Infogold Design

Infogold Design We've been around since 1996 – designing top websites and social media pages.
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EVEN TIKTOK CAN'T RELY ON FACEBOOK FOR ADVERTISING!Well, this is awkward. TikTok, one of the biggest social media platfo...
04/11/2026

EVEN TIKTOK CAN'T RELY ON FACEBOOK FOR ADVERTISING!

Well, this is awkward. TikTok, one of the biggest social media platforms on the planet, has been paying Facebook and Instagram to advertise its services. Until Meta effectively told its biggest competitor: "Sorry, mate. You're not on the guest list anymore."

Yes, you read that correctly. TikTok was advertising on Facebook.

On 8 October, Meta stopped accepting advertisements from TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, in seven countries.

Imagine arriving at a nightclub, dressed to impress, wallet full of money, only for the bouncer to tell you the owner doesn't like your business.

So what did TikTok do?

Did it sit in the corner and complain about the algorithm?

Nope.

It took its advertising budget elsewhere.

YouTube. Pinterest. Mobile advertising networks.

And there's a very important lesson here for South African businesses.

If your entire marketing strategy depends on Facebook, Instagram or any single platform, you're building your business on someone else's property.

And the landlord can change the rules whenever they like.

Algorithms change. Advertising costs go up. Accounts get restricted. And sometimes the bouncer simply doesn't let you in.

That's why your marketing needs more than one way to reach customers.

Facebook and Instagram advertising? Absolutely.

But what about Google Ads, your website, SEO and your own customer database?

Your business should never be one suspended Facebook account away from losing its customers.

At Infogold, we help businesses build marketing strategies that make sense for their customers, their budgets and their goals.

Because putting all your advertising eggs in one basket is risky.

Especially when someone else owns the basket.

Here's a question for business owners:

If Facebook and Instagram disappeared tomorrow, how would your next customer find you?

Read the story:
https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/meta-bans-tiktok-advertising-its-apps-bloomberg-news-reports-2026-10-08/

Note: The advertising restrictions currently apply to seven countries, not South Africa.

Infogold
Decades of digital know-how. AI-powered for today.

www.infogold.co.za

INFLUENCER: “LOOK WHAT I GOT FOR FREE!”SARS: “INTERESTING. HOW MUCH WAS IT WORTH?”Being a social media influencer sounds...
02/11/2026

INFLUENCER: “LOOK WHAT I GOT FOR FREE!”

SARS: “INTERESTING. HOW MUCH WAS IT WORTH?”

Being a social media influencer sounds like a pretty good deal. Free hotel stays, fancy restaurant meals, beauty treatments and expensive gift hampers. All you have to do is create a few posts, smile for the camera and collect the goodies.

Well, SARS has just reminded South Africa's influencers that there's one more guest at the unboxing party. And this one brought a calculator.

According to new guidance published by SARS on 21 October, influencers and content creators must declare taxable income received in exchange for promotional work.

And income doesn't always mean money in your bank account.

That luxury weekend in exchange for three Instagram Reels? Potentially taxable.

That R5,000 beauty hamper in exchange for a promotional video? Same story.

Even better? SARS generally expects you to keep the supporting records for at least FIVE YEARS.

To be clear, this isn't a new tax, and receiving a genuine gift doesn't automatically mean you owe SARS money. The important question is whether you received something in return for promoting a business.

There's a lesson here for businesses too.

If you're using influencers to market your products or services, make sure the agreement is clear. What are you giving them? What content are they producing? And what is the value of the arrangement?

Good influencer marketing should benefit both parties, without leaving someone with an unexpected tax headache.

The unboxing video might last 30 seconds. The paperwork could last five years.

Are you a business that uses influencers, or a creator receiving products in exchange for posts? Did you know about this?

Read the official SARS guidance:
https://www.sars.gov.za/businesses-and-employers/small-businesses-taxpayers/social-media-influencers-and-content-creators/

Infogold
Decades of digital know-how. AI-powered for today.

www.infogold.co.za

AI can create 20 adverts in 60 seconds. But what if none of them actually sells anything?It's amazing how quickly AI can...
30/10/2026

AI can create 20 adverts in 60 seconds. But what if none of them actually sells anything?

