Establecer tu marca es uno de los aspectos más importantes de la fundación de tu empresa. Es un hecho que el tener una imagen de marca consistente te permitirá incrementar el reconocimiento de tu empresa entre tus clientes potenciales.
Para comenzar a construir tu marca, considera los siguientes factores:
Logo de la Compania Tu logo de compañía debe ser reconocible y debe mostrar tu “identidad” de marca. Puede representar tu producto o servicio; e incluso las cualidades de tu compañía que la hacen única. Por ejemplo, observa el logo de Beats by Dr. Dre.
No solo el logotipo es minimalista, incluso los audífonos Beats los son, pero el logotipo por sí solo representa una cabeza circular usando como audífonos el símbolo de la “b”. Sin embargo, el crear un logotipo exitoso, es solo una de las tres formas para hacer que tu compañía destaque.
Colores de la Compania Otra estrategia de marca para la unificación es a través de los colores de tu compañía. Una vez más, esta paleta deberá transmitir tu identidad de marca y debe ser usada en todos los materiales de la compañía, tales como la página web, la firma de correo electrónico y el material promocional. Esto no solo crea la estética de la compañía sino que mejora el reconocimiento y la asociación de la marca. Observa estos colores:
¿Qué compañía te viene a la mente? Probablemente respondiste McDonald ‘s. Y esta elección no es casualidad. El rojo y amarillo brillantes que McDonald’s utiliza tienen respaldo cientifico—el amarillo es asociado con positivismo mientras que el rojo induce los sentimiento de emoción, haciendolos memorables. Adicionalmente, estos colores se utilizan constantemente en su material comercial. Desde las playeras de los actores en comerciales hasta los colores de texto. El color que escojas y utilices le ayudará a tus clientes a identificar a tu compañía.
Contenido de la Compañía El último paso para construir la marca de tu empresa es a través de tu contenido comercial. Este puede incluir publicaciones en redes sociales, boletines de noticias, blogs, videos y mucho más—cualquier cosa que sea creada por tu compañía y represente su imagen. Su contenido muestra los valores de tu compañía y ayuda a crear su identidad. Por ejemplo, tu compañía puede valorar la sustentabilidad. Considera lanzar una campaña a la comunidad, tal como financiar un jardín o un evento de recoger basura y promueve estos proyectos a través de una variedad de canales. No hay límite en el contenido que puedes producir. La meta final es comunicar la visión y los valores de tu compañía con los consumidores.
Traducido al español por Diana Ariza. Para leer el artículo en inglés, haga clic aquí.
In the age of modern technology, it is easy to get confused. Photos are an essential part of not only our personal lives, but also for our businesses. Images are essential to get consumers excited about a product or a customer wanting to move forward with a project. These pictures are needed to represent a company’s product/service in their marketing from printed material to a businesses website and social media platforms. Without being able to transfer photos from mobile phones to computers, marketing would be nearly impossible. Below are ways transfer the photos to your computer.
TRANSFERRING PHOTOS FROM AN IPHONE TO A MACBOOK:
Connect your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to your Mac with a USB cable. USB Cables can be purchased through Apple, or at any universal technology store such as Best Buy.
Open the Photos app on your computer. This should appear on the dock of your computer, or can be found through searching in the finder.
The Photos app shows an Import screen with all the photos and videos that are on your connected device. If the Import screen doesn’t automatically appear, click the device’s name in the Photos sidebar.
If asked, unlock your iOS or iPadOS device using your passcode. If you see a prompt on your iOS or iPadOS device asking you to Trust This Computer, tap Trust to continue. This is simply giving your Computer reassurance that it can trust your personal device.
Choose where you want to import your photos. Next to “Import to,” you can choose an existing album or create a new one.
Select the photos you want to import and click Import Selected, or click Import All New Photos.
Wait for the process to finish, then disconnect your device from your Mac.
