One of the frequent questions that many entrepreneurs ask us when we talk about Social Networks is, Should I be there or not?
This study was developed with the objective of massively answering this question and providing businessmen, professionals, university students and others with information on the behavior of Social Networks in El Salvador, on their value and potential. The study presents in parallel technical information about the Networks, tips for the proper use, information and global statistics of some specific Social Networks, we hope that it will be to your liking and benefit.
Currently many businessmen, university students and professionals resist Social Networks, some do it out of ignorance, others because they do not want to expose their "magic business formula", others out of "paranoia". This report has been created for them and for you who do believe in Social Networks.
Social Networks are an opportunity for customer loyalty and rapprochement, as Salvadorans are rapidly becoming familiar with and adapting to the use of Social Networks. If you are an entrepreneur, the use of Social Networks will contribute to a new form of communication with your target, your consumer will feel closest to your brand, due to the interaction of listening, commenting and contributing. Do not forget that Social Networks should not be reached for business purposes, Networks are for socializing, otherwise they would be called “Commercial Networks”, the sale will come after interacting, socializing, stimulating the sense of belonging to your community, etc….
Our best wishes for success!!
Methodology
- Technique
- Quantitative: Online survey self-supplied CAWI questionnaire Universe: Salvadorans between 18 and 59 years old, Internet users and Social Networks (netizens from other countries that participated in the study were excluded) Scope: National Sample size: 469 cases Sample error: 4.5%. Confidence level of 95%, p = q = 50%. Sampling: Random, based on invitations through mass e-mail. Fieldwork dates: June 2010.
Methodology (Data Analysis)
- Correspondence Analysis It is a technique for reducing dimensions and making perceptual maps. These maps are based on the association of variables. Principal component factor analysis Principal component factor analysis studies the interdependence relationships that occur between a set of variables or individuals. This analysis summarizes the information contained in the initial variables of the data matrix in a series of factors or variables composite. Non-hierarchical cluster analysis It seeks to analyze the interdependence between variables defining segments that are homogeneous within them and heterogeneous with respect to other groups. Descriptive AnalysisThis "initial" analysis provides the probability distribution with its centralization parameters; mean, median and mode; as well as its dispersion parameters; variance, standard deviation, etc… It is used to generate frequencies and make the traditional graphs of bars, cakes, etc…
Notoriety of Social Networks
Social Networks are gaining space among Salvadorans rapidly, more and more netizens are joining and, therefore, for companies, Social Networks, become a very powerful tool to generate brand reputation.
- SPONTANEOUS RECORDING Top of mind
(See PDF)
"Facebook - www.facebook.com is mentioned by practically all the interviewees spontaneously in the first mention".
"Twitter - www.twitter.com is mentioned spontaneously by 7 out of 10 interviewees"
- Note: the summation differs from 100 points because it is a multiple choice question.
SPONTANEOUS AND HELPED REMINDER
- It is important to highlight that TV, Press, Radio and businessmen have provided a strategic push to Facebook and Twitter, worldwide. Facebook and Twitter have displaced Social Networks already considered "old-fashioned". Windows Live Messenger, used by many, is located in 6th place, the main reason is that it is "not recognized" as a Social Network by those who do not mention it "due to lack of knowledge / association". Top two box Note: the sum differs from 100 points because it is a multiple choice question.
TOTAL REMEMBER
- Note: the sum differs from 100 points because it is a multiple-choice question. The 4 Social Networks with the greatest presence in the Salvadoran mind are:
- Facebook www.facebook.com Twitter www.twitter.comHi5 www.hi5.comMySpace. www.myspace.com
"Social Networks are considered fun and used more frequently than blogs, forums, or any other traditional digital medium."
Image of Social Networks
PREFERRED SOCIAL NETWORK
“Facebook better for business than TWITTER, since in 7 out of ten cases, it is preferred by the respondents.
- Facebook is updated more frequently than TWITTER. The power of Twitter is high, it has managed to surpass Youtube which is significant, and MySpace, the latter being the second network with the highest traffic worldwide. Linkedin -www.linkedin.com-, the business network obtained 7.7% of mentions. (Linkedin generates significant results and new business, INCAE (www.incae.com) among others use it strategically). There is a wide gap between Facebook and Twitter. At a general level there has been an accelerated growth of Social Networks in El Salvador, their Most of the members are not adolescents, they are people over 18 years of age and with purchasing power. As complementary data, Facebook has more than 474 million users worldwide and it is important to note that there are at least 42 million Spanish-speaking users on SocialSpace.the summation differs from 100 points because it is a multiple choice question.
