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  • Trump Eyes TikTok America Rollout as Ban Deadline Looms

    Trump Eyes TikTok America Rollout as Ban Deadline Looms

    Trump’s TikTok Shuffle: Meet the New “TikTok America”

    In a move that feels like a news‑worthy episode of House of Cards, the Trump administration is ready to unveil a fresh company called TikTok America. The plan? To make the tagline less “chinese‑owned” and more “US‑owned” by giving new American investors a 50‑percent slice of the pie. The tech giant ByteDance, though, will still keep a bite at the table, holding roughly 19.9 % of the new venture.

    How the Deal Looks (and Why It Matters)

    • US Investors 50% – The new company will be half-owned by fresh American capital, with no single direction keeping it under the government’s watchful eye.
    • ByteDance 19.9% – Just below the 20‑percent threshold that would trigger a legal ouster from the U.S. market.
    • Existing Stakeholders 33% – Other current ByteDance backers will retain the rest of their share.

    Why is this clever? Under last year’s divest‑or‑ban law (fudged into the law by a dash of political maneuvering), TikTok has to sever its ties with ByteDance or get shut down. By shifting the majority ownership to American hands, the Trump squad could argue that the law’s “qualified divesture” requirement is met.

    Who Might Be Taking a Slice?

    Rumors swirl about the who’s who of the big league investors. The front‑runners include:

    • Andreessen Horowitz – known for backing the next big thing.
    • Blackstone – big, nice, and can handle a tech takeover.
    • Oracle – if Linux wants to partner, why not.
    • Amazon – Potentially, a last‑minute bid that came through the New York Times on a lunch break the same month.

    What the Calendar Looks Like

    Trump’s clock is ticking. The administration aims to wrap up a deal in roughly 90–120 days from a Wednesday announcement. A key deadline looms on April 5 – the trip to be the point after which the divest‑or‑ban law would go live if no deal materializes.

    Humorous Takeaway

    Imagine TikTok swapping its “scone” for an American “biscuit” – it’s a tasty business chop‑off that might just keep the app alive. For now, we’re watching the dance moves from the White House. Stay tuned for the next step – will it be a viral meme or a silent shutdown? Only time, and the next press briefing, will tell.

    Why Amazon’s TikTok Offer Looks Like a Bizarre Last‑Minute Tweak

    Picture this: it’s almost midnight, the White House is buzzing, and an e‑mail lands in the inbox of Vice President JD Vance and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Inside, a tidy note from Amazon begs them to “look at TikTok.”

    The “Take‑It‑Or‑Leave‑It” Presumption

    • A lot of movers and shakers in Washington are treating Amazon’s smidge as just a polite nudge—no big deal.
    • Meanwhile, the real drama is still about TikTok’s Chinese roots and the looming threat of being scolded by the hat‑splattered men (and women) on Capitol Hill.
    • Last year, lawmakers chipped in legislation that forces TikTok to find a non‑Chinese buyer by January. The deadline is ticking; the window is awkwardly ticking like a coffee‑shop espresso machine.

    David Faber’s “Halftime Report” Megaphone

    On CNBC’s “Halftime Report,” David Faber spins the narrative: “We could seal the deal today—if the paperwork arrives, the TikTok ownership sweat‑pants could finally roll off the office shelf.”

    • “April 5 is the big ‘deadline for everyone,’” he says, humming to the rhythm of a countdown.
    • He kinda hints that the NY Times suggests Amazon isn’t in the running, but maybe, just maybe, there’s a one‑in‑a‑million pivot on the table: split ByteDance below 20%, bring in fresh cap, and keep the app from a Chinese “big brother.”
    The Oracle/Blackstone Mix‑up

    Oracle’s still on the radar—as the company that hosts the servers behind TikTok’s global dance floor. Blackstone might show up too. If both wiggle in, the game feels less like a battle and more like corporate partnership bingo.

    Trump’s Tariff Pitch & The TikTok Crunch
    • On “Liberation Day,” President Trump’s crew huddles in the Oval Office: it’s a classic white‑board moment with Vice President Vance, Commerce Secretary Lutnick, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and the quirky Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
    • The President’s planned tariffs across all U.S. trade partners are on one side, while the TikTok verdict sits on the other.
    • Three (TG‑360) points: The White House has to decide—if TikTok doesn’t jump ship before Saturday, a U.S. ban lights the fuse, your favorite lip‑sync videos could be gone.

    Bottom line? In the wild orbit of American politics, the award‑winning drama of TikTok is rolling ever faster than a hamster on a wheel. Amazon’s letter might feel like a cameo, but the future of the app could still change the world in a matter of hours.

    Trump’s TikTok Showdown: The Final Sprint

    Picture this: The U.S. president, on Air Force One, declaring that the fate of TikTok—yes, that app you’re scrolling through on your phone when you’re stuck in a meeting—has finally fallen into his hands. He’s got 75 days left to decide whether it should stay or be banned nationwide. The clock ticks towards Saturday, April 5, and the decision is under the spotlight like a reality‑TV finale.

    Key Players in the TikTok Drama

    • Trump – The “I’ll decide” captain, joking about keeping TikTok alive.
    • ByteDance – The Shanghai parent company with 170 M U.S. users that’s on the chopping block.
    • Potential Buyers – Rumors swirl: Oracle, Andreessen Horowitz, and a few unnamed “big‑tech‑money” investors.
    • The White House – Acting like an investment bank, handing the auction over to Vance.

