Social Media continues to expand around the world and impact it, in its own way. In Guatemala, e-Marketing didn’t start picking up until about 3 to 4 years ago and it wasn’t only until about a year and a half to two years ago that agencies started to develop social media strategies.

After seeing some of the success from local companies, restaurants started taking advantage of it, to get their share of the market. It continues to expand throughout the years, with Facebook being the biggest social media platform utilized in Guatemala today. With only 2.5 million people with access to the internet in Guatemala, 1.6 million people have a Facebook account.

However, before Facebook, hi5 was considered one of the most popular social networking sites. In 2008 hi5 had 12,831,000 Latin American unique visitors ages 15 and up, while Facebook had only 7,711,000. MySpace became very big 2 years ago. According to comScore, social media has always been huge in Latin American countries. They are heavy internet users and mainly use the internet as a way to communicate with others.

According to Enrique Parros of TPP Emarketing, Twitter is a Social Media platform that is starting to grow in Guatemala and the reason for this growth is that mobile phones are becoming more easily attainable. The demographic segment in Guatemala that is currently active on twitter is mostly made up of kids, but 24- 35 year olds are starting to pick up on Twitter. This is why twitter is still an educational process in Guatemala.

The main social media Platform used for marketing in Guatemala is currently Facebook, due to the high concentration of people logged into Facebook. Facebook, to TPP Emarketing, is a great way for consumers to communicate with a brand. It is also a great way for people to interact with the brand, which will later help them to decide the future of the brand, and where it is heading. Another way Facebook is being used in Guatemala is as a focus group.

One major success story for TPP Emarketing is from the Facebook page Claro, which has 264,196 likes on Facebook. Gallo was also another great example of how successful Facebook was in helping to boost sales. In April of 2011, Gallo had about 90% of the market share in the country.

TPP Emarketing works with so many brands, such as Claro, P & G, and McDonald’s, that it would be hard to manage each account separately. This is why they use Hootsuite. It is a service used to manage social media accounts on one dashboard. With Hootsuite, companies like TPP E-marketing can manage their Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Foursquare and myspace accounts at once, and even schedule posts for later dates.

E-marketing is still growing in Guatemala, and for some it is still a learning experience, but digital marketing is always growing and expanding. Agencies are starting to pick up on it and take advantage of the marketing tools that are accessible. Some of the services offered today are SEO marketing, Public Relations, E-Mobile, Social Media and E-Advertising.

Digital marketing may be growing but TPP E-marketing understands the importance of utilizing it in their marketing campaigns and strategies.

The article The Importance of Social Media Marketing in Guatemala appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The @GuateSinHambre twitter page was opened on October 5 to bring awareness to the 6000 people who have died in Guatemala from causes associated with malnutrition last year. Also, to the 18 people that die every day, including children and the elderly.

In one night, @GuateSinHambre gained over 300 followers and is aiming for thousands more in order to present this issue to the presidential candidates in Guatemala. This movement is trying to gain support, not only from people who reside in Guatemala but also support from people around the world, using every media outlet possible to spread the news.

The project was created on the initiative of Luis Enrique Monterroso, head of the Right to Food Department of the Human Rights Office in Guatemala, Jose Luis Vivero, chief of the Central America Mission Against Hunger and pharmacy and nutrition students at Galileo University, who want to do something to help their country.

#GuateSinHambre will be the official twitter hashtag for an upcoming event taking place on October 16, 2011, in Obelisco, Guatemala City, in hopes that it will become a trending topic. During this time, people won’t be eating during the daytime and at six o’clock, participants will gather to mourn the 6575 people who died last year from malnutrition, by fasting and lighting a candle in their memories.

The event will showcase Guatemala’s unity as a country, and how it is time for a change, particularly through the eyes of the young people that inhabit the country. The goal of the event is to pressure two presidential candidates that are running for a second election, to include an agricultural strategy in their plan to reshape the country.

It will show what a significant issue this is, and that it needs to be dealt with immediately. The citizens of Guatemala are coming together with the intention of no longer keeping quiet about the major issues in the country. They are sharing their voices in unison, fighting against injustice.

Another goal of GuateSinHambre is to organize a watch group with which to keep an eye on the 33000 villages in Guatemala, and to gather information from them. The sponsored families will be responsible for maintaining their “centinela site”. These families will also receive an introduction to how the system works, which will take up to two days.

A watch group will record information in an excel sheet on a monthly basis, to report to the human rights prosecutor and the ministry of Food and Nutrition security in case action is needed in a certain village.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.flickr.com/photos/diskmix/

The article Malnutrition in Guatemala leads to Twitter #GuateSinHambre appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament wrapped up their quarterfinal matches Sunday and are one step closer to the finals match-up everyone has been looking forward to: United States vs. Mexico.

These two teams were undoubtedly the best in the field coming into the group stage, and are keeping up their reputation as the tournament moves forward. Fans on either side of the border have been patiently waiting for this blockbuster match-up since both teams met their unfortunate fates in the world cup last year.

The United States made their way out of group play, even after a stumble in their 2-1 loss to Panama. The went on to face Jamaica in the quarterfinals, but a solid defensive effort and another good day in net from goalkeeper Tim Howard pushed them on to a semi-finals rematch with Panama. Onlookers believe the U.S. Will bring a better effort this time and prove to be very tough to deal with. They have their eyes fixed on the favorites: Mexico.

Mexico, behind star Manchester United striker Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, blasted their way through group play with a +13 goal differential. Though Guatemala kept it close in the semi-finals, they were quick work for the Mexican nationals as well. Mexico will match up with Honduras in the next round, but their potent attack should most definitely be enough to put them over the top and into the finals.

If there’s one thing fans must know about tournament soccer, it is in fact that any team can put on a spectacular effort for 90 minutes to beat any other, no matter how improbable it may seem. Panama is the key example. They have already beaten the United States in this very tournament, so obviously there is no guarantee there. In fact, it is tough to even consider the U.S. As a heavy favorite in the match, as they have not looked quite as sharp as they did in 2010.

The favorites do not always win in any sport, but this match-up just seems to want to happen. Hopefully for fans sake, the stars will align, and this heavyweight bout will indeed take place. If both teams can take care of business, expect some serious action on the pitch at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on June 25^th.

dalayo / Shutterstock.com

The article Is a United States vs. Mexico Gold Cup final inevitable? appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.