Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
2013
Social Networks
Research in
Central America
2
Table of Contents
Cover! 1!
Table of Contents! 2!
Methodological card! 5!
Guatemala, the country with the highest quantity of Facebook users in Central America! 11!
Nicaragua, the country with highest percentage of users being university students 13!
Costa Rica With the highest amount of users between the 25 to 30 years old ! 18!
El Salvador and Panam with more restrictions for Social Networks! 23!
Conclusions! 35!
2nd. Social Networks Research
Central America
5
Metodologic Card
Surveys
844
Reliability Error Margin
95% 5%
6
Finality of the Research
This is the 2nd Social Media Research for Central America executed by iLifebelt.!
The purpose of the research is to understand the roll of Social Networks in Central
America. The aim is also to analyze its growth and investigate why people use Social
Networks and how they use them.!
Its been said that Social Networks are important and they are rising up. Through this
research we want to confirm so, but we want to prove it by means of numbers so
companies get to know what is going on in this called echosystems, so they can take
advantage of it in the best possible way.!
7
iLifebelt Central America
This firm has presented the first investigation open to the public on Social Networks in
Central America. This has been made through Digital Audiences Observatory.!
The release of this information has served as a useful tool for decision-making of Media,
professionals and companies that wants to innovate themselves through digital
channels.!
Imagine you are about to use either your computer or smatphone. Which activities have become
your habits? Obviously you will use your email, for personal or work reasons. What else? Of course
the news and blogs You wont want to miss what is going on in the world. In the end thats what
Internet is for. To keep yourself informed. !
Now imagine that you leave your place and forget your computer or smartphone. Is there something
missing? Probably to check the social networks you have an active profile in.!
It doesnt matter which social network, what matters is for you to be active. In the last years these
communities have caused a revolution in the use of Internet. It is very difficult to find someone that
uses Internet but doesnt have a Social Network profile. But what is to like about them? Why every
day we use more of our time inside them? Most of the times they dont have relation with our work or
daily activities, nor are they important communication channels. Dont we have the telephone or
email to say hello to our family and friends? Cant we meet them in person?!
To add up to this, recent studies have proved the importance we give to these networks. These
studies cast that around the 40% of people will avoid to see again somebody in real life if they have
deleted them from Facebook.1 Definitely, Social Networks are very significant in our lives.!
1. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/articleDetails.jsp?arnumber=5718725
Habits Changed 9
Because of Social Networks
This makes us wonder, do we know enough about them? Do we understand why they are so
important in our daily activities? Do we know the size of the market they have in the region and how
do users behave around sensitive topics such as discrimination or how do they react to advertising?!
To give an answer to these questions is part of the motives of this regional investigation. We all need
to understand how do these platforms work to acknowledge their real value and take the best out of
them. The best strategy nowadays is to get to know what people want and to give them that
experience. Social Networks hold a world of opportunities and experiences. Our intention is that you
take advantage of them today.!
!
Social Networks Market 10
in Central America
Facebook is the social network with more diffusion in Central America. 98% of internet users
have a Facebook account. It is followed by Twitter, since 67% of people confirms to have an
account. In third position we find Google+ where 53% of people in Central America claims to
have an active profile.!
98%
67%
53%
45%
27%
19% 17%
Facebook is still the leading Social Network in the region. It has more than 8,7 million users
in Central America. !
Guatemala is the country with the highest quantity of users, followed by Costa Rica. There
has been a growth of 25,000 users per month in the last 5 months in Guatemala.!
Central America:
Central America: Facebook
Facebook users growth
users in the region
- Number of Facebook accounts, January 2013- January 2012 to January 2013
- Growth by country, January 2013-
2,186,400
1,965,220 25%
1,536,040 20%
1,250,920
1,020,000 15%
818,380
10%
5%
0%
Guatemala Costa Rica El Salvador Honduras Panam Nicaragua Guatemala Costa Rica El Salvador Honduras Panam Nicaragua
Graphic No. 2. Source: iLifebelt Amrica Central. Graphic No. 3. Source: iLifebelt Amrica Central.
January 2013. January 2013.
