Social Media

TikTok Launches Celebrity-Hosted, Daily Live-Streams to Entertain Users Amid COVID-19 Lockdowns

TikTok has this week launched a new entertainment and information initiative to help lighten the mood amid the COVID-19 lockdowns, while also giving users a chance to ask questions of experts and engage with celebrities on the platform. Called #HappyAtHome, the initiative will see well-known musicians, actors, comedians and more share a series of live-streams on the platform at 5pm, every day of next week. As explained by TikTok: “We’ve partnered with a wide range of amazing celebrities and creators to launch something special: #HappyAtHome: LIVE!, a week of nightly programming that kicks off today at 5:00 PM PDT and will run each evening through Friday. The goal is simple: share in a bit of levity, provide some comfort, and embrace the responsibility we all have to do the right thing by staying inside and stopping the spread. There’s a lot we can’t do right now, but this is one small way we can all help each other during these trying times.”

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Instagram’s Testing a New Option to Promote the Sale of Gift Cards via Your Business Profile

This is interesting. According to a new discovery by reverse engineering expert Jane Manchun Wong, Instagram is working on a new ‘Links’ option within its business profile settings that would enable brands to add a new quick link, via a profile button or sticker, to guide visitors to purchase gift cards or make donations. This could be a way for impacted SMBs to lessen their losses. For example, a local bookstore that’s going to lose money due to loss of foot traffic could offer a 5% discount on gift cards, then call on their local community for assistance, along with an added benefit. Kids play centers, movie theaters – there’s a wide range of businesses that have lost all of their revenue flow right now. Maybe, this is another way for the community to band together to support them, despite them being shut down at present.

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Marketing

Businesses Should Limit, Not Disable, Their Sites During Temporary Closures, Google Says

Businesses are continuing to feel the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, with some forced to temporarily shut down. To help business owners preserve their visibility in Google search, Google has published recommendations on how to properly limit your site’s functionality if you need to pause operations. Avoid disabling your whole site. Disabling your site, even for just a few days, can have a significant effect on your visibility in search, Google reiterated. You still want people to be able to find your business and learn about your products or services in the event you’re just closed temporarily. A full site takedown will make ramping back up more difficult as your site will need to be reindexed. It can also result in Search Console verification failure and a loss of reporting data.

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SEO After COVID-19: 8 Opportunities to Start Working on Now

The world is currently in a state of confusion, panic, bewilderment, and uncertainty. With the situation changing by the hour, it can leave you feeling lost and wondering what is going to come next. But, we are a strong group, and we will get through this. It might not look the same once the new normal is here but companies that are able to weather this downturn and strategically plan will come out much stronger and will be poised for quicker recovery. To start thinking about strategic planning post-COVID-19, here are some current opportunities that you can start working on now for improved SEO.

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