The Singleton Generation
- http://analitikasv.blogspot.com/2010/05/las-singleton.html Women in their thirties. Clear, direct and liberal women who have a powerful sense of autonomy, are active on Social Networks and connect with high frequency. Singleton's preferred networks are Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin.
The MILLENNIAL and Social Networks
- http://analitikasv.blogspot.com/2010/05/millenials-generacion-y-why-yo.html --Millennial Generation (born between 1980-2000) are those who most use the Social Networks Facebook and Twitter. ”“ Facebook is used more than Twitter in the ages of 18 to 24 ”“ Twitter and Facebook are used in conditions - statistically similar - in the group of 25 to 34 years. ”Age is correlated with the type of network used. Do many things at the same time Time is a characteristic of Millennials, although they are more loyal to Facebook for the moment, the very nature of this generation will make them interact with Twitter and other networks, since they move from one activity to another naturally and easily. they consume media in a very fragmented way.Communication with them is the combination of online and traditional marketing, and “a lot, a lot”, interaction. The power of this generation comes from access to information and technology
LIKE & DISLIKE
- "Facebook attracts Internet users, since it is the Social Network where" it has more friends and finds the people it is looking for ", also because" it is the one that it uses and knows the most ". It is also preferred for becoming a meeting point, friends from childhood, school and university. The varied and interesting content through share it is also an attraction to position Facebook as the preferred network of Internet users. “Facebook does not compete for audience only with General networks such as Twitter or MySpace ”, there are hundreds that exist in SocialSpace and also with specialized Networks. Since there are hundreds of Social Networks, where should your company be? The answer is easy, be on the social network where your customers are. "More than half of the interviewees who prefer YouTube www.youtube.com,They do it for the amount of videos and music. One in four prefers it for “interesting content.” “Linkedin is preferred by professionals, and the main reason for use is that they find business contacts. One in three interviewees prefer it for the interesting content that is promoted on Linkedin ”.
WHAT YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT Social Networks.
- Note: the summation differs from 100 points because it is a multiple choice question.
WHAT YOU DISLIKE ABOUT Social Networks.
- One of the main concerns is the lack of privacy. To this we must add that hackers have moved to Social Networks, with links they easily obtain data, they can clone the profile. Disrespectful people are the second annoyance. A rule of thumb on the web is not to get into controversy with anyone, even if motivated.
Habits of Use
Social networks
- According to the interviewees, Social Networks are used by “people of all ages”. One in three consulted excludes children and focuses on “youth, young adults, adults and older adults.” Crossing over the social network, it is observed that: Facebook has more users between the ages of 18 and 34.Linkedin is the social network with the most men and whose age rises to the 25-44 age range. MySpace, despite being the first major social network, which brought together many netizens, currently has followers with similar characteristics to Facebook, but most have lost a certain degree of interest, according to the study. Twitter captures the attention of adults, but has a representative base of young people that will increase since the incorporation of Social Networks to mobile,will attract more young people using Twitter than Facebook, both the two largest Social Networks in El Salvador.
FREQUENCY AND PLACE OF CONNECTION
- There are 72% of interviewees who consult Social Networks daily, we will call them "social addicts" in the good sense of the word. Most connect to Social Networks at "home", although in one out of three cases, they do so. they do in their work.
FACTORIAL ANALYSIS OF CORRESPONDENCES
- Points from "college / university" were removed from the analysis for having a low point contribution.
CONNECTION HOURS
- “79% of the population dedicates more than one hour a week to Social Networks” “82% of those who use Facebook dedicate more than 1 hour to it weekly” “One out of every two who use YouTube and MySpace, spend more than 1 hour weekly connected to those Networks ”“ MySpace is the social network with the least weekly activity ”.
SOCIODEMOGRAPHICS
- The socio-demographic profile of the users of Social Networks is as follows: Both sexes, with incomes greater than $ 300. (It is important to highlight the group between $ 500 and $ 2000. With incomplete higher education or more. Mainly with ages between 18 and 44 years.
