Journal of Business and entrepreneurial
April - June Vol. 8 - 2 - 2024
http://journalbusinesses.com/index.php/revista
e-ISSN: 2576-0971
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Receipt: 01 November 2023
Approval: 23 January 2024
Page 64 - 70
Social networks, a digital marketing tool focused on
attracting customers in Ecuador
Las redes sociales, herramienta de marketing digital
enfocada en la captación de clientes en Ecuador
Fernando Eduardo Viteri Luque
*
Bertha Mercedes Orbe Baldeón
*
Walter Javier Caicedo Leones
*
MarÃa Teresa Mite Albán
*
Ana Lupe Viteri Orbe
*
ABSTRACT
Due to technological progress and the evolution of the
digital media approach, it is imperative that companies
take full advantage of the digital tools available today.
The main objective of this article is to expose social
networks as the most efficient digital media for
customer acquisition among end users in the food
market; this time taking as reference the northern
sector of the city of Guayaquil; through which
information can be provided to the target audience
about companies and microenterprises, and in turn
information about the consumer profile can be
obtained. This research adopts an empirical and
quantitative approach, using the survey technique. The
target population comprises 76,540 residents of the
Sauces sector in the city of Guayaquil, men and women
between 18 and 55 years of age with purchasing
power. The results obtained will allow us to diagnose
and evaluate which are the social networks most used
by this target audience, as well as to identify new
trends in the field of digital marketing.
* Msc. Universidad de Guayaquil, fernando.viteril@ug.edu.ec,
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9096-6735
* Msc. Universidad de Guayaquil, bertha.orbebal@ug.edu.ec,
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7780-4889
* Msc. Universidad de Guayaquil, walter.caicedol@ug.edu.ec,
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1195-266X
* Msc. Universidad de Guayaquil, Maria.mitea@ug.edu.ec, https://orcid.org/0000-
0002-1607-5299
* Msc. Universidad de Guayaquil, ana.viteriorb@ug.edu.ec,
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8387-850X
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Keywords: Strategies, Market, Digital Marketing,
Online Marketing, Social Networks, Trends,
Globalization.
RESUMEN
Debido al progreso tecnológico y la evolución del
enfoque de los medios de comunicación digital, es
imperativo que las empresas aprovechen al máximo las
herramientas digitales disponibles en la actualidad. Este
artÃculo tiene como objetivo principal exponer las
redes sociales como medios digitales más eficientes
para la captación de clientes entre los usuarios finales
del mercado alimenticio; en esta ocasión tomando
como referencia el sector norte de la ciudad de
Guayaquil; a través de los cuales se puede
proporcionar información al público objetivo acerca
de las empresas y microempresas, y a su vez se puede
obtener información acerca del perfil del consumidor.
Esta investigación adopta un enfoque empÃrico y
cuantitativo, utilizando la técnica de encuesta. La
población objetivo comprende 76,540 residentes del
sector de Sauces en la ciudad de Guayaquil, hombres
y mujeres de 18 a 55 años con capacidad adquisitiva.
Los resultados obtenidos permitirán diagnosticar y
evaluar cuales son las redes sociales más utilizadas por
este público objetivo, asà como identificar las nuevas
tendencias en el ámbito del marketing digital.
Palabras clave: Estrategias, Mercado, Marketing
Digital, Marketing Online, Redes Sociales, Tendencias,
Globalización
INTRODUCTION
Since the emergence of the Internet, companies have had to change their strategies to
adapt to the new demands of the market since, thanks to globalization, consumers have
information much more easily and at their fingertips.
The Internet is recognized as an unlimited resource for the establishment of business
and relationships. Today, it has become the primary channel for searching, consulting
and participating in the acquisition of products and services. Users share their
preferences, needs and experiences online, giving companies the opportunity to observe
and analyze consumer behavior.
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The internet has become an integral part of the daily routine of both individuals and
organizations, driving companies to adopt new digital marketing tactics. This is due to
the benefits derived from the digital tools currently available and accessible to all.
According to Lopez et al (2018) in the 2000s the Internet starts to consolidate and
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) become more common for
businesses. New internet providers and Cyber cafes began to appear in the Country.
According to the Telecommunications Regulation and Control Agency ARCOTEL until
March 2018 there are approximately 10 internet providers with market share.(p.40).
In Ecuador, Internet use has experienced significant growth, as revealed by the National
Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC), which reports that since the last census in
2012, 55.9% of the population has used the Internet, with 64.4% in urban areas and 37.9%
in rural areas (Lopez et al., 2018, p. 39). This increase in Internet adoption dates back
to 1995, when the popularization of the Internet began in Ecuador with the appearance
of graphical browsers such as Netscape, Internet Explorer, and Opera.
The aforementioned findings indicate that companies in Ecuador are increasingly
committed to the digital environment. Today, many companies face the need to reinvent
themselves due to changing circumstances that can affect their performance, either
positively or negatively. As a result, they are forced to look for ways to adapt and survive
in this changing environment. In fact, many companies in sectors such as banking,
household appliances, restaurants, among others, have been compelled to maintain at
least a minimum digital presence to communicate and promote themselves to their
customers.