12
Education Level of Users
40% of Central American users are people with an university academic level. It becomes evident that
among social network users in the region, there are more people with masters degree level than people with
high-school or elementary level. This fact can be compared with other investigations where its been
confirmed that most users are proffessionals. (Pew Research Centers Internet & American Life Social
Networks Site 2).!
22%
15%
11%
9%
2%
Estudiante Educacin Nivel o educacin Posgrado o Maestria Nivel o educacin Nivel o educacin
Universitario Universitaria Diversificado Bsica Primaria
Completa (Graduado)
Graphic No. 4. Source: iLifebelt Amrica Central. January 2013.
2. http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/Technology-and-social-networks/Summary.aspx
Nicaragua 13
The country with highest percentage of users being
university students
The country with the highest percentage of college students using Social Networks is
Nicaragua. Costa Rica and Panama are the countries with the highest quantity of users that
have posgrades or masters degrees. This is why they are in the last places of this graphic.!
26%
23%
Collaborative Learning
In the early 90s the concept of information society and knowledge, was a reference of change
thanks to the Internet. At present, we can speak of a learning society that is present in all areas
throughout the human life. In the learning society, the foundations of the educational system have
been questioned, because a system that was a solution to the needs of a postindustrial society
does not respond to the needs of the information and learning society. Social Networks are
useful tools that have allowed us to inform, communicate and connect with people anywhere in
the world. Access to the Internet is different in each region, however there is a latent need of
human beings to interact with others This need itself has made the digital gap ever smaller.!
Stephanie Falla
BSc in Communication from the
Universidad Rafael Landivar in
At one time it was thought that Social Networks were only good for Guatemala.!
leisure, but the users themselves have given them a different sense, to
Partner and Director of online
the point that now Social Networks form part of the business, political, technology projects Maestros del
Web, Foros del Web and
economic and educational world.! 120segundos, Hispanic
reference communities on design,
development and Internet trends. !
Companies have alll the users information at their disposal through Social Networks. They can
analyze their behavior, tastes and trends. We should not ignore the importance of analysis, and She has worked in traditional
media like television as a cultural
although there is much information available on the Internet, curating and filtering data are key
reporter and radio anchor. She
steps to get really useful information for our industries. If our goal is to learn collaboratively, has over 10 years of experience
starting on Social Networks can be a good idea.! in design, administration and
management of web content.!
15
Classification by Gender
Classification by gender
- % of Social Networks users, January
2013- In CA, male users lead in Social Networks
with a participation of 62%. One of the
reasons of this difference is the economic
advantage that exists between men and
women.!
3. https://www.facebook.com/help/425284084163299/
Women lead the use of Social Networks in 16
Panama
There is an important difference between countries in regards to gender. In Panama most of
Social Networks users are women. This is a contrasting fact compared with Guatemala and
El Salvador. !
Guatemala
El Salvador
Costa Rica
Nicaragua
Honduras
Panam
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Hombres Mujeres
by age
The main age group of social netwoks users in the region is between 25 and 30 years old. The second
group is conformed by ages 21 to 24. Both groups make an amount of 43% of users in Central America. It
is interesting to watch that there is more people older than 33 years old using Social Networks than the
ones between the ages of 12 to 17. Honduras is the only country where most users are between 21 and
24 years old.!
25 a 30 aos 24% 5%
18%
21 a 24 aos 19% 13%
35 a 44 aos 17%
31 a 34 aos 11%
18 a 20 aos 10% 19%
12 a 17 aos 9%
43%
45 a 49 aos 5%
50 a 54 aos 3%
55 a 59 aos 2%
60 a 64 aos 0%
65 aos o ms 0% 12 a 20 aos 21 a 30 aos 31 a 40 aos
41 a 50 aos 51 a 60 aos
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%
Graphic No. 8. Source: iLifebelt Amrica Central. Graphic No. 9. Source: iLifebelt Amrica Central.
January 2013. January 2013.
Costa Rica 18
With the highest amount of users between the 25
to 30 years old
The population in Central America is mainly conformed by young people. This fact is
confirmed with the participation percentages of Social Networks users. The main age
group consists of people between 25 to 30 years old. Despite this, for Honduras the
main age group is in the range of 21 to 24 year old people.!
