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Lockdown Live: How to Write Blogs For High SEO Ranking
Are you struggling to get your blogs to rank in Google’s algorithm? Writing a search engine optimised (SEO) blog for Google is a daunting task for many, and various elements require careful consideration. While there is no set formula for success, a few SEO factors will significantly increase the chances of ranking in Google with…
Read MoreSocial Media Trends For 2022
Predicting the future of social media is always fun. The sector is changing almost every day, with new utilities and tools being rolled out, adding more ways to connect, track and maximize your online marketing performance. Saying that most people spend a good part of their days on social media would not be an understatement.…
Read MoreHow to edit a video on your phone
Seven Video Editing Apps For Your Phone Capture footage and edit it – all from your phone! ShiftOne shares seven video editing apps that will take your videos from good to great. Did you know? Legendary filmmaker Steven Soderbergh shot his 2018, critically acclaimed horror film Unsane on an iPhone 7 Plus. That’s right –…
Read More10 Simple Steps to Writing an Effective Press Release
Some of us have heard the phrase “press release,” but we are not sure what it really means. What is a Press Release? A press release is an official statement sent to members of the news media with the goal of presenting information, making an official remark, or making a public announcement. Press releases…
Read MoreThe Value of Knowing Your Customer
The key to unlocking customer loyalty – the pot of gold all businesses hunt after every day – is in understanding our customers. Really understand them. Not just wanting their sweaty-palmed Rands, but actually wanting to capture their hearts. When you have their hearts, you will have their loyalty, and loyalty is the ultimate prize.…
Read MoreBusiness Owner: Three Skills You Can’t Fake
By Dylan Kohlstadt As entrepreneurs and business owners, we have to wear many hats: CEO, rain-maker, negotiator, tenant, employer, supplier, and the list goes on. However, as we grow in business, the gaps in our knowledge start to show as our core business strengths begin to shine through, and our ‘wing it on a prayer’…
Read More#Lockdown Live: How to Build a Personal Brand in 2021.
Lockdown Live: How to Build a Personal Brand in 2021 Personal branding matters because YOU should be the face of your brand. Why? Because people buy from people. People look for people they can trust and recommend to others, which should put your personal brand at the top of your priority list. Let me…
Read MoreBuilding a Website? These Three Tips Could Save You Money
So you’ve started your business and things are going swell. All you need is a rocking website and the customers will start pouring in, right? Right! If you’ve started building your own website or have found a great web developer, you’ll know that creating a website is a skill-driven process that takes some serious know-how…
Read More#ThankYouLockdown: Lessons Learnt During Lockdown
I have a few thoughts on lockdown that I wanted to share. Lockdown and COVID-19 have wrought havoc on global economies and businesses of every size…and, while I didn’t love losing a large portion of our clientele, I have come to recognize and even love the lessons that lockdown has left me, if you’ll bear…
Read More[2020] The Paradox of Generosity during a Pandemic: How Generosity can have an impact on you and those around you
With lockdowns due to COVID-19 imminent and in place both nationally and globally, there has never been a more important time to be generous. Stock markets are crashing, SMEs are closing and more and more people are being sent home without pay and without jobs (read about these stats in our last…
Read MoreTop 10 Criteria for a Killer Website
Your website is the start of your relationship with a customer. Whether they found you via a Google search ad, search engine optimization (SEO), a Facebook ad or a friendly blogger, most people will first search for your company website and check it out in order to form an opinion of your business, before deciding…
Read MoreWhy Digital Marketing is Like Game of Thrones
If you’re a fan of Game of Thrones you’ll appreciate the level of hard work that went into writing those books. So far, George RR Martin (GRRM) has enthralled the world with his vivid imagination, the detailed history of the Seven Kingdoms, and especially the gut-wrenching tragedies behind the characters. Game of Thrones has everything from dragon-riding fire queens,…
Read MoreNOT Another 2019 Top Digital Trends Blog
There are a lot of articles on digital trends already written for this year, so let me start by telling you what I’m NOT going to cover: AI, IoT, VR or any other tech acronym that’s not relevant to most businesses and entrepreneurs. If you’re a Marketing Manager, a Social Media Manager, a Business Owner…
Read MoreCEOs: How Using Video Can Help you Motivate and Inspire your Staff
Do you remember the names of all your staff? Do you even recognise them as you walk past them in the corridors? When last did you have a 1:1 with each staff member? Do they know anything about you? Do they know what you do every day? How hard you work to grow your business,…
Read MoreMarketing Fragmentation: A cross-device world
Guest blogger, Ellen De Matos Silva, Founder of Digital Blue Ocean, shares her thoughts on fragmentation in marketing and how online users are becoming increasingly comfortable with a cross-device messaging world. Online users live a multi-device ‘noisy’ world due to a multitude of devices that travel across an assortment of digital media channels. The world…
Read MoreWhat does the Facebook algorithm update mean for your business?