It's amazing how quickly AI can produce beautiful images, clever headlines and endless variations of the same advert.

But here's the problem. If your original offer isn't convincing, AI simply helps you create more bad adverts, faster!

Before you start generating content, make sure you know who you're targeting, what problem you're solving and why someone should choose your business.

At Infogold, we believe AI is a fantastic tool, but good marketing strategy must come first.

Because 20 versions of a weak offer are still 20 weak offers!

💬 Before creating your next advert, ask yourself: Would I actually respond to this offer?

🌐 www.infogold.co.za

Most small businesses don't need another AI tool. They need to make better use of the ones they've already got!Every wee...
28/10/2026

Most small businesses don't need another AI tool. They need to make better use of the ones they've already got!

Every week there's another AI tool promising to save time, increase productivity or transform your business. And before you know it, you're paying for five different subscriptions and barely using three of them!

Sound familiar?

Here's the thing. AI should solve a business problem, not become another monthly expense.

Before signing up for the next shiny tool, ask yourself three simple questions:

What repetitive task could AI help us with?

How much time and money would it actually save?

Who's going to check that the work is done properly?

Pick one task, test one tool and measure the results after 30 days.

At Infogold, we believe the smartest way to use AI isn't to collect more tools. It's to make the ones you choose actually work for your business.

Sometimes less technology, used properly, delivers better results.

💬 What's one task your team repeats every week that drives everyone crazy? Tell us, and we'll help you figure out whether AI could make it easier.

🌐 www.infogold.co.za

A new bus route could mean a whole new market for your business!When we hear about a new bus route, most of us think abo...
26/10/2026

A new bus route could mean a whole new market for your business!

When we hear about a new bus route, most of us think about people getting to work, school or the shops. But have you ever considered what it could mean for local businesses?

On Friday, 30 October, GO GEORGE is scheduled to introduce its new route connecting Uniondale, Haarlem and surrounding rural communities.

And that's more than just a transport development. It's an opportunity!

Suddenly, more people may be able to reach your business, potential employees could have better access to jobs, and previously overlooked communities might become part of your customer base.

Here's the interesting part. When last did you rethink the area your business actually serves?

Many businesses are still advertising to the same areas and targeting the same customers they did five years ago, without considering how their surroundings have changed.

At Infogold, we believe good marketing is about recognising opportunities, sometimes right on your doorstep.

A new road, a new transport route or a growing community could be the perfect reason to rethink your marketing strategy.

Because when people can move further, business opportunities can grow too!

💬 Has the area your business can realistically serve changed over the past year?

🌐 www.infogold.co.za

24/10/2026

700 complaints. One very big problem.

Your eyes can be fooled. Your common sense shouldn't be.

That photograph looks genuine. The headline sounds convincing. Someone you know has shared it on Facebook or WhatsApp. Surely it must be true? Unfortunately, we're living in a world where AI can create incredibly realistic images, videos and stories that never actually happened.

Ahead of South Africa's municipal elections on 4 November, the Electoral Commission has received more than 700 complaints involving misleading election information.

The IEC has now partnered with major technology platforms, including Google, Meta, Microsoft and TikTok, to help tackle the problem.

But here's the uncomfortable truth: Technology can help detect misinformation, but we still need to think before we share.

At Infogold, we work with AI and social media every day. We see how powerful these tools have become, and how easily convincing content can be created.

That makes one simple habit more important than ever.

Before sharing something, take 30 seconds to check three things:

The source: Who originally published it? Is it credible?

The date: Is this actually new, or an old story being recycled?

The facts: Can you find the same information from a reliable, independent source?

A screenshot isn't proof. A thousand shares don't make something true. And just because something looks real doesn't mean it is.

The IEC has also published guidance on identifying and reporting election misinformation:

https://www.elections.org.za/pw/Elections-And-Results/Report-Election-Disinformation

Be honest. Have you ever shared something because it looked convincing, only to discover later that it wasn't true?

Decades of Experience. AI Powered for Today.

www.infogold.co.za

You spend money attracting customers. But how difficult are you making it for them to actually pay you?Imagine this. Som...
23/10/2026

You spend money attracting customers. But how difficult are you making it for them to actually pay you?