27%
25% 25%
22%
19%
16%
Costa Rica
How have social networks impacted in Costa Rica? Social Networks have come to
potentiate the idiosyncrasies in this country. They have a strong impact because the
country's Internet penetration is high. Facebook has been used as a means of
expression and defense to the consumer and every month there are notorious
cases of "crisis" because of what users expose.!
Regarding Twitter, this has had more impact as an amplifier, a place where
influencers are respected; it has served as a loudspeaker. !
"The meeting of the Costa Rican with Social Networks enhances his Rogelio H. Umaa "
idiosyncrasy, which demands his rights and knows his opinion can Rogelio is a pioneer in web
be amplified. Rogelio Umaa.! advertising communication in Central,
America, blogger, social media early
adopter and driver of one of the first
How positively leverage Social Networks? To avoid negative surprises, it is best to shows of Costa Rica web, GorileoTV.!
be proactive and anticipate all communication. Anticipate the best and worst Currently and since 2008 he is the
scenarios. Then you need to act quickly, especially when there are complaints. This Director of Interactive Media for
TribuDDB. !
will reduce the risk of a "crisis".!
He is also a university professor in
t h e U L A C I T, C r e a t i v e H u b
Finally we must deliver valuable solutions. Giving a quick answer or having an Clandestina instructor. He also blogs
immediate reaction is useless if a correction or solution is provided to users. You at "Ctrl + D" of the newspaper El
have to be very transparent and effectively provide each communication conducted Financiero. !
of users
43% of Social Network users have a full-time job. 21% are students and 17% are catalogued as self-
employed (entrepreneurs, business owners or freelancers). These 3 are the main employment status.!
It is interesting that, combining the users that work full time, part time and the self-employed altogether
make the 68% of Social Networks users. This indicates that most of users are busy people in one way or
another.!
43%
21% 8%
17% 6%
People in Central America are highly active in social networks. 46% spend more than 3 hours
a day on their profiles. This may not make sense, but we are not talking about 3 hours in a
row; most users (56%) are connected in an intermittent way which makes a sum of about 3
hours a day.!
!
Daily connection Connection hours
! -Social Networks users in Central America, -% of users in social networks, January2013-
January2013-
Less than 30 2%
minutes
4% A la hora del almuerzo
30 4%
minutes A primera hora de la
to 1 maana
11%
hour Durante la maana
Over 3 hours
Graphic No. 12. Source: iLifebelt Amrica Central. Graphic No. 13. Source: iLifebelt Amrica Central.
January 2013. Base de respuestas: January 2013.
22
Social Networks at Work
23% of people in Central America report being social network users for more than 5 years. This
means that most of the people are already familiarized with these platforms. Another interesting fact
is that users have migrated from one social network to another. For example in 2009 Hi5 was the
leading social network in the region, as now is Facebook. Another interesting phenomenon is the
multiplication of trending platforms: besides Facebook people now use other social networks. !
4%
4. http://ilifebelt.com/
26
Main Connection Devices
Increasingly Social Networking users are more "multi-device". The main connection devices
are laptops with 71% usage, followed by desktop computers with 61%. Smartphones are the
third most used device to connect to Social Networks with 54% usage.!
Laptop 71%
PC 61%
Smarphone 54%
Tablets 30%
Central America
28% of users of Social Networks in Central America say their main connection device are
smartphones. This means that there is a group of users permanently connected to Social
Networks, actively interacting with friends and brands since they wake up until they go to sleep.!
Main activities: communication with friends and family, reading news and information, share
content and upload photos.!
Basic Principles 28
in Social Networks
1. Strategy: before "setting foot" in Social Networks we set goals we want to achieve and the
strategy that we will continue to get (Social Media Plan) and ensure they are aligned with the
overall business objectives.!
2. People: Businesses should be aware that success depends on the relationships we are able to
establish with people (and the engagement we get). For this reason they must learn to be less
business and more people. They speak the "language of social networks".!
3. Hard work: the results that add value to the company (in the form of image enhancement,
sales, cost reduction, etc.) do not suddenly pop up. We must be aware that they require hard
work and perseverance.!
4. Content: social media content is truly king. Increasingly taking value strategies based on
Earned Media (viral or earned media). Be ready in 2013!!
5. Personal: A social media strategy is not "managed alone." Letting the smart kid of the
department open a page on Facebook and / or start tweeting, does not mean at all to have a
strategy.!
