boost engagement on the platform.
Facebook Provides New Ad Placement Controls to Better Manage Potential Brand Association
Facebook has announced a new set of brand safety controls, which will give brands more control over their ad placements across Facebook’s various ad streams. The new options have been in testing with selected partners over the last few months – back in November, Facebook outlined a range of coming options designed to better enable advertisers to control where their ads appear across Facebook’s various ad delivery networks.
Social Media Game Platform Koji Produces COVID-19 Educational Tools
During the home quarantine conditions forced on people during the Coronavirus pandemic, video games are already a prime option for filling hours and relieving stress. For those players looking to be more proactive and creative, a creative platform allows them to make their own games to educate the public against the pandemic. Educational game creator Koji allows anyone to make a new form of interactive social media content to share. Once a Koji game title is completed, the designer can get the result out via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, etc., inviting anyone from friends to members of the genuine public to play his or her original game.
Some in the SEO community have noticed linked related patterns in sites that have lost rankings. Is there anything to it? Yesterday, Jeff Coyle (@jeffrey_coyle) of MarketMuse (@MarketMuseCo) shared results of his research and noted that sites with a high rate of link acquisitions were winners in the local search space. He also noted that thin pages that were supported by off-page factors like links were also suffering, as if those links were no longer helping. It’s good to be aware of the change. But it’s prudent to not make assumptions based on that knowledge. Jeff did not say that those were the reasons for the changes. What he described were unusual patterns.
Retailers Can Now Link Their PayPal and Google Merchant Center Accounts
When Google announced last month that its Shopping search results would include free listings, it also announced an integration with PayPal. That integration is now live. Retailers and brands using PayPal as a checkout option on their sites can link their PayPal accounts to their Google Merchant Center accounts in order to onboard products for listings across Google. If you’re new to Google Merchant Center, the PayPal connection can also speed up the merchant verification process.
Social Media Platforms Seek to Stop Misinformation
‘Now more than ever, expert medical advice matters most.’ That is the message being delivered by RACGP President Dr Harry Nespolon, who has welcomed measures being taken by popular social media platforms to halt the concerning spread of medical misinformation during the coronavirus pandemic. Twitter announced its plans on 11 May to warn users when a tweet is deemed to contain disputed or misleading content. It will take posts on a case-by-case basis, and only remove those that are deemed as harmful.
Pinterest Launches Updated Business Community to Facilitate Connection Between Business Owners
Pinterest has announced the launch of its updated Pinterest Business Community platform, which aims to facilitate discussion about Pinterest tactics, and other business tips, among Pinterest users.
Twitter Adds New Labels on Potentially Harmful COVID-19 Misinformation in Tweets
With COVID-19 misinformation continuing to circulate through social media platforms, Twitter has announced some new measures to help slow the spread of falsehoods, including a new label to alert users to potentially harmful COVID-19 misinformation.
5 Simple Tips to Use Twitter to Increase Your Search Visibility
Does social media impact SEO? If so, how? These have been controversial questions in the digital marketing community for a long time now. This may come as no surprise to most SEOs but, in my opinion, the answer is: “It depends.”
Many Marketers Unlikely to Attend In-Person Conferences Until COVID-19 Vaccine
The majority of marketers say they will not attend any conferences or live events in 2020 unless a vaccine is available that would protect them from COVID-19. In fact, more than 66% of those surveyed said they would only attend online or virtual events in the fourth quarter without a proven vaccine in place. More than 250 marketers answered our survey. The majority hailed from the United States, though we saw many respondents from regions in Europe and Asia. Overall, respondents said there was just a 4-out-of-10 chance they would attend a conference through the rest of the year. That sentiment comes as the United States this week passed 80,000 deaths tied to coronavirus and many states are beginning to lift restrictions aimed at enforcing social distancing. Several vaccines are being developed and tested now, and one has moved into Phase II trials.
Here we are at the beginning of May. Many businesses still can’t resock inventory, but the initial jolts to supply chains and fulfillment systems have somewhat subsided. The mortality rate attributed to COVID-19 declined in the U.S. last week, “but remains significantly elevated.” Roughly half of small businesses said they could survive just two months in late March, and the gradual reopenings by states are now “a source of uncertainty rather than confidence,” for many of them. Overall, business confidence in the U.S. plummeted 17 points in April.
Best Practices for Marketing During and After COVID-19
A global crisis can either paralyze a marketing team or galvanize it to thrive. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, that’s exactly what we’re seeing: some companies are cutting back on marketing (in some instances, laying off the entire marketing team), while others are being more agile and coming up with interesting ways of engaging their audience during these difficult times. If you want to stay in business, you can’t stay idle for long. As a business owner myself, I understand why many entrepreneurs would want to cut down completely on marketing activities. Being conservative feels like the safe choice when there’s uncertainly about how long the crisis will last. But we have to balance financial responsibility with the need to keep consumers informed and engaged when things get tough.