Imagine this. Someone sees your Facebook ad, loves what you're offering and decides to buy. Fantastic! You've done the hard part.

But then they have to phone you for a price, wait for a quotation, request an invoice and email you for banking details.

By the time they're ready to pay, they've either lost interest or found someone who makes it easier!

And here's why this matters right now.

South Africa is preparing to open its national payment infrastructure to more non-bank providers, including fintech companies, retailers and telecoms, from 2027. The aim is to increase competition and make digital payments more accessible.

But while the payment industry is moving forward, some businesses are still making it unnecessarily difficult for customers to give them money!

At Infogold, we spend a lot of time helping businesses attract customers through websites, social media and digital advertising. But getting someone's attention is only half the job.

What happens between "I want it" and "I've paid" is just as important.

Can customers accept your quotation easily? Pay a deposit from their phones? Choose a convenient payment method? Get immediate confirmation?

Every unnecessary step is another opportunity to lose a sale.

Here's a little challenge for every business owner this week.

Take out your phone and try buying something from your own business. Go through the entire process as if you were a first-time customer.

You might be surprised by what you discover!

Because sometimes the quickest way to increase sales isn't spending more money on advertising. It's making it easier for the customers you already attract to buy from you.

💬 How many steps stand between your customer's "YES" and "PAID"?

🌐 www.infogold.co.za

Decades of digital know-how. AI-powered for today.

22/10/2026

R150 MILLION TO MAKE LIFE SIMPLER. YOUR CUSTOMERS STILL CAN'T FIND YOUR PHONE NUMBER.

South Africa is investing another R150 million into developing MyMzansi, a digital platform designed to make government services easier to access. Meanwhile, some businesses have websites where finding a phone number feels like solving a murder mystery.

Click Contact. Then Enquiries. Then Customer Support. Then another menu. By the time you find the phone number, you've forgotten why you wanted to call!

Here's the thing. Your customers don't care how clever your website is. They care how easy it is to do business with you.

A beautiful website is great, but if visitors struggle to find your contact details, request a quotation or send an enquiry, that beautiful design could be costing you business.

At Infogold, we believe a website should do more than look impressive. It should make it easy for customers to take the next step.

Take a quick look at your own website. How many clicks does it take to find your phone number?

Decades of Experience. AI Powered for Today.

www.infogold.co.za

Your website traffic dropped overnight. Should you panic?Imagine opening your website analytics and discovering that hun...
22/10/2026

Your website traffic dropped overnight. Should you panic?

Imagine opening your website analytics and discovering that hundreds of visitors have suddenly disappeared. Your first thought? Something's gone wrong with your marketing!

But what if those visitors haven't disappeared at all?

Between 9 and 13 October, an analysis of around 500 web pages found that traffic attributed to ChatGPT dropped by approximately 31,000 visits per day. Interestingly, traffic labelled as "Direct" increased by around 26,000 visits on those same pages.

The visitors hadn't necessarily gone anywhere. The way they were being counted had changed.

And there's a lesson here for every business owner.

Your analytics dashboard can be perfectly accurate about what it recorded and still give you the wrong impression about what's happening in your business.

A sudden drop in website traffic doesn't always mean your marketing has stopped working. It could be a tracking change, a website update, incorrect attribution or even a consent setting.

That's why understanding your numbers matters just as much as collecting them.

At Infogold, we believe marketing decisions should be based on what's actually happening, not simply what a dashboard appears to be telling you.

Before you panic about falling traffic, make sure you're measuring the right things.

Has your website traffic changed unexpectedly? Let's find out whether your customers have changed their behaviour, or whether the numbers are simply being labelled differently.

🌐 www.infogold.co.za

21/10/2026

META CHANGED THE FINE PRINT. BUT DID THEY CHANGE ENOUGH?

After criticism over website scraping and AI training, Meta revised its terms. But permission to crawl website content for advertising and business products remains.

The new terms take effect on 30 October 2026.

The lesson? Don't just click “I Agree” without knowing what you're agreeing to!

Your business. Your website. Your content. Know your rights.

Decades of digital know-how. AI-powered for today.

www.infogold.co.za

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