CLUSTER ANALYSIS ACCORDING TO THE USE OF THE SOCIAL NETWORK
SEGMENTATION ACCORDING TO NETWORK USE
- It should not be forgotten that segmentation obeys the SAMPLE framework, the interviewed groups are "active users" of Social Networks. Variables for Segmentation Light User - Medium User - Heavy User
GENDER
- More 59% 43% 45% Fem 41% 57% 55%
PREFERRED SOCIAL NETWORK
- Facebook 53% 59% 71% Twitter 47% 41% 29%
AGES OF ACTIVE NETWORK USERS
- Reading 18 - 24 years 6% 12% 82% 25 to 34 years 11% 24% 65% 35 to 44 years 17% 31% 52% 45 to 59 years 21% 39% 40%
Hence, the Light segment in the age group has relatively lower percentages than the Medium and Heavy groups, which make more use of Social Networks. The Medium segment concentrates the intermediate users of the Networks and the Heavy cluster, which use them more frequently than the rest of the cluster.
SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS
- The people with whom he usually interacts on Social Networks El Salvadoreño is with old friends and current friends, as revealed by nine out of ten interviewees Current study and work colleagues (they are not considered friends) represent 47% of mentions Note: the summation differs from 100 points because it is a multiple choice question.
Advertising on Social Networks
- According to the interviewees, only 16% stated that they “dislike very / somewhat” advertising on Social Networks, however six out of ten “never / almost never” click on the ads. Social Networks such as Facebook, have launched to conquer the online advertising market. Worldwide, Facebook has had a growth of more than 400% compared to last year in advertising investment, this already brings with it many debates about advertising effectiveness in Social Networks, by others Media that are affected: Important brands such as Nestlé, Coca Cola, Pepsi, Pizza Hut, Pollo Campero, Pilsener and distribution groups and others, use Social Networks to interact with their consumers, get closer and connect with the multi-target they serve. Almacenes Siman, Digicel, Tigo, Radio 102.9,and others that make efforts to inform their community of the news and actions they carry out, have received the recognition of the Salvadoran public. Four out of ten recognize effectiveness as a brand presence, and 12.6% consider it to be effective. Four out of ten say that "it could be improved", but the important thing is that they do not consider it "ineffective". Having a super advertising campaign "off line" will be useless if there is a negative current on the brand "on line" The one-way communication of the company is history, it is obsolete. Marketing strategies are designed with the consumer, and for the consumer, giving the consumer a voice, an excellent example of this is Starbucks. Twitter in its first four years has not offered advertising space, but the “tweetUp” directed at stimulate even more,advertising on Social Networks. Twitter is attractive and powerful for online marketing and communication strategies. Social Networks act as a great diffuser of the brand in terms of notoriety. Campaigns, Online contests, stimulate relationships with consumers. Prado, Digicel and Raf are a good example of active campaigns and contests aimed at interaction. "Social Networks like Facebook and Twitter are full of spammers, who try to sell and use Social Networks as a Distribution Channel", they have not still understood how they work. The main reason for companies to use Social Networks is to stimulate “branding” and to “engage with consumers.” “It is important to note that Social Networks, especially Facebook“ are not a point of sale ”,“ they are not just another distribution channel ”,"They are not the online branch"; Social Networks are to SOCIALIZE, to establish relationships, that is why they are called “Social Networks”, otherwise they would be called “Commercial Networks”, the sale comes after establishing relationships ”.
REASONS WHY COMPANIES USE Social Networks%
- Branding (brand presence) 72.3% To engage with consumers 38.5% Customer loyalty 12.6% Lead generation (identify business opportunities) 10.1% Insert advertising 9.2% Market research 5.9% Develop / research new products 1.7% Make the customer feel client who has a role in deciding the products or services provided by the brands. 1.7% Understand attitudes (clients) 1.631% Note: the sum differs from 100 points because it is a multiple choice question.
