It’s August! We’re officially at the height of summer—time to pack in all those last celebrations of the season before quickly moving onto fall and turning customers’ attentions to the newest items in-store and online. For your end-of-summer needs, read up on these latest social media updates; they might help in planning your sales strategies on social this month.

Twitter Testing New Shopping Feature

Twitter recently announced the introduction of its new Twitter Shop Module, currently available in the U.S. to select brands only.

Those brands have the ability to list products in a carousel format atop their profiles, with links allowing for purchase in-app through Twitter.

“With this pilot, we’ll get to explore how our engaged, responsive, and chatty audience reacts to products that are emotionally charged—like a new jersey from your favorite sports team—or that provide lasting impact—like a new skin-care regimen,” wrote product lead Bruce Falck on Twitter’s blog. “And, fundamentally, it’ll give us the chance to keep learning about which shopping experiences people prefer on Twitter.”

While there is no word of when Twitter plans to expand access to this function outside of its test group, it’s a step toward brands of all kinds—including independent businesses—having more access to sell their products through social media platforms.

TikTok Announces Nationwide Block Party to Help Small Businesses

Beginning Aug. 5, TikTok will hold a “Small Biz Block Party,” a 20-event workshop series cohosted by Main Street America, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening communities through preservation-based economic development.

“Businesses of all sizes are using the magic of the TikTok community to reach new audiences and expand their business—whether it’s a startup or an iconic local business,” said Becca Sawyer, TikTok’s global head of small- and medium-size businesses. “Our goal is to give every business owner in America the same opportunities as the biggest brands and to help them turn their dreams into a reality.”

For a full schedule of what’s happening by region or state, and to RSVP, visit tiktok-smallbizblockparty.com.

Clubhouse Now Open to All Users

Clubhouse announced that it’s moving out of its invite-only, closed beta format and opening up to all users.

“We have removed our waitlist system so that anyone can join,” wrote the team  behind Clubhouse on the platform’s blog. “If you have a club, you can post your link far and wide. If you are a creator with an audience, you can bring them all on. If you’re hosting a public event, anyone can attend. You can bring close friends, classmates, family members, coworkers, and anyone else you like.”

Time will tell if the update will show a big increase in users. See the whole announcement here.

Facebook Introduces Campaign Ideas Generator

On its Facebook for Business blog, Facebook unveiled its new Campaign Ideas Generator, a tool that provides campaign ideas, premade assets, and resources for small businesses to advertise.

The platform says it’s currently testing a “Ready to Go Ads” feature that offers images and copy for businesses to consider using in their ads. The feature is designed to be a starting point to help advertisers build content of their own.

For more information on what businesses can do with the new tool, visit Facebook for Business’ blog.

(Photo: Getty Images Plus/pressureUA)

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