TRANSFERRING PHOTOS FROM AN IPHONE TO A WINDOWS PC:
You can import photos to your PC by connecting your device to your computer and using the Windows Photos app:
Update to the latest version of iTunes on your PC. Importing photos to your PC requires iTunes 12.5.1 or later. To update, simply go to the settings of your iTunes are press “Check for Updates”.
Connect your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to your PC with a USB cable. USB Cables can be purchased through Apple, or at any universal technology store such as Best Buy.
If asked, unlock your iOS or iPadOS device using your passcode.
If you see a prompt on your iOS or iPadOS device asking you to Trust This Computer, tap Trust or Allow to continue. This is simply giving your Computer reassurance that it can trust your personal device.
Then, visit Microsoft’s website to learn how to import photos to the Windows Photos app in Windows 10.
When you import videos from your iOS or iPadOS device to your PC, some might be rotated incorrectly in the Windows Photos app. This is likely because of the formatting change that happens when changing softwares. You can add these videos to iTunes to play them in the correct orientation.
TRANSFERRING PHOTOS FROM AN ANDROID PHONE TO A WINDOW PC:
Unlock your phone.
With a USB cable (USB Cables can be purchased through Apple, or at any universal technology store such as Best Buy), connect your phone to your computer.
On your phone, tap the “Charging this device via USB” notification. This will pop up on your phone screen.
Under “Use USB for,” select File Transfer.
A file transfer window will open on your computer. Use it to drag files.
At this point, you can drag and drop the photo files that you desire onto your computer.
When you’re done, eject your phone from Windows and unplug the USB cable.
TRANSFERRING PHOTOS FROM A SAMSUNG PHONE TO A WINDOW PC:
Connect your smartphone to your computer using a Samsung USB cable. If you use a USB C to USB C cable you may need an alternative cable or an adapter, depending on the PC you are connecting to. A Samsung USB cable can be purchased from any mobile phone manufacturer, or technology stores such as Best Buy.
If asked to Allow access to phone data? Tap “Allow” to accept.
Once connected, swipe down from the top of the screen to access your notifications.
Tap on the notification from the Android System. It will say Tap for other USB options, after doing so, tap on the option that allows Transferring files or Transferring images.
Now that your smartphone has a transfer connection it will appear on your PC as an available drive.
You can find your device on the PC by opening your File Explorer and looking down the left hand column. You can also search under Devices and drives.
Click on your device to open it.
Click on your device again.
If you have an SD card it will appear here.
You will be able to see all the files you have stored on your phone. Your photos can be found in the DCIM folder.
Select the photos that you wish to transfer and drag and drop them into a folder that is saved on your PC.
Images are one of the best ways to increase engagement for your business. In fact, including images on social media posts can lead to 40% more shares than posts without photos.
However, it’s important to keep in mind that online photos are always owned by someone else. If used without permission (such as a Creative Commons license), the original owner can file a lawsuit for copyright infringement. Additionally, Google complies with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and can disable access to content on your website, blog, social media, etc. that is used without permission.
To avoid these issues and still include images on your marketing materials, check out these 7 stock photo websites and find the perfect pictures for your business.
Free Websites:
All of these websites provide stock photos completely free of charge.
Vecteezy boasts a large collection of both images and videos for free download and commercial use. Browse their free selection or gain access to premium stock photos and footage by joining Vecteezy Pro.
Facebook and Instagram are two of the most popular social media platforms, especially for marketing your business. Combined, the two have over 4 billion active monthly users. To reach these users, it’s important to consistently post and stay active on social media. One easy way to do so in an organized manner is through Meta Business Suite’s pre-scheduling feature, where you can plan out the time of day, publish to specific groups, boost posts, and more up to 75 days in advance.
Find the step-by-step instructions to pre-scheduling your posts, stories, and ads below:
3. Here, you can choose to post to Instagram and Facebook, add in your post caption, and upload content.
4. To schedule your post, click on the dropdown arrow next to the “Publish” button and select “Schedule post”.
5. Now, select your preferred time. A great tool to utilize is that Facebook will provide suggestions on the optimal times to post for the most engagement.