Instagram’s Testing New Ways to Navigate Through Your Stories Feed
Instagram is testing out some new ways to navigate through your Stories feed in the app, in order to help people find more Stories content that they’re interested in. Reverse engineering expert Jane Manchun Wong posted this example of one of the new tests in action, which would enable users to side the main Stories frame down to reveal the Stories tray at the top of the screen, then switch through to each.
Facebook Outlines a Range of New Video Tools, Including Messenger Rooms for Group Video Hangouts
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced a range of new video tools across Facebook’s family of apps, in order to meet demand and evolving use-cases during the COVID-19 lockdown. Zuckerberg made the announcements via Facebook Live stream, noting that with the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic set to carry on for some time, live video is likely how we’re going to see a lot more announcements and events. Here’s what’s coming to Facebook’s various video tools. First off, on video calling – which Zuckerberg says is the most used type of video interaction in its apps around the world. Catering to this, Facebook will soon double the capacity of group video calls on WhatsApp from 4 to 8 participants.
Why Marketers Need Identity to Build Consumer Trust in a Cookieless World
For years, cookies were the connective links that helped marketers understand and reach consumers, but no more. Navigating this uncharted terrain is doable though. The keys to success are privacy-friendly, identifiable connections and relationships with those who have them. Lots of factors have forced marketers to look beyond the cookie – from consumer privacy demands and California’s sweeping privacy law to the rise of so-called walled gardens and an increasingly fragmented media landscape.
21 Actionable SEO Tips for Explosive Growth [Infographic]
Are you looking for ways to bounce back after the COVID-19 lockdowns are lifted? Want to improve your website’s SEO to enable growth post-coronavirus? The team from Boom share their SEO tips for success in this infographic.
Virtual Events and the Future of Business Gatherings in the Post COVID-19 Era [Infographic]
With physical events set to remain on hold for some time yet, more businesses are looking to virtual meet-ups, with the use of video tools soaring, and people finding new ways to connect, in replacement of major summits and conferences. The question now is whether people will go back to regular, in-person meet-ups and events when they’re actually able to do so once again. Of course, many events will likely go back to normal, and resume as they always have, but given the massive costs involved in travel and attendance to such conferences, and the capacity for online tools to replicate the experience, in large part, without those same overheads, it may well be that the event industry is changed forever as a result of COVID-19. Nothing can replace meeting people in-person, but depending on your goals in attending such events, maybe, people will be re-thinking their approach moving forward.
Pinterest Launches Updated Shopify Integration to Streamline the Creation of Shoppable Product Pin
Pinterest has announced that it’s updated its Shopify app, adding a new option that will enable Shopify merchants to quickly and easily feed their entire product catalog directly into shoppable Pins.
New Research from Facebook Shows Engagement with Local News Providers Booming Amid COVID-19
Given the rapid evolution, and massive impact of COVID-19, on everybody, it’ll come as little surprise to discover that news organizations are seeing significant increases in online engagement at present. But the specifics of that engagement could reveal some valuable insights for your own content approach. This week, Facebook’s CrowdTangle analytics platform has published a new overview of Facebook Page engagement stats from over 2,700 US local news publishers’ during March and the first half of April 2020. And again, while the broader trends are as you might expect, the detail is interesting to note. First off, CrowdTangle says that local news pages saw a big spike in interest as COVID-19 cases began to rise in the US in mid-march.
YouTube is accelerating its TV-screen ad options. Google’s internal numbers that show sharp growth in consumption on TVs, and there’s been speculation these numbers will remain consistent as COVID-19 keeps consumers at home. The ad formats may be familiar to regular advertisers on YouTube, but the move signals Google’s intention to continue its growth in the realm of connected TV instead of just an app on user phones.
Project Management Tools Take Center Stage as Distributed Marketers Crave ‘Single Source of Truth’
With the lion share of marketers currently working from home amid the COVID-19 pandemic, digital workflow and project management tools are having their moment to shine. And with good reason, too. As organizations become distributed overnight, now more than ever, we need one central source of project information.
“Marketing teams really need a single source of truth. They need a place where they can collaborate, not just with other marketers, but other people in the company because they’re usually our stakeholders,” said Brad Sanzenbacher, senior corporate communications manager at Wrike. “If they can get visibility in a centralized hub, they don’t need to come and ask you for status, they don’t need to host meetings to figure out the status of projects,” he said during his presentation at Discover MarTech.
Not just Martech: Vendors Go All-In on Professional Services to Speed Digital Transformation
Recently, one of Acquia’s customers who had not previously worked with the digital experience platform’s professional services team reached out to set up a meeting. The customer was being approved for an FDA test related to COVID-19 and, in less than a week, expected a rush of traffic to their website.