THE COMMUNITY MANAGER AND THE Social Networks
- Using Social Networks, especially Facebook, increases brand awareness, purchase intention, brand recall, business contacts are developed and relationships are built that are later translated into sales. Due to the foregoing and the proliferation of brands. Social Networks, companies are in the need of having a “community manager” (http://analitikasv.blogspot.com/2010/04/facebook-y-elcommunity-manager.html). Many companies, on the other hand, prefer to delegate this function to experts for example: Carlos Cabrera, Francisco Contreras, Miguel Leal, José Miguel Arbulú, Emilio Karam, Erick Gamio and Javier Quiroz specialists in internet marketing and network marketing (multilevel). The “community manager ”Is the link between the brand and consumers,He is responsible for developing the objectives and transforming them into an environment that attracts users and maintains them. The "community manager" is responsible for stimulating strategies, applications, maintaining social reputation, etc… this professional requires innovation capacity, time, resources, communication skills, and a lot of positive attitude.. He is responsible for interacting with real people who share little things that make them happy every day…. Its function is not reduced to generating more "followers", it is much more important.He is responsible for interacting with real people who share little things that make them happy every day…. Its function is not reduced to generating more "followers", it is much more important.He is responsible for interacting with real people who share little things that make them happy every day…. Its function is not reduced to generating more "followers", it is much more important.
Politics and Social Networks
- 39% of those interviewed state that the use made of Social Networks to discuss political issues displeases them “a lot / somewhat”, on the contrary 35% like “a lot / somewhat” to discuss political issues. Social Networks have allowed the emergence of new opinion leaders in relation to political issues (not only those hyper-interviewed by television or newspapers), such as "Stereo Policy" which is a citizen project promoted by a virtual community, another example is Walter Monge Cruz, an independent citizen who develops debates on politics and topics of social interest on Social Networks. The Salvadoran, has a means to express himself and be heard, in politics there are now new voices, and Social Networks will be the ring where the next elections will be defined,Small political parties will benefit the most, with few resources they will generate high impact. The mass media have informed us about political issues, for many decades, -thanks to them- we form an opinion, and we have been able to issue value judgments, which They have led the polls to choose the best candidate that we perceive exists in the electoral contest, sometimes we have been "wrong", but that is another story. The newspaper was one of the first media that promoted the political issue, then the radio came and television a few decades ago. Very important media in the country such as TCS, Megavisión Canal 21, Canal 33, and Canal 12, radio 102.9fm, Cadena Sonora, YSKL, El Diario de Hoy, La Prensa Gráfica, Co-Latino, El Mundo and others, have done their thing in the history of political communication. Your valuable work is appreciated,and their performance has been decisive for democracy in the country, they have been called the fourth power for their value in democracy. The fourth power, now joins the "fifth power", which is the object of this study, “Social Networks”. We are in the era of Politics 2.0 (Social Networks and blogs of the political world). With Social Networks, the receiver has control of what he wants to hear and will quickly receive the message if he has the impression that the sender addresses him as an individual. A basic rule of political communication is to maintain control of the message. But it is no longer possible to control the message, Social Networks have reversed that. If political parties are NOT capable of integrating interactivity, they will have serious problems with the mass of voters who access the internet.Social Networks provide dialogue with the people, long awaited and desired. Social Networks are promoters of democracy….of highly participatory democracy. The Salvadoran is more organized to elect candidates, and is much more intelligent collectively, than he was before the Social Networks. It will be natural that the politician or whoever is see "affected" by their economic interests with Social Networks, see these lines of the FIFTH POWER with skepticism, disbelief or even think that there is nothing further away from reality…. than what is said here. To them I say, read a little about how Social Networks influenced the victory of Barak Obama President of the United States of America. Instead of opposing, becoming critical or even moving away from Social Networks, get on and interact with the Salvadoran,Get closer, understand them and win their vote, but with constant debate and two-way communication.
