READ OUR BLOG
Top 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 More
Why 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 More
NOT 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 More
CEOs: 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 More
Marketing 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 More
Content Layering in Social Media
By Dylan Kohlstädt So you’re active on social media, hooray. Welcome to the club of people trying to work this new, crazy space out. In my recent, popular blog, Why your Social Media Sucks: The Five Layers of Social Media, I covered how you can go from “me too” social media to “next level”…
Read More
Why your Social Media Sucks: The Five Levels of Social Media Marketing
The Five Levels of Social Media Marketing: © 2018 Dylan Kohlstädt @ Shift ONE digital I recently attended a social media marketing conference, where one of the large agencies talked about Social Media 1.0 (happy Friday, everyone), 2.0 (six ways to save on insurance) and 3.0 (give us a ridiculous amount of money, so…
Read More
What 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 More
Three 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 More
WhatsApp 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 More
5 Social Media Mishaps That Could Get You Fired
This is not a drill, people. Your boss and your customers are keeping an eye on every tweet, like and hashtag you post on social media. Before you panic and decide to purge yourself of all your social platforms and become a hermit, keep reading. Here are 5 Social Media Mishaps you should avoid at…
Read More
What 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 More
Instagram 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 More
TV is dying: Why video marketing belongs in your business
When we wake up in the morning, it is commonplace to reach for your phone and start trawling social media to “wake up”. When you get home at night, you probably switch on the TV and pick up your phone or tablet and, at the same time, start watching a couple of videos; one on…
Read More
4 Ways to Use WhatsApp in your Business including Do’s and Don’ts
WhatsApp threatens the existence of cellular service providers, you know that, right? Why pay for phone calls when you can call over Wi-Fi or use ever-cheapening data? Except there’s still nothing more annoying that receiving a WhatsApp phone call. When I see an incoming WhatsApp call, I am immediately annoyed. So, there are still miles…
Read More
WhatsApp Status Takes the Instant Messaging World by Storm
WhatsApp Status, a new WhatsApp feature similar to SnapChat, has now enabled users to post videos, photos or GIF’s for their contacts to see instead of a simple text status. This feature went live on Android and IOS smartphones across the globe on 24th February. What’s new? No longer will users have to update their…
Read More
New Instagram Update Allows Users to Upload Multiple Photos in One Post
On Wednesday, February 22, Instagram announced that its new 10.9 software update allows users to share up to 10 photos and videos in a single post, thanks to a new carousel-like slideshow feature. Users no longer need to choose the single best photo or video from an experience they want to remember. You can…
Read More
Happy 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 More
Shift 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 More
Three 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 More
5 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 More
How to make an effective marketing plan on a small budget
With the challenging economic climate that’s settled on South Africa like a dark winter cloud you might find that your business has hit a bit of a lull; phones aren’t ringing off the hook like they used to and you find yourself thinking of ways to cut back on costs. You haul out your budget…
Read More
Social Media Road Rage: Things to Remember Before Posting
We get it. Ranting on social media feels the same as ranting in your car – you feel safe, brave and invincible while you wave you fist in the air from behind your steering wheel and spew venom at the other idiot driver. We’ve all had moments of blind rage due to someone who…
Read More
Dylan 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 More
Business 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
The 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 customer. Really understanding 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 More
An 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 More
Why 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 More
Three 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 More
5 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 More
What 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 More
Building 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
Why 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 More
3 Benefits of Upskilling Your Team
In today’s economic climate, with all the pressures of running a business to boot, upskilling your team is probably the last thing on your mind. Parting with an already scant budget to use it for staff training seems like a tall order; however a study conducted by the New Zealand Department of Labour indicates that…
Read More
WordPress 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 More
Google 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 More
4 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 More
eCommerce 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 More
Freebie 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 More
Freebie 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 More
South 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 More
WARNING! Your Website is About to be Kicked off of Page One of Google.