Zoom Acquires Encryption Startup Keybase to Help Make Video Calls More Secure
Video conferencing service Zoom is acquiring Keybase, a startup that will help it implement end-to-end encryption to protect calls from unwelcome guests and clandestine monitoring. Financial terms of the deal, negotiated over Zoom calls amid shelter-in-place orders, were not disclosed. As coronavirus drives vast swathes of economic and social life online, Zoom usage has exploded from 10 million daily meeting participants in December 2019 to 300 million by the end of April 2020. But that explosion has exposed security weaknesses in the videoconferencing software. A wave of so-called ‘Zoom bombings’, in which uninvited guests disrupted video calls, were particularly embarrassing, and led some schools and businesses to ban the software.
New Survey Looks at How Marketers and Consumers View Social Media Engagement
Sprout Social has this week released its latest Social Index report, which incorporates responses from over 1,000 marketers, and 1,000 consumers, in order to get a sense of how each group views social media engagement, and what variances there are between the two. You can read the full report here (with sign-up), but here are some of the key points of note. First off, Sprout asked marketers to identify their primary goals for using social platforms, with ‘Increasing brand awareness’ coming out as the clear top choice.
Facebook Outlines Key Challenges and Plans for Improving Advertising Verification
Facebook’s Director of Product Management Rob Leathern has provided an overview of where the platform currently stands on advertiser verification, and how it’s looking to improve its systems in order to ensure that more businesses are verified, increasing ad transparency, and system integrity, into the future. Over the last few years, Facebook has significantly increased its transparency requirements for political advertisers specifically, with any person or Page running a political ad now required to submit official documentation for assessment. All Facebook ads are also now listed in its Ad Library, increasing transparency – but ideally, in order to provide full assurance, Facebook will eventually be able to verify all businesses on its platform, with more stringent qualification requirements, in order to maintain a more secure, accountable ad system.
LinkedIn found itself deindexed from Google search results on Wednesday, which may or may not have occurred due to an error on their part. The telltale sign of an entire domain being deindexed from Google is performing a “site:” search and seeing zero results.
Search results continue to churn three days after Google announced the May 4 2020 update. Google warned it may take a couple weeks to settle. This is why that might not be good. Most updates settle fairly quickly with minor changes along the way. This update is different. The changes are felt by many and the results seemingly change from day to day, even hour to hour for some.
Google’s New Podcasts Manager Tool Offers Deeper Data on Listener Behavior
Google has introduced Podcasts Manager, a new tool that provides podcast publishers with listening data such as minutes played, listening duration and other retention analytics, the company announced Tuesday.
These Are The Biggest Marketing Challenges Facing Brands In The Age Of COVID-19
Almost two months into life amid COVID-19, we’re still learning about how this unprecedented crisis is affecting us. Doctors are identifying new symptoms. Scientists are looking at how the prolonged social isolation could affect children. Social scientists are discussing the financial and economic ramifications of the virus. And marketers, like me, are watching how this new way of living is changing the way people do business. The effects have already been massive, but we’re only at the beginning. A recent study by Newscred looked into some of the biggest marketing challenges that COVID-19 is bringing to brands—here’s my take on what they found, and how your brand can turn these challenges into opportunities.
Will Digital Marketing Replace Traditional Marketing?
How many years have marketers been beating the “traditional marketing is dead” drum? Since the old dial-up modem sound became synonymous with the world wide web? Probably. As world events move people online in greater numbers than ever before, the cry that traditional marketing is dead grows louder. But does that make it true? The fact is, about three of every four people prefer learning about products through content rather than traditional advertising. And for every 10 people, six of them say watching a Facebook video has influenced a purchase decision in the last 30 days; yet we all say we hate commercials on TV.
Twitter Expands Test of Threaded Tweet Replies to More Users, Adds New Format Tweaks
Whats a second, isn’t this…? Didn’t Twitter already announce this? Today, Twitter has announced that some users on iOS and web will now see its new threaded tweet replies layout, which includes a line linking replies to the original tweet.
Pinterest Adds 32 Million More Users in Q1, Now up to 367 Million MAU
Pinterest has repeatedly noted that it’s been seeing record high levels of usage amid the COVID-19 lockdowns, and now, we have some extra perspective on what exactly that means, with the company posting its Q1 2020 results, which show stable increases in both active users and revenue. First off, on users – Pinterest is now at 367 milllion monthly actives, up 32 million on its Q4 2019 report.
Someone started a discussion on Twitter promoting the Quora website for link building. Google’s John Mueller responded with a comment that seems to indicate that Google is aware of the practice.
