I remember when I was a child in the 80s, my parents requested a telephone line for our house. I was thrilled because we would no longer have to walk to the public telephone, which was not very close. After two years, they sent us a note saying that in 8 to 10 months they would install the long-awaited telephone line. At home, we were super excited; I remember we even counted the months. First, they came to install the pole that would hold the telephone cable, and about three months later, after almost three years of waiting, they finally installed the line. We could now make calls from the comfort of our home!
Can you imagine the difference from today? Now, when you arrive anywhere, in less than an hour you can have a new phone in hand and connected to the Internet. Guatemala is, in fact, one of the countries with the most competitive telephone and Internet prices in the region. This is thanks to the privatization of Guatel; I can’t imagine the lack of progress we would have as a country today in 2023 if telephony, and with it the Internet, had not been privatized.
The country’s software and call center industry, which creates more than 30,000 jobs, would have been hard to establish, and even more difficult to reach the size and scope it has today.
In this context, speaking of the level of competitiveness existing in Guatemala regarding Internet services, upon reviewing some data, there are approximately 361.4 million Facebook users in Latin America. Instagram surpassed 200 million users in 2021 and is the second most used social network in the world. The four countries in the region with the greatest reach to their populations through advertising on this social network are: Argentina with 68%, followed by Brazil with 67%, Colombia with 43%, and Mexico with 37%.
This brings us to the title of our article: one of the critical issues companies must address is how today’s consumer shops. We have increasingly younger buyers; 80% of the country’s population is under 30 years old, and they are more informed about national and international prices. This new generation barely knew a telephone directory or catalogs to find where to buy their products. They open their internet search engine or favorite social network and enter keywords like “cars close to” <your address>, “best price refrigerators,” “cheap computers,” and the search engine provides them with thousands of options.
We also know that these searches rarely go beyond the first or second page of the results; these young people move with immediacy. Understanding this behavior, can you imagine a company that doesn’t have a website, a Facebook page, an Instagram profile (if its customer base is young), or even a TikTok profile? Can you imagine a company not appearing by its name or keywords on the first pages of the search engine?
Companies that do not invest in digital marketing are doomed to disappear from the map, especially now with users seeking information, looking for testimonials, reviews, audiovisual comparisons, tutorials, and much other content that guides them on where to buy.
This customer, who can search for a product on Amazon.com, sees the price plus the cost of importing it, and may even decide to purchase it online instead of from a Guatemalan company. Companies now must study and know their consumers. Previously, it was necessary to invest in placing an ad in the telephone directory or in print media; now, it’s essential to invest in digital media. With more than 361.4 million Facebook users, hyper-personalized campaigns can be carried out, and when compared to a billboard, a Facebook ad is more profitable as it provides valuable information: you can know exactly how many people saw the ad, their ages, gender, preferences, and obtain essential data to understand the customer and position yourself in their top-of-mind as what they are looking for. You can take a business into a new era.