Facebook: the place of fake news, soul-searching status updates, hours of cat videos and picturesque family portraits. Not to mention the millions of glamorous, statuesque selfie poses. Gone are the days when Facebook was used as a way to simply connect with overseas relatives or ‘long lost’ high school buddies. Facebook has not only become…
Read MoreThree Digital Marketing Trends to Update in 2018
Digital marketing is constantly changing and I know you know that you have to keep up with these trends; it’s just a matter of having the time to do anything about them, right? When are you adopting your (IoT) Internet of Things strategy? Or implementing Virtual Reality into your strategy? For most businesses, these digital…
Read MoreWhatsApp Launches Business App for SME’s
Entrepreneurs, WhatsApp is about to help you up your business game. WhatsApp has officially launched their new Business App in select markets overseas and we cannot wait for it to reach South African shores. As the fastest growing communication tool in the world, the app’s use has gone far beyond simply chatting with your friends.…
Read MoreWhat is the best CRM for your SME ?
Finding a great product or service can really make all the difference to your business. It’s vital that you choose something that does what you need it to and something that your team will embrace (so you actually get to measure your ROI). So what is the best CRM for your SME and how do you go…
Read MoreInstagram Stories are now accessible from the web
Instagram Stories has become an integral part of the Instagram experience. Inspired by Snapchat, ‘Stories’ is used by over 250 million people every day. Instagram announced that from 31st August you can view stories from your desktop. How to view Instagram Stories from your desktop You can view Instagram stories the same way you would…
Read More5 People Who Should Never Graphic Design Anything
This article builds on the popular post, Five People Who Should Never Design Your Website which I wrote shortly after starting Shift ONE. Following this post, I received a slot on the Jeremy Maggs show. When I had just started Shift ONE, all the way back in 2011, I needed a logo. As a self-starter…
Read MoreHappy Staff + Happy Customers –> Quality Brand
If your staff are your brand, then what message does your brand reflect? The way you conduct business and the way your staff treat your customers is the essence of your brand. At the end of the day, your staff are at the forefront of your business as they are the ones who interact with…
Read MoreShift ONE a Winner in the NSBC South African Small Business Awards
BREAKING NEWS: Shift ONE was selected as a top 20 finalist in the National Small Business Chamber (NSBC) Awards for 2016, out of over 6,200 entrants. Top Entrepreneurs Nationwide The National Small Business Chamber (NSBC) announced South Africa’s Top 20 Small Business & Entrepreneurship Award winners and the finalists of the 2016 South African Small…
Read MoreThree Things You Have To Let Go Of Before They Kill You
Are you an entrepreneur like me? You need to sit up and take note if this. Your schedule is probably jam-packed, but stop for a minute, breathe, look up at the sky (or the ceiling) and thank heavens you don’t work in a corporate hell hole (put down your CV, there’s no turning back now!).…
Read More5 Ways to Attract Tourists to Your Business
South Africa is no stranger to streams of tourists that hit its shores all year round. The South African tourism industry has its hands full with holidaymakers, honeymooners and business honchos itching to enjoy the splendour our country has to offer. The Rand-[insert any other major currency here] exchange has made the Rainbow Nation a…
Read MoreDylan on Mix FM
Dylan was recently interviewed on MixFM. Check out this podcast and hear what she has to say about Integrated Marketing: https://player.fm/series/spheres-of-influence-podcast/episode-36-why-you-should-be-doing-integrated-marketing
Read MoreAn Open Letter to Kauai – When Good Brands Go Bad
Dear Kauai, We’re all still getting used to the drastic carpet-pulling of your new brand and CI. It’s several months down the line already, so you’d presume we’d have warmed up to it by now, but I think I speak for a lot of people when I say, “meh.” You don’t know (and…
