In the News: Updates from Snapchat, Instagram and More


In the News: Updates from Snapchat, Instagram and More

For businesses looking to advertise, connect with customers or organize ideas on social media, there are no shortage of options out there. This week, small businesses got even more options thanks to some new updates from popular platforms.

You can read more about the new advertising options from Snapchat, the Pinterest-like feature added to Instagram and more in this week’s Small Business Trends news and information roundup.

Social Media

Snapchat Adds New Advertising Options

In an effort to make its platform more enticing and rewarding to advertisers, Snapchat (NYSE:SNAP) has launched two new tools that enable advertisers to retarget users who have previously engaged with their ads, and to target app-install ads to users based on machine-learning.

Instagram Steals a Page from Pinterest — But Not Really

A new feature from Instagram takes a page out of Pinterest’s book. And while it could potentially help businesses in a small way, it doesn’t offer the potential marketing punch of Pinterest just yet. The feature is called Collections and it allows users to save and organize posts that come across their feeds.

Starbucks Unicorn Drink Serves as Great Lesson for Small Businesses

What if you created a special product for your business that customers just couldn’t stop talking about? That’s exactly what Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) has done recently with its special edition Unicorn Frappuccino.

Instagram Influencer Marketing Hits the $1 Billion Mark (Infographic)

Yes, you heard it right! Instagram’s influencer marketing is now a billion dollar industry. This is according to Mediakix, an influencer marketing agency that connects brands with socially-engaged audiences, or, if you like — influencers.

One in 5 Facebook Videos is Live

Facebook’s (NASDAQ:FB) bet on live streaming is beginning to pay off. One-fifth of the videos shared on the site are now Live videos. The insight was shared by Facebook’s head of video, Fidji Simo, in a Facebook post recently. Facebook Live Stats Demonstrate Growth It has been a year since Facebook made it possible for all its users to broadcast live.

Economy

New ‘Buy American, Hire American’ Order May Do Little for Small Businesses

President Donald Trump just signed an executive order that could potentially have an impact on small businesses — but not necessarily right away. The “Buy American, Hire American” order includes several components. Here’s a basic breakdown.

A Simple Economics Lesson for United Airlines

If Milton Friedman were alive today and active on social media, he might have “liked” the videos showing United Airlines (NYSE:UAL) forcibly removing a passenger from an overbooked flight. Don’t get me wrong, the Nobel Laureate would almost certainly have been as disgusted as everyone else at the harm done to the passenger.

Green Business

Your Trucking Firm May Soon Be Going Greener — with Zero Emissions

The transportation industry is booming. But as more and more large players enter the market, it’s becoming increasingly important for small businesses to differentiate themselves from the competition. So how do companies accomplish this? Well, if you ask Toyota, the next frontier for transportation businesses may just be environmentally friendly trucking.

20 Ideas for Earth Day Promotions

Earth Day is just around the corner. And for businesses, the holiday offers some unique promotional opportunities. Whether you sell eco-friendly products in a retail setting or run a service-based business online, there are things you can do to promote your business and celebrate Earth Day. Here are 20 unique ideas.

Marketing

Shocker! Only 27 Percent of Marketers Use Data to Adjust Strategy

Across industries, organizations are adopting a data-driven approach. But many small businesses are not leveraging data to adjust their strategy, a new study reveals. Few Using Iteration in Marketing According to TrackMaven’s 2017 Marketing Leadership Survey (PDF), most marketers (47 percent) use data after-the-fact to find out what worked and what didn’t.

Small Biz Spotlight

Spotlight: SalezShark Helps Businesses With Sales and Marketing in the Cloud

The cloud can be a powerful tool in many different areas of business. But it can be especially helpful when it comes to sales and marketing. SalezShark is one company that offers a cloud platform that’s made to help businesses manage their sales and marketing efforts. Read more about the company and what it offers for business clients in this week’s Small Business Spotlight.

Small Business Operations

Tax Season Has Come and Gone: Should You Rethink Your Business Structure?

Are you breathing a sigh of relief now that another tax season has come and gone? Now that the 2016 tax filing deadlines have passed, this is the perfect time to consider your business structure. For example, in the early stages of your business, you may have preferred to keep things simple with a sole proprietorship.

Most Small Businesses Spend $1000 or More on Tax Administration Alone

Small businesses are spending way too much time and money on federal taxes, a new survey has found. According to the National Small Business Association 2017 Small Business Taxation Survey (PDF), federal tax burden is one of the biggest challenges facing small businesses.

Small Firms, How Will Merger of These Two Giant Trucking Companies Affect You?

Two of the nation’s largest trucking companies announced plans to merge Monday, creating a trucking behemoth worth more than $5 billion.

Startup

Lessons Small Business Can Learn From The College Admissions Crisis

There is a college admissions crisis, and for once it is not because of a scandal. In fact, in this instance, it is the colleges and universities that are suffering and we can all learn from their plight. The issue is pretty simple: technology has empowered college applicants to apply to as many schools as they want, so they have all the bargaining power.

Spacious Transforms Restaurants into Coworking Spaces for Freelancers

Not all business owners need a dedicated office space. Some just need a laptop or mobile device and a quiet place to work. Now, a new startup in New York City is aiming to help those business owners, freelancers and other professionals find that last part.

Technology Trends

Eversign Offers a Paperless eSignature Alternative for Large and Small Business

Eversign is a cloud-based digital signature software that allows large enterprises and small businesses alike to securely sign, approve and digitally deliver legally binding documents. Whether you’re a Fortune 500 company or freelancing solopreneur makes no difference.

DIY App Builder Como Changes Name to Swiftic

Remember Como? The mobile app maker? Well, it has changed its name to Swiftic and even changed its url to www.swiftic.

10 Things You Need to Know About the Latest Windows 10 Creators Update

After months of speculation, Windows 10 Creators Update is finally here. The previous update from Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), dubbed Anniversary Update, fine-tuned the interface and added Cortana interaction from the lock screen, Digital Ink input and more Windows Hello secure authentication possibilities.

Snapchat, Instagram Photo via Shutterstock

Comment ▼

Comments are closed.