Brand ranking by category
- MarketShare Currently when analyzing the market share of brands, we find SEVERAL category leaders. It is important to note that there is an atomization of brands and the differences are not statistically representative. The participation percentages are low, and the leaders, although currently the media, their positioning is very close to brands such as “Digicel”, “Tigo”, “Pizza Hut” and “Pollo Campero”. Radio “102.9 fm” is one of the pioneer media in Social Networks. Prado constantly develops interaction through contests. Channel 33 through youth manages to position its band “Buena Onda” . There is no firm leadership, it is being built…, those who currently promote it best are the media, product brands are beginning to stand out.Point cloud made from the spontaneous mentions of all the brands that the interviewees follow on Social Networks. The size of the words is directly proportional to the number of times it is mentioned. It does not include sizes smaller than those represented by visibility. (It is important to note that the point cloud is built based on the perceptions of the interviewees, and it has nothing to do with the number of fans of the brands, and they can belong to any social network, not just Facebook or Twitter, no It includes names of famous people or twitterianos).(It is important to note that the point cloud is built based on the perceptions of the interviewees, and it has nothing to do with the number of fans of the brands, and they can belong to any social network, not just Facebook or Twitter, no It includes names of famous people or twitterianos).(It is important to note that the point cloud is built based on the perceptions of the interviewees, and it has nothing to do with the number of fans of the brands, and they can belong to any social network, not just Facebook or Twitter, no It includes names of famous people or twitterianos).
(See PDF) The point cloud is made with the aim of "showing" the participation of brands with high marketing and advertising budgets, along with brands with a minimum budget, Social Networks provide the opportunity to small and large of competing on the same stage, under the same conditions, the little ones win the social audience with creativity and dedication.
Salvadoran companies are empowering themselves as to how Social Networks will be useful in their communication strategies and corporate image.
Currently most companies use the Networks as a support for Branding. Maintaining contact with the target is another of the objectives pursued by entrepreneurs, as well as understanding their attitudes and consumer trends.
The KPI's of the Social Networks are usually measured through the number of visits, comments or followers.
The ROI is still unclear for entrepreneurs who only speak the language of "profit / profit", they should be clear that it is a strategic action not a sales channel, and that it should be encouraged not to stop it.
Entrepreneurs must increase their budget online, there are no dilemmas ("be or not to be"), you have to be on Social Networks.
It is indisputable that Universities must develop high performance communities.
The above in principle, because their audience is the MILLENNIALS who highly value technology, the internet and Social Networks, secondly because they have a captive audience that easily integrates into the Social Space.
In the last place, it is that it opens the space to the universities for new careers or technicians, which many developed countries are already offering, thus also guiding their academic offerings.
GENERAL CONCLUSIONS
Facebook is the social network with the highest recognition in the country, it was spontaneously mentioned by 97% of Salvadorans, the social network that has the second highest spontaneous notoriety is Twitter with 69% of the mentions.
Facebook, as we pointed out above, is the most remembered, and it is also the one that most like, as stated by seven out of ten Salvadorans. Twitter is the second most liked, this network is liked more by men than by women, while Facebook does not present differences by gender. Other networks such as Linkedin and YouTube are preferred more by men than by women.
Young people prefer Facebook more as a social network and Twitter increases their preference as age increases. The main reason why they like Facebook is because there you can “have more friends” and because it is the network that “they use and know the most”, while Twitter is preferred “because of the interesting and varied content it offers”.
In general, what mainly motivates the use of Social Networks among Salvadorans is:
"Use Social Networks to stay in contact with friends and family", "Meet people and interact", "Share content (comments, photos, links)" and "Rediscover old friends."
The main reasons that discourage the use of Social Networks are: "Lack of privacy and intimacy", "disrespectful and heavy people" and "false profiles".
It is important to highlight that two-thirds of Salvadorans reveal that Social Networks are aimed at all ages and a third indicate that they are only for young people and adults.
The majority (72%) of the participants in this research connect to Social Networks daily and essentially the place of connection is home (66%). Eight out of ten Salvadorans connect for more than an hour a week to Social Networks and the social network with the longest connection time is Facebook. Women use Social Networks more frequently than men. The 18 to 34 age group are the most frequent users of Social Networks.
Social Networks can be defined as a “meeting point” since in 55% of the cases the people who are related are old friends and 35% are current friends.
One in three Salvadorans likes "a lot or something" advertising on Social Networks. Only 7.6% have the perception that advertising on Social Networks is not effective and 16% are very bothered by advertising. The main purpose that companies use Social Networks is to stimulate branding and interact with their consumers.
Politics and Social Networks are not two diametrically opposed elements, rather they coexist. Four out of ten Salvadorans like politics on social media and a similar number dislike it.
Download the original file
