The Weekly Download – October 30, 2020

Welcome back to The Weekly Download — and Happy Halloweekend! 

Here’s what’s on the docket today: small businesses can now apply for COVID-19 relief funding, creator-friendly changes to Instagram Live, LinkedIn’s new tools for job seekers plus a how-to guide for mastering hashtags, and Friday Fun.

Small Businesses Can Now Apply for the The Canada United Small Business Relief Fund

Are you a small business owner trying to overcome the hurdles of COVID-19 and take your business online?

Created by RBC, Canada United is a movement to support local businesses in communities across the country. The Canada United Small Business Relief Fund (CUSBRF) was established to help small businesses offset the cost of expenses to reopen safely or adopt digital technologies to move more of their business online.

Over $14 Million has been contributed by the Federal Government, RBC, and Canada United partners to support recovery efforts due to COVID-19. Grants of up to $5,000 are available for small businesses.

If you’re interested in the grant and are looking to move your business online, reach out to us for more information. We’re here to help!

New Updates to Instagram Live to Help Build Business and Community

Some welcome changes were made to Instagram Live this week that aim to help creators build business and community online. 

Instagram Live events will now be able to run for a maximum of four hours, as opposed to one hour. Creators will also have the ability to save Live recordings for 30 days before they are automatically deleted. Previously, Live recordings only lasted one day. 

As more people take advantage of live broadcasts on Instagram, especially in the time of COVID-19, this means more flexibility for creators who might be leading virtual classes, Q&As, and other engaging events. Longer playback times mean broader audiences can discover content — even if they missed the event.

Users will also begin seeing a “Live Now” section in their IGTV app, making it easier to discover live content they might be interested in.

LinkedIn Adds New Tools for Job Seekers

The coronavirus pandemic has led to massive economic impacts (are you sensing a theme here?) and as a result, many professionals have turned to LinkedIn to explore new opportunities. In fact, LinkedIn says it’s been seeing record levels of engagement in recent months.

The platform’s new Career Explorer tool will show users potential career paths based on their skills.

According to Social Media Today, “the tool references over 36,000 career skills, and 6,000 job titles to provide relevant cross-matches based on profile data. So if you’ve been let go from your role as a social media manager, for example, the tool will show you a range of closely related roles you could consider, and how you might get there.” 

LinkedIn has also honed its skill assessment tool – a process that allows users to test their knowledge in a specific area and awards profile badges based on proven understanding.

Finally, LinkedIn is also introducing a new profile frame option that will allow employers to showcase that they’re hiring for a new role.

Are You Using Hashtags on LinkedIn? Here’s How

And speaking of LinkedIn – are you using hashtags on the platform? If not, you’re missing out!

Users can follow relevant hashtags to see related content in their news feeds, or can post using hashtags to help extend post reach and connect with new audiences.

A new article published by Business2Community details just how hashtags should be combined to give posts the best possible reach. Pair a combination of one or two popular hashtags with millions of followers with one or two hashtags that are a bit more specific to your audience and one or two hashtags that are branded.

Friday Fun

Adele Wins SNL

As if we couldn’t love her any more, Adele hosted SNL last week and definitely did not disappoint! Did you catch the episode?

Check out some of the funniest tweets people had in response to her hosting gig:

Yup, she can truly do no wrong.