Basic Principles 29
in Social Networks
6. Motion: to "speak the language of social networks" should spearhead a
movement, a position that allows us to talk constantly (while providing value to
the company) without talking about ourselves. For example: Nike can talk about
sports, health, chI just made this up, in case I wrote something that does not align
allenges, etc.., and be positioned as "healthy, sporty" (with the Nike philosophy!),
and occasionally launch offers, promotions, etc.!
7. Analysis: "on internet, if it hasnt been measured, it does not exist". If we are
unable to measure (to measure, I mean both to listen, and to measure results),
we do not know whether we are doing right or wrong, whether we are achieving
the goals, we have the keys to correct errors ... this requires a good analyst, and Tristan Elosegui"
the right tools. ! Internet Analyst since 2000.
Currently working at iCrossing,
as VP of Strategy (within the
8. Internal Policies: Defining steps to follow is a basic stage to ensure all members area SPAR: Strategy, Planning,
of the team row in one direction, and thus, mistakes and incopatibilities are Analytics and Research) for
avoided.! Latam. He has also worked in
companies like Digital +, ING
DIRECT and Vocento.!
9. Crisis management: Prepare the action path in case of possible reputational Degree in Management and
crisis will make us reduce its impact and solve it rapidly! Marketing from ESIC. Part-Time
MBA at Instituto de Empresa
(IE). Master of Electronic
10. Managing expectations: closely related to point 3 (hard work). As in all areas we Commerce and Direct
do not always do well, we will be questioned both internally and externally. Our Marketing, ESIC ICEMD.!
job is to be consistent, solid and know how to guide the company to success.!
Main Activities 30
In Social Networks
How does Central American users spend their time inside social networks?!
Actividades laborales 9%
in Social Networks
Although many companies and sectors spend more and more on advertising in social networks
every day, only a few brands linger in the minds of users in these ecosystems. The 3 most
memorable sectors were Central Americans travel and tourism (12%), beauty and hygiene (10%)
and education (10%). We need to consider that Facebook, the most used Social Network in the
region, has filters that target advertising and, in theory, make it visible only to interested niche
segments.!
12%
10% 10% 9% 9% 9%
8%
In Social Media
What motivates users to follow a brand on social networks? The main reasons for Central
Americans are: to get the latest news (23%), special offers (18%), and information about
products and services (17%). This means that people are in search of news. Giving users
what they want can generate a positive impact on organizations using Social Networks.!
Me la recomendaron 5%
on Purchase Decisions
For most Central Americans Social Networks will continue to be important channels of
communication that will grow in importance. It is safe to assume they will grow
exponentially. 64% say that in the future Social Networks will remain relevant. As for
how it works today, 61% believe that Social Networks must evolve and adapt mainly by
its increasing importance.!
47% of Central Americans argue that Social Networks continue to grow exponentially.!
Social Networks continue to grow in the region but in a fragmented way. Facebook is still
the leader with 98% share, but its growth is not as rapid as in 2012.!
62% of Social Media users are university students (Students and Graduate). !
In Central America, 62% of Social Media users are male. As for Facebook, 52% of
users are male.!
the largest group of Social Network users in the region is in ages between 25 and 30 years
old (24%).!
56% of users log on and off in short periods. 46% of users say they spend more than
three hours browsing social networks.!
Central Americans already have some maturity in the use of social networks. 23% say
they have more than 5 years of use.!
Laptop computers (Laptop) are the most used devices to visit Social Networks (71%).
The use of smartphones to connect to Social Networks reaches 54%.!
The main activity in Social Networks is to communicate with friends and family (17%).!
Conclusions
The best remembered advertising sector in social media is Travel and Tourism with
12%.!
23% say they followed a brand on Social Networks for news. The second most
important reason is to get offers (18%).!
64% say that being a follower of a brand has influenced their buying decisions. !
Central Americans believe Social Networks will continue to grow (47%), evolve to deal
with the increasing importance they are getting (61%) and will remain relevant
(64%).!
Work Team
Jose Kont @josekont Hugo Muralles @hcante
Director of Operations. Digital Marketing Professional web designer. User
Specialist and Web Analytics. Industrial Experience Specialist and Web
Engineer.! Performance Optimization.!
!
http://ilifebelt.com!
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