    Over the weekend, Trump told reporters from the plane that the decision is his and that he wants TikTok to survive the political backlash. On Monday, he spilled the beans again: “There’s a lot of enthusiasm for TikTok.”

    What’s in It for Everyone?

    For the U.S. folks: if TikTok remains, you’ll keep the endless (and occasionally bizarre) dance memes. If it gets banished, you’ll find yourself scrolling guilt‑free in the safest infinite scroll available. Meanwhile, ByteDance and the investors will wrestle over a deal that could be worth millions of dollars—potentially the richest meme‑money sale ever.

    Next Week’s Big Tasks

    Besides the TikTok race, the Trump team promises to announce buddy‑bunch tariffs tomorrow—so stay alert. And if the show doesn’t end in a blockbuster sale, it might just turn into a courtroom drama. Either way, the 5th of April will be the day the world finds out if TikTok gets a second chance or if it goes poof.

  • Growing your following on Instagram

    Growing your following on Instagram

    Instagram isn’t just for celebrities and beauty bloggers. It can be a great way to show off the lighter side of your business and help you reach new audiences. Sharon Stevens-Cash, director of award-winning Derbyshire digital marketing firm Gravity Digital, outlines how to make Instagram work for your SME.

    For many businesses, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are where they limit themselves when it comes to promoting themselves on social media. That’s a shame, because despite its associations with fame and glamour, there’s a lot more to Instagram than initial impressions might suggest.
    That’s not to say using Instagram for promotional purposes doesn’t have it pitfalls – and I’ll be outlining those in a later article – but used right, it has plenty of benefits for your brand.

    It’s all about image

    Instagram is all about beautiful photography and interesting images, and that gives lots of businesses a real chance to shine. Of course, this does depend on your business but as an example, if you run a B&B or glamping site in the countryside, you’re likely to have stunning scenery around you. Use this to your advantage and let your snaps sell your business through the power of imagery. If you run a restaurant, take photos of your most mouth-watering looking dishes, and post them preferably just before lunch time when stomachs are rumbling!

    Expand your footprint

    Instagram has a cool factor and for many people, it may be the only social media channel they engage with. By using Instagram to promote yourself you’ll get a wider online audience reach, enabling more people to see your great products and services.

    A loyal following

    Once you’ve gained a loyal following by getting your tone right on Instagram, good engagement should follow. If your followers are intrigued by the products and services your business offers, they are likely to comment, like and re-post images from your feed.
    One of the great business applications of Instagram is that it allows people to see your products used by real people, and the hope is that your product’s users will post photos of your products in use, tagging your business. This means that your audience is even larger, their friends will see these images, who then may repost onto an even larger audience. It’s a never-ending snow ball effect.
    A great example of this is our client Mr Fothergill’s. At Gravity Digital we run the Mr Fothergill’s Instagram account. The majority of our posts are re-posts as the platform has a large gardening collective who enjoy sharing their allotments and progress. Often if they’ve used Mr Fothergills products in their garden, they will tag us and we get to share it, showing how wonderful these products are in real life situations.

    And relaaaax

    One of the reasons why people engage with Instagram is that it’s a more relaxed platform than others. This allows your business to show a bit of personality. Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn are more formal but with Instagram you could, for example, take a snap of your team enjoying a zipwire experience on a team-building day. Using the app like this is a great way of showing users that you are real people behind the business, not just robots.
    A bonus to doing this comes when recruiting new employees, as they are likely to look for you online, through your website and social media channels. When they notice that you enjoy a sociable work environment, they are likely to be interested in vacancies you can offer.

    Keeping it real

    A new feature recently added to Instagram is called live stories, a very similar concept to Snapchat. Real time stories allow you to directly engage with your audience. People can ask questions about your products and discover in real time what new ranges are.

    Getting to know your followers

    You can use Instagram as a business page. This allows you to connect with your Facebook business page and gives your account a different appearance. It offers easy access to your email, phone number and directions. Users can click on any of these buttons and the action is easily carried out for them.
    The clicks on these are also monitored in the insights part of the app – these are similar to those shown on Facebook, offering you the opportunity to see which posts work well with your following, therefore helping you gain a larger audience. Plus, it offers the demographics of your follows to ensure you are attracting the people you want.

    It’s all about promotion

    As Instagram is linked with Facebook, it allows you to promote posts and pop on timelines of those who don’t follow you – yet. This will enable you to reach a wider audience and gain further engagement on posts, similar to the effects Facebook adverts have.

    Keep collecting

    Instagram has a collections feature that is ideal for gathering groups of Instagram accounts that you like and interact with. The feature keeps these all in one place so they are easy to find. You can also save posts you like the style of, which you can then use later as an inspiration for your own feed.

    Archiving

    The newest feature on Instagram is the archive facility. This is an area on your account that only you can see. Here, you can archive any posts that may not have performed well but you may like to keep for posting at a later date. Or, you can keep them so that you can check them again later and try to work out why they didn’t perform well.
    So, Instagram, as we have seen, can be a great app to engage with for your business. It can boost your profile and reach people you didn’t before. However, nothing is without its downside. In my next article, I will be outlining the pitfalls of Instagram so that you can reap all the rewards without any of the negatives.
    Happy Instagraming!