6. Click save and the “Schedule Post” button at the bottom right.
7. To view your overall calendar of posts, click on the planner tab on the main page. You will be able to view your upcoming posts and schedule content, including posts, stories, reels, and ads all from this page.
8. Congratulations! You’re now ready to plan out your social media posts and grow your audience.
Email is one of the most important parts of your business. In fact, it’s used by 80% of small businesses as their primary customer acquisition and retention channel. Thus, setting up your email professionally is instrumental for your business’ success– be sure to avoid the following mistakes.
#1: Using a personal email
The email address will most often be the name of your business. Avoid using a personal email address, even if you are the only employee– you should create a new, separate business email. Not only does using a personal email create an unprofessional look, but keeping personal and business operations separate is important for organization. You don’t want to risk having client information mixed with personal subscriptions.
#2: Having a public email domain
You should strongly consider purchasing an email domain for your business, which will have a similar look to your website domain. For example, intern@egbi.org is an email address with @egbi.org as the domain, whereas egbi.org is the website address. This is a baseline for setting up your business, as it signals that your business communication is established and professional. Additionally, a private domain is practical to ensure security for your business, as free addresses (such as Gmail or hotmail) are tied to the provider. You can purchase a domain through several providers, including GoDaddy, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Titan (via Hostinger), and more.
While email may seem simple, avoiding these mistakes ahead of time can ensure a professional start to your business.
Jeremiah Bentley is the vice president of Marketing & Community Affairs at Texas Mutual Insurance Company, the state’s leading provider of workers’ compensation insurance. He oversees the company’s marketing, public relations, advertising, community relations, digital media and customer outreach efforts. Jeremiah is on the board of directors for the Greater of Austin Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Austin, United Way for Greater Austin, the Austin Ed Fund and the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. He also serves in a variety of other roles in community organizations throughout the Austin area. Jeremiah is a member of the Austin Area Research Organization and is a 2015 graduate of the Leadership Austin Essentials program. Jeremiah lives in northwest Austin with his wife Brandy and two young boys. He’s active in the local elementary school, local soccer community and at Bethany United Methodist Church. He’s a graduate of the University of Texas-Arlington with a BS in University Studies.
Jeremiah Bentley shares his experience as a supporter of EGBI.
To get started, would you mind telling us a fun fact about yourself?
During the day, I’m the vice president of marketing & community affairs for Texas Mutual Insurance Company. Outside of work, my passion is soccer. I’m the co-host of Moontower Soccer, Austin’s most popular podcast. We put out a new episode every Tuesday covering the week’s match, discussing team news and interviewing players & front office personnel.
Why should people consider supporting or volunteering with EGBI?
EGBI fills an important niche in Austin in a very unique way. There’s no other organization that I can think of that provides such meaningful direct support for entrepreneurs and small business owners. The coaching services provided by EGBI volunteers have enabled countless businesses to grow and thrive, allowing Central Texans the opportunity to create a better life for themselves and their families. It seems like there’s no more rewarding work or volunteering opportunity than to help people realize the dreams that they have for themselves and help client unlock their human potential.
Why do you think it is important to support our Celebrating Success event?
The Celebrating Success event is one we’ve been involved with for a few years. The event exposes people who may not know about EGBI to the work of the organization. We’ve brought community partners and employees to the event in the past who had never heard of EGBI. But, once they saw the stories and understood EGBI’s work, they left inspired. It’s also important for the clients to see the success of others. Sometimes, when someone is struggling to build a business, they may feel like they’re alone. Events like this expose people to the real opportunities and potential out there.
Why is it important for people to support organizations like EGBI?
Organizations like EGBI are important because they create opportunities for individuals and help grow the economy of Texas. Small business is the lifeblood of our economy and every business starts with a person and an idea. Providing the coaching that allows those businesses to scale will help us all thrive in the future.