Now that I have your attention, the only question is this: Do you have a mobile-friendly website? If yes, happy days, be warm and well fed. Close this blog and go about your business happy in the knowledge that your spot on page one of Google is secure. For now. If no, big problem. You…
Read More
More Freebie Friday’s in April
Shift ONE is proud to announce More Freebie Friday’s in April Digital Marketing Refresher Course! Considering the success and overwhelming response that we had to the last course we ran in February, we’ve decided to run another one, and it still won’t cost you a cent! And it’s in Jo’Burg this time, so now we…
Read More
Four 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 More
Confessions of a Grammar Nazi
It was the perfect Saturday morning. The sun was shining. Pigeons were practicing extreme water sports in the birdbath outside. A cacophony of yapping neighbourhood dogs and bratty toddlers filled the polluted suburban air. And I had made it through my first cup of coffee without yelling at the dog. I sighed in contentment. It…
Read More
Are 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 More
Four Freebie Friday’s in February!
Shift ONE is proud to announce its Four Freebie Friday’s in February Digital Marketing refresher Course! Considering the success and overwhelming response that we had to the last course that we ran in December 2014, we’ve decided to run another one, and it won’t cost you a cent! As with the last course, classes will…
Read More
Branding 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 More
How to Write a Blog
If you’re reading this, it’s a pretty sure bet that you want to write a blog, but you’re not sure where to start. Or you’re lost and are about to click away. Just give me a moment; there may even be a tip or two for the seasoned blogger hidden in here somewhere! Before you…
Read More
3 Ways Innovation can be Killing your Business
Do you work for someone that never seems to stop thinking about the next big thing that needs to be implemented? You know the type? Rushing into the office and stealing productive time to call a meeting about some new idea he thought up on the toilet that morning, implementing untested ideas, and blaming the…
Read More
Good 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 More
Bad 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 More
SEO 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 More
Innovation: 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 More
How 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 More
How 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 More
Do You Have a Plan for Getting More Customers?
Lot’s of people have great ideas and want to get started with their website yesterday. That’s the easy part; getting customers to your website is the hard part. I conduct ‘Forensic Marketing Audits’ at least four or five times a week, which is when an entrepreneur comes to me and asks the same question: “How do…
Read More
Everybody 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 More
Five 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 More
Branding 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 More
Ideas 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 More
Don’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 More
Get 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 More
Building Loyalty in a Virtual Community.
Most companies use Social Media in an attempt to build a following of loyal customers and brand advocates that will buy the product, support the values and grow the brand by sharing posts and tweets with friends and family. The question is; how do you get the people who follow your posts and tweets to…
Read More
Is Social Media the Be All and End All for Creating Communities?
Many organisations rely solely on Social Media to provide a sense of connection and community with their customer base without understanding its limitations. Are Facebook and Twitter enough to create a bond that will result in sales? While most companies use social media as a way of connecting with their customers, there are still many…
Read More
Creating 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 More
Why Are Most South African Businesses Ignoring YouTube?
One of our services is flying off the shelves: SEO. Every other client is asking us to Search Engine Optimise their websites so they rank in Google on page one. Why is it then that the second largest search engine in the world is being ignored? Why Are Businesses Avoiding YouTube? I know what it’s…
Read More
Has 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 More
5 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 More
Free Digital Marketing Training
There is a way to get the skills you need to maximise your businesses presence online without spending a couple of years on a marketing degree. We’re referring of course, to the Free Digital Marketing Training being offered by Shift ONE. We’re offering daily digital marketing courses from the 3rd to the 7th of November,…
Read More
The Paradox of Generosity: Being generous in business
The Paradox of Generosity: How Giving it Away for Free can Lead to Success Being Generous in Business We’ve all heard people say things like ‘I can’t tell you my business idea, in case you steal it’, or ‘I can’t give you access to that information, it’s proprietary’, or ‘You have to pay to use…
Read More
Three 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 More
I 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 More
Facebook 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 More
Shift 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 More
Is 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 More
5 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 More
Why I hate Go Daddy and how Usability Testing could have saved me 90 wasted hours!
Dear [email protected], 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…
Read More