Read MoreWhy Being Nice to Others in 2016 Could Grow Your Business
By Dylan Kohlstadt When it comes to running a business, ‘nice’ is not a word that I throw around very often. So when I say ‘being nice can grow your business I’m not being flippant or insincere. When I say ‘be nice’, you should sit up and take notice, because this perspective could…
Read MoreThree Tech Valentines to Swoon Over Right Now
Don’t you just love it when someone invents something great that makes our lives a whole lot easier? From personal robots that make you coffee to the ergonomically designed computer mouse, there are so many toys to choose from that make our lives better. Whether they’ve been out a week or a decade, gadgets…
Read More5 Digital Trends that Will Change Your Life in 2016
The digital space is always shifting, expanding, creating room for more. Our newsfeeds are inundated daily with fresh influxes of ICT-related information, and every week brings new advances in tech, big and small. With the constant buzz around innovation, we’re not always sure what’s really disrupting the industry, and what’s just fluff. How Digital Will…
Read MoreWhat I Learned as an Entrepreneur in 2015
As an entrepreneur you’re always learning. Not all lessons are created equal – most are good to learn, but not all of them are fun to learn. Last year I worked hard, but not smart. Although I was constantly busy and inundated with emails, calls and appointments, I just could not seem to scratch…
Read MoreWhy Dum-Dums Shouldn’t Do Your SEO
Last year we wrote a blog on how to rank in Google, which included some easy steps for DIY SEO. Despite the availability of free resources, we find that many people still feel intimidated by SEO, and are either too nervous to do it themselves or don’t want to spend money towards an expert doing…
Read MoreWordPress Classes for Beginners this Spring!
Spring is the season for all things new. At Shift ONE we take your suggestions seriously, and have launched a rocking new series of WordPress classes, just for you. Facilitated by our highly experienced, awesome trainers, these one-day classes are ideal for those of you who are new or have never used this website-building platform before. What you’ll…
Read MoreGoogle Analytics: Why you Need Numbers to Run your Business
Building a business without knowing your numbers is like flying an aeroplane in the blind. Numbers need to be as much a part of what you do as opening shop, turning on your computer and switching on your email. You might already spend time checking your bank balance, but do you know how many people…
Read More4 Easy Ways To Prevent Your WordPress Site From Being Hacked
The statistics are out – the number of WordPress sites being hacked has increased to 170,000. Don’t freak out. There’s no need to call up your hosting company and demand they delete your website, just yet. WordPress is still the CMS of choice for over 60 million people worldwide, because of how easy it is…
Read MoreeCommerce Websites: 5 Must Have’s on your Home Page
So, you have a website that people can buy from. That’s great, but how do you know whether you’re doing it right? Are there things you can improve on and thereby improve your sales? For many companies, their website is the first point of contact that their customers have with their brand. Websites don’t sleep.…
Read MoreFreebie Friday’s in Midrand this Friday (24 April 2015)
Book Your Freebie Friday ticket for Midrand NOW! Freebie Fridays’ FREE Digital Marketing training is sold out in Cape Town, again! But there’s good news for our friends north of the Boerewors curtain. There are still a few seats available for the FREE SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) Effective Website Design training for this Friday. The…
Read MoreFreebie Fridays in Johannesburg AND Cape Town in April
You guys and gals are loving our free courses so much, we’ve decided to run another one – in Cape Town and Johannesburg It’ll be in April, but this time we’re doubling it up, so you may actually have to resign this time! A morning session, and an afternoon session, and then home to numb…
Read MoreSouth African Entrepreneurs: Why is it so Hard to do Business with You?