In 2021, EGBI volunteers put in more than 130 hours to help EGBI support and serve over 400 small businesses. Supporters like Jeremiah make this possible and continue to help EGBI pursue their mission of training, coaching, and supporting aspiring and existing business owners who face barriers to growing a successful business.
Want to get involved too? Contact us to find out how you can volunteer or donate.
Google Voice is a telephone service that provides users a second phone number for use through your web browser. There are key advantages to using Google Voice for your business.
Device Variety
Google Voice can be used through a variety of devices– including laptops, iPads, and more– meaning you do not need to rely on only your phone to make and answer calls.
Affordability
Google Voice is completely free for calls over WiFi to the United States, Mexico, and Canada and charges a slight per minute rate for international calls, depending on the country.
Voicemail Transcriptions
Google Voice allows users to automatically transcribe voicemails into text, removing the hassle of audio voicemails.
Google Voice for Business Benefits (for those subscribed to Google Workplace)
Synced Communications
Because Google Voice operates through the cloud, calls are synced to all Google Voice devices. This means that as long as you are online, you will never miss a call. You can also transfer calls between devices.
Google Calendar Integration
Google Voice has the option to sync with Google Calendar– meaning calls made when you are out-of-office will automatically be sent to voicemail.
Interested? To sign up for Google Voice, follow these steps:
Alison Flangel is a rising junior at the University of Maryland, pursuing a degree in Government and Politics along with General Business and Public Leadership. This summer she is working as a marketing intern for EGBI. In her free time, Alison loves cooking, playing tennis, and hanging out with her dogs.
Alison shares her experience as a volunteer with EGBI below.
To get started, would you mind telling us a fun fact about yourself?
In my free time, I love to play tennis.
How have you volunteered for EGBI (tasks, projects, etc.)?
Thus far in my time at EGBI, I have done a lot of work on various programs such as Excel and Canva. I really like being able to help with the company’s organization, as that is something I enjoy doing in my own life as well. In addition to this, I have taken on helping with our annual report by conducting interviews and writing feature articles.
Why do you think it is important to volunteer at EGBI?
EGBI is a unique organization — I love the mission that targets minority business owners. I think that by providing tools and resources to individuals who usually lack this knowledge, EGBI is rare. I am very proud to work for an organization with such a powerful objective.
What has your favorite experience with EGBI been so far?
My favorite experience so far has been getting to meet with business owners and hear their stories. It is so inspiring to hear first-hand the obstacles individuals have overcome to get to where they are today.
“I don’t think there is a better organization to volunteer for than EGBI.Within the non-profit sector they are top of their game.”– Alison Flangel
In 2021, EGBI volunteers put in more than 130 hours to help EGBI support and serve over 400 small businesses. Volunteers like Alison make this possible and continue to help EGBI pursue their mission of training, coaching, and supporting aspiring and existing business owners who face barriers to growing a successful business.
Want to get involved too? Contact us to find out how you can volunteer or donate.
Hi! My name is Ricardo Leon. I was born and raised in Guadalajara, Mexico. I have an Associate in Computer’s Science. I joined a tech company back in 2005 in Guadalajara, Mexico and then they invited me to move to the U.S. with a work visa that later on they upgraded to a Green Card.
I understood that I couldn’t build a life around a single income so I decided to open a few lines of businesses with my wife, and this has been an amazing life changing decision for me and my family. The benefits and knowledge that the small business world brings is UNBELIEVABLE GOOD! EGBI has helped us make amazing things possible by giving us entrepreneurs tools to go get things done! I’m very thankful for that!
Ricardo shares his experience as a volunteer and client below.
To get started, would you mind telling us a fun fact about yourself?
My soul gets full when I see people making the decision and taking action to improve their lives, like opening a business, learning more about personal finances and topics related to businesses, and having the courage and discipline to set goals and go after them. That makes me really happy!
What is unique about your business?
I work best with business owners that are willing to do more and learn more about the business world. I bring a different perspective and new ideas to the table when they decide to do business with me. I also like giving them as much value as possible beyond any contract, like offering their products or services to people in the community that are looking for them.
