COVID-19 - What You Need to Know TODAY April 13, 2020
Recent Updates that May Affect YOUR Business
IMPORTANT UPDATES
The Cedar Park Business Assistance Program is beginning its first full week of accepting applications. We have had many come in since its passage on Thursday evening by the Cedar Park Type A Economic Development Board, Cedar Park City Council and Cedar Park Chamber Board. We will continue to accept applications through this pandemic or until funds run out. To find out more, please CLICK HERE .

FEDERAL & STATE UPDATES FOR BUSINESS
Yesterday, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released COVID-19 “At a Glance” numbers . The numbers show that U.S. cases in 55 reporting jurisdictions (including Washing D.C., Guam, Puerto Rico, Northern Mariana Islands and U.S. Virgin Islands) there were a total of 525,704 confirmed and presumptive positive COVID-19 Cases, and 20,486 total deaths.

The Austin American Statesman reported Governor Abbott will provide executive orders talking about reopening businesses in Texas sometime this week. The Governor continued stating it will be based on federal guidance. Lt. Governor Dan Patrick also spoke on Texas businesses adding, “we wouldn’t open everything immediately, but it will be done in phases… barring any unforeseen big spikes.”

WILLIAMSON COUNTY UPDATES
Williamson County and Cities Health District (WCCHD) announced new positive COVID-19 Cases in Williamson County on Sunday, bringing the total in the county to 117 (since the beginning of the testing). So far, 61 people have recovered in Williamson County, and there have been four deaths due to this virus.

COVID-19 (CORONAVIRUS) EMERGENCY LOANS
The Cedar Park Small Business Assistance Program is designed to help our local small businesses during these uncertain economic times. The Cedar Park Chamber and City of Cedar Park have partnered on a robust program.  CEDAR PARK SMALL BUSINESS ASSISTANCE PROGRAM CLICK HERE!

To learn more about SBA Loans - The U.S. Chamber has several guides available to you to help guide you through the decision-making process of your next steps. Please take a moment to look these over as you continue to make these tough decisions. All of these links and many more are available on the Chamber Website .
·          U.S. Chamber Guide to the Paycheck Protection Program
·          U.S. Chamber Guide to the Employee Retention Tax Credit
·          U.S. Chamber Guide to the SBA’s Economic Injury and Disaster Loan

IN CLOSING
We have started our fourth full week within the Stay Home Stay Safe order within Williamson County. While people are still adjusting to this new norm, please be sure to continue to obey the spirit of this order. It is still important to utilize social distancing measures as much as possible. Be sure you continue to pay attention to factual news and go directly to the source. We continue to live in an information hungry state, and it is important to be properly informed.

You can forward this newsletter to anybody you think would find value in this. They can sign up for the daily newsletter as well on our website. Please know we are here to help you. We are YOUR business advocate. Stay safe and let us know how we can help!






Tony Moline, IOM, PCED
President & CEO
Cedar Park Chamber of Commerce
SBA Loan Update with Mike Litton, Executive Vice President and Director of SBA Lending for R Bank
Mayor Corbin Van Arsdale
Addresses Cedar Park Businesses
State Representative John Bucy's
COVID-19 Message
Digital Marketing Strategies
Top Twitter Tips and Tricks

This week are going to dive into Twitter and learn some tips and tricks about this social media platform. Many people do not use Twitter as much as they should but, it’s a great FREE tool that allows you share and promote your brand in seconds. Right now Twitter has 330 Million active monthly users and 145 million daily active users. As we have talked about multiple times in this series, know your demographic! Right now 63 % of Twitter users worldwide are actually between 35 and 65 years old. Also, Twitter is definitely used more by males, they clock in at 66% of twitter users. 

1. Customize and brand your profile
This is very important! When people click thru to your page, they should know exactly who they are looking at. Make sure to customize and add your logo, colors, and any other recognizable and memorable details. Here are a few things your should customize:
  • Handle: This is your username on Twitter. For Example: @cedarparkchamber
  • Header: This is the background image at the top. The safe size format for this image right now is 1500 px X 500 px
  • Profile Picture: This is a very important image in the twitter world. It will represent every move, interaction, post, and tweet on the platform. This is a great place to put your logo but, please make sure it fits right. You do not want your logo to be cut off.
  • Bio: This 160 characters or less area is your brief synopsis of your company. This is a great place for a mission statement, a blurb about what your company does, or something funny and engaging. Remember you can connect and use hashtags in this as well.
  • Website URL: Please fill this in with your website. If people are interested in your company or services then, you want them to have a direct link to your site.

2. Create Twitter Lists.
A twitter list is an organized group of twitter accounts you’ve selected and put together in specific categories. For example, Top Business Podcasters, Top Marketing Experts, and etc. When you open a Twitter List, you only see tweets posted by the accounts on the list. Twitter lists are great if you want to follow only specific accounts. We suggest segmenting your list into groups such as business inspiration, competitors, and target audience. This will give you the ability to easily review their posts, interactions, and content.