Remember that time you really needed that service done to your car? You called to make an appointment and the voice on the other end promised to call back but never did. Or that time the boutique was out of stock of an item you just had to have, and you watched them write your…
Read MoreFour Freebie Fridays: More Marketing Madness in March
Shift ONE is proud to announce the return of the wildly popular Four Freebie Friday’s free digital marketing courses! This time it’s More Marketing Madness in March and we’re covering all new topics! Our Four Freebie Friday’s training course was sold out two weeks in advance, so it occurred to us that there actually may be some small interest in…
Read MoreAre you Undermining your own Business?
Are you the kind of business owner or boss that is always involved in what everybody else is doing? Telling the graphic designer how to do their job, trying to teach your web designer how to write code, or explaining to your marketing team how best to market your brand. You may be sabotaging your…
Read MoreBranding and Your Business
But I’m a Small Business, is Brand Building Still Important? Ever wonder why big companies spend billions on brand building? Ever thought that perhaps the reason they’re so big is because they’ve bothered to build a brand? Can you tell me what your brand is about? What are your brand values, your brand…
Read MoreGood Home Page Design: Why is it so Hard to Get it Right?
You know the stats, 97% of visitors to your home page leave without clicking or buying; so if your home page is the most important page on your website, then why are so many laid out so poorly? For many companies their website is the first point of contact that their customers have with their…
Read MoreBad Website Design: Are you Guilty of Torturing Your Customers?
Customers vote with their feet when it comes to bad website design. There’s nothing more frustrating than navigating a website, credit card in hand, and being unable to make a purchase because of a badly designed website. We’ve all encountered websites that leave us feeling confused or frustrated. Here’s a short guide to making sure…
Read MoreSEO for Non-Technical Managers: 9 Easy Steps to Ranking in Google
Ranking on page one in Google is nearly every business owner’s dream, and few business owner’s reality. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is a multi-million dollar industry today, for a good reason: turning up on page one of Google is a no-brainer: once you’re on page one you will forever have a limitless source of free…
Read MoreInnovation: Why is it so Hard for Big Corporates to Innovate?
A lot of big companies run low on innovation despite the fact that it’s talked about at every staff meeting and CEO presentation. Why is innovation so difficult to foster in large corporations and how can that benefit you as an entrepreneur? Innovation Leads to Sales So why innovate? Well without innovation companies are not…
Read MoreHow to Lose Customers through your Website
Nearly every business has a website these days, and if they don’t, they should. This commonplace item in your marketing toolbox is usually your customers’ first experience with your brand. So what constitutes good web design and why do so many websites get it wrong? Your Google Analytics will show that up to 95% of…
Read MoreHow to Speak “Web Developer” and not get Ripped Off
How do you, a non-technical manager, communicate with developers who barely speak English? This article will attempt to help you get the website you want, without any of the heartache, frustration or financial loss usually associated with web projects. The saying ‘how long is a piece of string’ should be replaced with ‘how much for…
Read MoreEverybody Wants to be an Entrepreneur
How to Not Fail at Starting your Own Business and Live out your Dream It seems to me that everyone and their dog wants to be an entrepreneur these days. Perhaps it’s that I live in Cape Town and that the Government of the Western Cape and other corporates here are really doing their best…
Read MoreFive Minutes of Fame with Google Glass
I was fortunate to spend some time in Silicon Valley rubbing shoulders with the greatest minds in tech as part of the Blackbox.vc programme sponsored by Google for Entrepreneurs. I met Adam Cheyer, founder of Siri; Steve Chen and Chad Hurley the founders of YouTube, Hadi Partovi, Victoria Scoble from WildfireApp.com and many more amazing…
Read MoreBranding your Business: Why you Need to Think Like a Rock Star in order to be a Successful Entrepreneur
In a crowded market-place you are going to have to stand up and get noticed or be invisible and forgotten. Branding might seem like just another marketing term to you, but it might just be the difference between feast or famine for your business. A few decades ago someone called Valentino Liberace started playing piano…
Read MoreIdeas for Entrepreneurial Wannabes
So you want to be an entrepreneur, do you? You don’t like bosses or you’re newly retired but too clever to just sit at home waiting for your kids to visit, or you need the extra cash. The only problem is you have no idea which business to pursue. More and more retired folk are…
Read MoreDon’t Move to the Valley Before Reading This
The pinnacle of success for a tech startup has long been to ‘make it in Silicon Valley’, but is that really the be-all-and-end-all it’s made out to be? Silicon Valley is, with due cause, the global centre for innovation. Its world renowned startup-centred ecosystem is the envy of nations, and the model is continually being…
Read MoreGet It Right The First Time…or You will Pay the Price and Redo it!