What is the biggest obstacle you encountered in starting or growing your business? How did EGBI help you overcome this?
At first it was my very own limiting mindset, like doing paperwork to form an LLC, talking to the State Comptroller to make sure all transactions would be done correctly in order to collect and pay State sales tax, then getting permits for a food business that I used to run, etc. All of that was overwhelming to me! But then I was invited to participate in the workshops that EGBI provided and that gave me a lot of clarity in terms of how to manage my business and how to make it grow by following a plan. EGBI gave me all these tools and knowledge that I’m using now to get consistent income in my digital marketing solutions business.
EGBI walks you through the entire process of making a small business successful. Isn’t that what you’re looking for? – Ricardo Leon
Ricardo, you have volunteered as an instructor and also on the EGBI Marketing Committee.Why do you volunteer with EGBI, and what has your experience been like?
I’m very grateful to EGBI and their goal to make more and more businesses successful. That’s why I volunteer every time I’m invited to. I have nothing but good things to say about this organization and its commitment: to help as many business owners as possible to establish and make small businesses grow. The coaches and managers at EGBI are amazing people that always make sure that all volunteers (like me) feel welcomed and confident to help them in their mission.
What advice do you have for someone thinking of volunteering with EGBI?
Please do it! Everyone’s experience in running and managing a small business is unique and everyone can provide a different perspective on how to get around obstacles, as well as tips and tricks to be successful in this small business world. We all will appreciate your input!
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In 2020, EGBI volunteers put in more than 130 hours to help EGBI support and serve over 400 small businesses. Volunteers like Ricardo make this possible and continue to help EGBI pursue their mission of training, coaching, and supporting aspiring and existing business owners who face barriers to growing a successful business.
Want to get involved too? Contact us to find out how you can volunteer or donate.
Amy Carrillo Cobb started her business in Spring 2020. Amy holds a bachelor’s in finance and is a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor. She started her own business Amy Cobb Consulting to help Business Owners demystify their finances. Amy has a history of non-profit experience beginning in 2007 with her participation in the Hispanic Austin Leadership program. She became a Board Member of the Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas-Austin Chapter in 2008. She was a board member for the Latino Leaders of America and co-chaired their annual 5k fundraiser Walk-Run-Lead in 2014 & 2015. She now serves as the Board Treasurer for Ladders for Leaders.
Amy is a wife and mother of a 6-year-old daughter. She has lived in Austin since 2004. She is dedicated to using her skills and experience to help others and unify the community.
Amy shares her experience as an EGBI volunteer, supporter, and blog writer below.
To get started, would you mind telling us a fun fact about yourself?
My fun fact is I’ve completed the Austin Marathon & Half-Marathon. Owning a business is a marathon not a sprint- I am a runner and business owner.
Why do you volunteer for EGBI?
This is my first-year volunteering for EGBl. I believe in the mission and am happy to assist as an Austin Business Owner.
Why do you think it’s important to volunteer?
I created Amy Cobb Consulting on the foundation to enhance social equity. Volunteering was instilled in me at a very young age by my family. We are strong community advocates, and I will continue that legacy through my volunteerism and business.
“I chose to become an EGBI volunteer because I believed in the mission. It is mysocial responsibility as a community member to help others succeed.” – Amy Carrillo Cobb
Why do you write blogs for small businesses owners?
As a Latina and first-gen Entrepreneur, I run into my own set of limits that I subconsciously put on myself. [Based on] my experience speaking, working and strategizing with my clients, others do the same thing. I want to engage business owners through a platform (blogging) that is easily digestible. My blogs allow others to see how I engage with my clients. I am the resource for minority business owners.
What advice do you have for someone thinking of volunteering with EGBI?
Volunteering helps me engage in the community and hone my business skills. It is a way to participate and build your skills.
Amy Cobb shares her knowledge through blog posts for EGBI. Read her recent post on Money Sabotages & Trauma to learn more.
