Lifestyling.co.za – a new online publication

We always love a side project – and lockdown in South Africa has been the best time for embracing digital tools and investing in online platforms. For many businesses it’s been an accelerator – for better or for worse – and one notable outcome in our industry has been the very sad closure of a number of print publications. But it’s also made room for a new brand of online magazine. One that favours quality content over quantity, in-depth reads over clickbait and fake news, and which retains the keen art direction and aesthetic of the glossy magazines we’ve recently said goodbye to.

Enter Lifestyling.co.za, a “new online source that heroes informed aesthetics, opinions and insights,” and which showcases both South African and international design and culture, including art, music, food and wine.

Digital tools and tips to ease your online workflow

In the midst of the COVID-19 lockdown I was invited to host an online discussion for The Strategy Circle entitled “Digital tools and tips to ease your online workflow”. Coming from a broad digital background including online publishing, content marketing, web development and project management, this is a vast topic for me to approach – as diverse as business itself. It’s tough to hone in, in enough detail, in a way that covers everybody’s unique business needs in an hour discussion.

The way I see it, “online” or “digital” is no longer a tool you sometimes use or a division of your company – for many businesses it’s the future (if not present!) of your business operations. The COVID-19 lockdown period has catapulted many businesses from digital reluctants to a state of more tech savvy than they’ve ever been – and learning. And it’s a future that, now more than ever, we all have to embrace as a new reality.

As a follow-up I promised to share a list of some of my favourite online tools that for me really help to save time, streamline workflows, increase productivity, save money or really just put important business systems in place. I’ll do that here, so that I can share it easily with those who were – and weren’t – at the workshop session, and I’ll add to it over time as things change or new tools come up.

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On newsletter signups: To pop up or not to pop up?

Or: The artful seduction of getting someone to sign up to your newsletter.

Newsletter popups. You know those irritating things that pop up on a website the minute you land, or obstruct your screen while you’re trying to read? The variation is endless and yet the message is essentially the same (“Sign up to our newsletter”) with the intent generally also being the same (“We want your email address to market at you”). Maybe it’s to sell things to you, maybe it’s to get you to read articles to get advertisers to sell to you… you get the drift.

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