Most people have a great idea that they think will turn them into the Steve Jobs or Bill Gates of South Africa, they just haven’t had time or the opportunity to put it into practice yet. What does it take to make a good idea into a great business? South African’s are amazingly creative. Nearly…
Read MoreCreating Content that Grows your Business
Every small business has one goal in mind: sell. Without sales you won’t be a business for very long. The big question is, where do I get sales from? How do I generate business for myself? We all know the traditional ways of drumming up business: personal selling or cold calling; advertising; trade shows; that…
Read MoreHas Entrepreneur’s Disease Got You?
Many entrepreneurs suffer from ‘Entrepreneur’s Disease’ or ‘Founder’s Disease’, the inability to let go any aspect of your business, for fear of losing control. The disease manifests itself uniquely in each individual; some might display more of one characteristic and less of another. The problem is nearly always fatal. It may take one year; it…
Read More5 Ways To Make Sure Users Will Love Your Website
You’ve invested a lot of time and money into an effective website with great traffic. But, is your steady stream of users sticking around or are they being chased away by your luminous font and labyrinth like navigation? You don’t want the latter. The latter means that your website isn’t doing its job. Here are…
Read MoreThree Steps to a Successful Digital Marketing Strategy…
What does it mean to have a successful digital marketing strategy? And just how do you go about having one? If by now you don’t have some sort of digital marketing strategy, then you either live in a cave, or are in serious trouble. The question then, is how to create a strategy that works. And…
Read MoreI hate to tell you this…but I suspect that your web developer knows nothing about google SEO…
I’m aware of the psychology that goes behind the saying ‘don’t shoot the messenger’ but I would be remiss to not inform you about something that has become ever more apparent: most web developers out there know nothing about Google and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). So before you ask the question, let me start by saying…
Read MoreFacebook Announces Web Search Functionality…Google now Obsolete*
Palo Alto, California, some time in the near future. Facebook has just announced the update that Google has long been dreading…the ability for Facebook users to search the web from within Facebook, rendering Google web searches redundant.* Google has been playing catchup with Facebook ever since the social media platform began its upward trajectory in 2004,…
Read MoreShift ONE as the Top Start-up by Leading Incubator
Cape Town, December 2011. Cape Town based incubator, the Telkom Bandwidth Barn, has named Shift ONE as the top start-up in their 2011 Velocity-Y enterprise development programme. The intensive six-month programme assists Cape Town-based start-ups by offering them mentorship and training. This year the programme started with 20 participants and ended with 8 pitching to a…
Read MoreIs perfectionism killing your Idea? 6 things to watch for when designing a new product.
Everybody wants the perfect product. Your new product- whether it’s a website or a widget- is going to take the world by storm. It’s the new Facebook! It’s the silver bullet that will solve all your problems, grow the bottom line, cement your promotion and save the company. Or at least that’s what you thought!…
Read More5 people who should never design your website and how to manage them
Everybody seems to be an expert when it comes to web design. If you are tasked with maintaining or redesigning your website, then be warned: everyone will have an opinion, and most will insist that their opinion is correct. Most people tend to think that the way they use a website is the way all…
Read MoreWhy I hate Go Daddy and how Usability Testing could have saved me 90 wasted hours!
Dear suggestions@godaddy.com, I’m writing to you for a couple of reasons. Firstly, because I’m a nice person, and secondly because I feel like I need therapy after finally working out how to host through you, and thought that writing about it might help me work out exactly why I felt angrier than a Flash iPhone…
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