Social media is a fantastic way to boost your brand awareness and grow your sales in Mexico. Mexican consumers and businesses are reactive and engaged online: post great relevant content and watch it ricochet around your target prospect base! On top of that, online marketing prices are reasonable compared to many other large markets. So, if you get your social media and online marketing right, the return on investment for brand awareness and the sales that can go with it, are rapid. Below we share some of our insights to the Mexican online world that we use as international marketers to help our clients build their brand, sales and business in Mexico.
With over 128 million consumers, rising income levels and an increasingly sophisticated manufacturing and supply chain landscape, Mexico is attracting the attention of global exporters. And social media is the ideal way to build the awareness and trust that are so needed to the buyer’s journey. Social media is the #1 reason most Mexicans go online. Before checking emails or searching on Google, Mexican consumers check out their mainstream WhatsApp accounts, log onto their Facebook accounts and express their views online. The near 100% penetration rate for Facebook in Mexico, explains why according to Juan Pablo Tejela, CEO of Metricool, “most brands [in Mexico] now consider a presence on Facebook to be obligatory”, with Twitter and Instagram close behind.
Facebook is particularly popular among brands, and with good reason: 99% of Mexican social media users are active on Facebook, so there’s a very good chance you’ll find your customers there. It is also unparalleled in the ability to micro-target very narrow audiences (looking to reach English-speaking hairdressers in Mexico City? No problem!), allowing marketers to reach valuable audiences relatively inexpensively. And let’s not forget, Facebook works hand-in-hand with its little sister messaging app, WhatsApp - WhatsApp is used by 93% of Mexican social media users to communicate across countless groups of family and friends. With notable items from Facebook, Twitter and Instagram constantly being shared on WhatsApp, the amplification that can occur when a brand message really hits home is massive.
Source: www.statista.com
Historically, traditional media and corporate messages have not always been the most reliable, meaning that Mexican consumers and even businesses are used to reaching out to peer groups and looking at individual experiences. Equally, poor internet connection and the high volume of smartphone users mean that websites are unpopular among Mexican consumers – they prefer to use the easy-access, mobile-friendly social media platforms. This means that much of Mexican business happens via smartphones: these are ubiquitous in Mexican society (133% penetration – they have more smartphones than households!), so Mexicans carry the internet around with them at all times.
Mexican users are typically happy to ‘like’ and ‘share’ brand updates, but these don’t always convert into sales or even website visits. Our advice is to get away from vanity metrics and focus on pre-determined goals. Mexican users are keen to interact with brands on social media, but the high engagement rate can be deceptive; are you really getting through to your valuable leads? Be attentive to the advert targeting and keep it narrow to avoid wasting money and effort on consumers who will not buy your products.
All this engagement sounds ideal for companies looking to grow their brand awareness in Mexico, but remember, consumer and business reactivity can go both ways. Post poor, non-localized content, and you risk alienating your prospects and could even have negative reactions – not the sort of brand awareness you are looking for. Mexican social media users’ propensity to engage also means that they are likely to message your brand page, publicly ask questions and give their opinions about your product or service – so the social media community will provide a fantastic opportunity, but it will need hands-on experienced management. Interested in learning more about how we help companies build their brands, sales and business in Mexico and other international markets? Get in touch!