Social Media

Instagram’s TikTok-Like ‘Reels’ Functionality will Be Launched in the US Next Month

In a move that will surprise no one, Instagram has confirmed that it will launch its TikTok-like ‘Reels’ functionality in more regions next month, including the US, as TikTok itself faces more questions over its future, and TikTok users seek out alternatives as a result.

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Facebook Rolls Out Screen-Sharing in the Messenger App

Facebook is expanding its screen-sharing options in Messenger to both Messenger Rooms and the mobile app, providing another way to engage within Messenger video calls.

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Google Search Allegedly Boosts YouTube Results Ahead of Competitors

Google prefers ranking content from YouTube over other video sources, according to a new report in the Wall Street Journal. When Facebook and other competitors host a video that also appears on YouTube, Google will allegedly push the YouTube result ahead of others in search results. The Wall Street Journal claims tests show YouTube ends up first in the Google Search video carousel more often than not. Further, YouTube results frequently take up most of the slots in Google’s video carousels.

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Marketing

5 Tips to Use Content Marketing During a Downturn

COVID-19 is having an ongoing and detrimental impact on online marketing. Many brands are going through a lean phase, wherein they know their target audience isn’t interested in engaging with them right now. Unfortunately, no one has a marketing playbook for a pandemic yet. Nobody could have predicted the huge impact that this pandemic is going to have across various sectors and business activities, such as marketing. But there has been an impact. It is ongoing, it is huge, and there might not be a light at the end of the tunnel. Yet.

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Google’s John Mueller: “Search is Not a Science”

Google’s John Mueller advises SEOs not to look at search ranking as an exact science with an absolute right or wrong way of doing things. Mueller spoke at length on this subject in episode three of Google’s Search Off the Record podcast. Accompanied by Gary Illyes and Martin Splitt, also from Google, Mueller discusses the flaws he sees peoples’ attitude toward ranking factors. Here are some highlights from the Google Search team’s discussion on search rankings.

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Back to Basics: How to Manage Your Brand Through a Crisis

Managing a company’s brand, even during “normal” times, can be challenging depending upon your niche, your competition and the current circumstances. And of course, most of us have heard of (but hopefully, never experienced) instances in which a misstep by a business created serious reputation issues for the brand. When circumstances are severe, however, such as the tremendous upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, a host of new pitfalls can present themselves. Let’s discuss some of the special risk factors you may be facing, the many things that can change both the company’s approach to business and that of its customers, and offer some possible opportunities to protect – and even greatly improve – the reputation of your business during a crisis.

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