Shopify launches post-COVID POS, Yelp rolls out omnichannel tools for SMBs
Omnichannel has been a buzzword for years in the retail industry and has been vaguely synonymous with digital transformation. But now there’s more urgency, as traditional merchants large and small are having to place more emphasis on technology, e-commerce and integrated online and offline experiences (e.g., BOPIS) during the pandemic.
Here we are at the beginning of May. Many businesses still can’t resock inventory, but the initial jolts to supply chains and fulfillment systems have somewhat subsided. The mortality rate attributed to COVID-19 declined in the U.S. last week, “but remains significantly elevated.” Roughly half of small businesses said they could survive just two months in late March, and the gradual reopenings by states are now “a source of uncertainty rather than confidence,” for many of them. Overall, business confidence in the U.S. plummeted 17 points in April.
Google Confirms May 2020 Core Algorithm Update Rolling Out Today
Google’s Danny Sullivan has confirmed that a core algorithm update is rolling out today – May 4, 2020. The update will officially be known as the “May 2020 Core Update.”
Twitter Outlines Key Dates of Note in May to Assist With Strategic Planning
Okay, events calendars may not look as impressive or full as they once did, but there are still plenty of seasonal celebrations and dates of note to keep in mind, which could help to improve your social media promotions, while also providing a level of inspiration and/or distraction for your audience amid the COVID-19 lockdown. Twitter has this week published its latest overview of the month ahead, including a listing of all the key dates of note.
Snapchat Launches New Spin Painting Lens with Artist Damian Hirst to Raise Funds for COVID-19
Snapchat has launched a new, special edition, Lens, in conjunction with British artist Damien Hirst, which enables users to create their own spin painting, based on a style that Hirst popularized in the mid-nineties.
Pro Tip: How Brands Can Enter TikTok with Brand Channels
TikTok was already the fastest-growing platform in history, but during quarantine, it’s gone to the next level. With so many stuck at home and nowhere to go, the platform has become an international pastime, with more than 100 million downloads in the month of March alone. This growth is driven mostly by 25-45-year-olds, as well as increasing numbers of consumers in older demographics. To keep up with consumer behavior, brands have been rushing to understand TikTok. They’re often feeling nervous – recognizing, rightly, that the rules of the road are new and very different from places like Instagram.
Apple and Google Provide New Overview of How the COVID-19 ‘Exposure Notification’ API Will Function
While debate rages around the potential privacy implications of the coming Apple/Google ‘Exposure Notification’ API, which aims to slow the spread of COVID-19 by alerting people when they’ve been in proximity to someone that’s later found to have coronavirus, both companies are now moving forward with the next stage of the plan. This week, Google and Apple have released more information on exactly how the process will work, along with example screenshots of the tracing app in action – while the companies also recently opted to change the name of the API from ‘Contact Tracing’ to ‘Exposure Notification’ to help ease anxieties around the process.
As advertising platforms continue to post initially healthy gains derailed by COVID-19 in Q1, many were interested to see where Amazon would net out during the pandemic. Unlike other platforms, Amazon acts as both advertising and fulfillment mechanism for many ecommerce brands. This means changes in distribution or fulfillment can affect those sellers in different ways. The mandates to shelter in place meant an increased reliance on delivery of goods, poising Amazon to be the servant many consumers would rely on. This, in turn, had the potential to continue the sharp year-over-year gains its advertising business had witnessed.
17 Ways PPC Can Help Your Business Survive Economic Crisis
People are clicking, but are they buying? WHEN will they buy? Are they buying too much too fast? When will stores reopen and foot traffic resume? Consumer demand is evaporating for some businesses, while others may be unable to fulfill orders due to supply chain disruptions or shipping challenges. Dynamics shift daily, if not hourly. Now some good news: Search marketing is adaptable, measurable, and when done correctly, cost effective. Even with shifting data models, PPC pros can use timely trends to guide strategic decisions.
Solving The Post-COVID-19 Marketing Puzzle To Replace Customers Lost Forever
Your customers are never coming back. Yes, the sun will come out. The bans will be lifted. Business will resume. But things will never be the way they were before. Each of us is changed. Our businesses are changed. Given that, there is no chance that your old offerings are going to meet the needs, hopes and desires of your changed customers without changes. Trying to sell your old offerings to the customers you had is a recipe for disaster. Instead, take a marketing, puzzle-solving approach to rebooting your business – creating, delivering, and communicating new offerings.
Esports Emerges as In-Demand Beauty Marketing Channel
Once considered an opportunity to reach mainly male consumers, the world of esports and gaming is now attracting a growing pool of beauty brands and their female shoppers. Last week, MAC Cosmetics launched in China its second collaboration with the popular Tencent mobile game Honor of Kings, revealing a collection of 11 products corresponding to the game’s characters. The collaboration is inspired by five male heroes, named Bai, Shouyue, Yun, Xin and Liang, which are also members of the virtual boy band WXWZ.
