Today we’d like to introduce you to María Belén Ramírez Gallardo .
Hi María Belén, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Hello, thank you for this space. I hope my story can serve as inspiration. My name is Maria Belen Ramirez Gallardo, I was born in Asuncion, Paraguay.
In 2018, I received my degree as a journalist at the Catholic University of Asuncion. Few years ago I competed in beauty pageants representing Paraguay. I won the title World Top Model Paraguay 2016. Also I was part of fashion shows in my country.
I’m a model and a journalist, and I love fashion, that’s why I decided to travel to Milan to see the fashion houses and also where I learned Italian. A little before the pandemic started, I decided to visit Zanzibar, Tanzania, a paradisiacal place that offers not only beautiful beaches, but also offers job investments. In this way, I decided to open my marketing agency, Twiga, in Swahili means giraffe. After living years in Tanzania, Twiga Social Agency born with the idea of innovating, creating marketing strategies and advising our clients to impact the digital space.
As journalist and influencer, I love navigating the digital space and create content. Due the lack of knowledge in digital marketing in Tanzania. Later I specialized in this area. I build websites, design logos and manage the social media accounts of companies.
Twiga helped businesses such as hotels & resorts, real estates and construction companies. The agency operates worldwide.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Like any other business, you have obstacles. In my case, being in Africa during COVID -19 was an opportunity to help local business being online and reach clients. On the other hand, I first learned to believe in my business and then I went out looking for opportunities. In Tanzania, there is a community of expats from everywhere, Italians, Spanish, French, Russians, Poles, etc. I told myself why not? I realized that there was no marketing agency. And that most hotels did not have a well-structured website or did not have social media. So that’s how I decided to open my digital marketing agency three years ago. I remembered that the first client to manage a page on Instagram and Facebook was a real estate agency on the island of Zanzibar. I managed their page for almost two years. After that, I had a hotel as a client, I did the promotion abroad with Google Ads. Also, I had an Italian ice cream as a client, I had the opportunity to work with restaurants and currently, the agency is working for a construction company in Tanzania.
As start, I made a list of potential clients and contacted each of them. Some replied, others did not. As an obstacle, I can mention that sometimes it’s hard to convince customers via email they want to see you, and sometimes not being able to drive with a car, I couldn’t get to the client.
In my case, I love doing face-to-face marketing. That is, physically approaching clients and explaining them. Personally, I love to get involved in each project, and I do it from my IPad, computer and when I need to do some reels or stories in Instagram, I use my cell phone.
Making a website, designing logos and then managing social profiles can be a bit exhausting. Luckily, there are applications where I program the content that I am going to publish. But when it comes to designing a website, I spend hours in the computer. And there are times when the client wants right away. And when it comes to design logos, clients ask me to change color, fonts, style, etc. (lol)
Another challenge can be, as social media managers, we strive to capture the audience’s attention by any means possible.
Social media has rapidly changed the way that the world digests its information. People have gone from watching an hour-long news program on TV to reading 120 characters per news item and then scrolling on to the next. Our brains are on hyperdrive, constantly being stimulated by the next item on our feed. So then, how do you stand out?
As a CEO and Founder of Twiga Social Agency, what I been learning is to always look for opportunities. Last time, via social media, I got a client who lives in New York. She wants me to manage her PR agency page, before you don’t believe but then you realize the power of social media that you can reach worldwide.
As you know, we’re big fans of Twiga Social Agency. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Social media has become a huge part of everyday life, whether we like it or not! It allows us to get a glimpse into other people’s lives and share parts of ourselves as well…
The company mission is “Let’s work together in taking your social media to the next level.”
You let us know what your business all about—the voice, the ideal look, and the direction you’d like to take your account in—and we’ll develop (i.e., curate, design, logo) monthly content calendars that best represent you. Any new listings, closings, or open houses you want us to factor in? You got it. Special occasions, holidays, or milestones? Of course! We’ll also meet with you monthly to review your account’s performance and strategize next steps, so you’ll always be in tune with the latest trends of the season. Your social media manager will take care of the account management (i.e., posting, engagement, strategy) too, so no need to fret about the details.
We take care of your creative and strategic needs so that you can focus on running your business to its fullest potential. We are driven by technology as much as we are by design and content to ensure we fulfill our key mission of helping our customers achieve their successful future.
Our prices are competitive. We guarantee high results.
Twiga Social Agency offers services such as Web Design and E-Commerce, Package Design, Graphic Design, Social Media Management and Content Creation. Google Business, Instagram, Facebook Ads, Newsletter Services, Target Mass Messages.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I don’t have a mentor. However, doing marketing face to face has been working well for me because sometimes sending an email or doing a phone call is not enough, clients want to meet you. Meeting face to face is still important.
Contact Info:
- Email: twigasocialagency@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.twigasocialagency.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/twigasocial/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TwigaSocial/
- Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/twigasocial
Image Credits
Instagram Resources: https://www.instagram.com/belengallardoofficial/