Therefore, the digital era of marketing arises as a result of technological advances, such
as the Internet, the World Wide Web (www), Information and Communication
Technologies (ICTs), social networks, and the imminent need for market innovation in
relation to globalization, which has driven the digital development of organizations. The
main objective of technological advances in relation to marketing is to facilitate
communication, promotion and sale of products and services, as well as to establish solid
business relationships with customers, offering them prompt solutions tailored to their
needs. One strategy that can help address this challenge is the incorporation of
technology in the market, this being digital marketing.
With the evolution of digital media, entrepreneurs and business owners have developed
the ability to interact in an effective and personalized way with their customers or
consumers. In the field of digital marketing, concepts equivalent to the traditional 4Ps of
the marketing mix have been developed, being Fleming's 4Fs (Flow, Functionality,
Feedback and Loyalty) of vital importance for the e-commerce process and user
interaction in the virtual environment (Osorio et al., 2016). These elements are
fundamental to understand and effectively manage online marketing strategies, ensuring
a satisfactory user experience and promoting customer loyalty.
It is essential to consider that in the context of digital marketing, Flow reflects the user's
state of mind online; Functionality refers to improving the website experience, making
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it more attractive, interactive and user-friendly; Feedback involves customer feedback,
which implies personalizing the website to foster a two-way relationship that generates
valuable information; and Loyalty focuses on ensuring that the customer returns to the
website and has easy access to it. This involves meeting the customer's expectations in
terms of content and interaction (Osorio et al., 2016).
Thanks to technological advances, connectivity to digital media has become a reality. In
this context, digital marketing has acquired a role of great relevance in the community,
providing digital tools that allow customers to access the services of companies
effectively. The accessibility of these tools has facilitated the adaptation of strategies to
the individual needs of people, companies and organizations. The ubiquity of digital
technology has led to an increasing participation in the digital environment, since, from
the beginning of working life, people are connected to the internet through devices such
as smartphones, computers, social networks, blogs and websites.
Based on these benchmarks and recognizing the growing adoption of digital marketing
tools, it is crucial to identify the most popular social networks among consumers. This
will allow companies to determine how to target their digital marketing strategies, using
the most appropriate medium, considering their high usage by consumers. In the digital
environment, where internet access through smartphones, computers and various
platforms is common from the beginning of working life, understanding which social
networks are most prevalent among consumers is critical to effectively target digital
marketing strategies.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
This article is based on documentary research through bibliographic reviews of scientific
documents, government publications, national statistics, and market research such as the
one conducted by Orbe Baldeón (2021) who in his thesis, for obtaining a master's degree
in marketing with mention in digital strategy at the University of Guayaquil proposed
"Digital marketing strategies for attracting customers of the typical food restaurant
parrilladas el progreso in the city of Guayaquil".
The information gathering carried out for this article is characterized as an empirical,
non-experimental research, which relies on primary sources. These sources have
allowed us to explore whether social networks are one of the marketing tools most
used by consumers. In addition, it has been considered an exploratory study, since
consumer behavior in relation to the use of social networks was investigated. Through
this research, it is possible to identify which are the social networks most used by
consumers in the northern sector of the city of Guayaquil, taking as a reference the area
of Sauces.
Research approaches constitute the methods that the researcher employs to obtain the
necessary results within a study. According to Mata (2019), the approach encompasses
the entire research process, as well as the stages and elements that compose it. This
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implies that each approach has specific characteristics in relation to various aspects of
the research (p. 7).
Therefore, it is pertinent to state that a research with a quantitative approach was used
through the application of the survey as a research technique for data collection, which
allows to diagnose and evaluate which are the social networks most used by the target
audience and at the same time identify new trends on technological management.
According to Ventura (2017), the population is defined as a set of elements that share
certain characteristics that are the object of study. In this context, there is an inductive
approach between the population and the sample, where it is sought that the observed
part (the sample) is representative of the complete reality (the population), with the aim
of ensuring the validity of the conclusions obtained in the study (p. 648).
Therefore, for the development of this study we have considered the target population
of 76,540 inhabitants of the willows sector in the city of Guayaquil, men and women
between 18 and 55 years of age with purchasing power, data obtained from the ICM-
ESPOL 2010.
To determine the sample size necessary to carry out the research survey, the Raosoft
tool was used, a software recognized for its reliability. This system has been widely
tested and guarantees the integrity and security of the data. As a result of the calculation,
a sample size of 383 elements was recommended for the research survey.
The data entered to develop the sample size calculation were as follows:
For the analysis of the results, five questions were selected from the research work
conducted by Orbe Baldeon (2021), which are related to user preferences regarding the
use of social networks. This approach will make it possible to determine which social
networking platforms are most used by consumers.
RESULTS
Of the total number of respondents, 75.8% use social networks to obtain information
about restaurants, and 24.20% do not. From the analysis obtained 75.8% use social
networks to get information about restaurants, 51% sometimes do, sometimes do not;
they make food purchases through social networks, and 20.3% always, 15.6% most of
the time do, 8.30% never, 4.7% most of the time do not. 86.9% of respondents at some
point use social networks to make food purchases, 61.20% of respondents use social
networks to make purchases for convenience, 18% to avoid exposure to contagion,
16.10% to avoid exposure to crime. Most of the respondents prefer to use social
networks for convenience and the remaining percentage for health and safety, which
indicates that the trend is that many people rely on the networks to make their
purchases.
It is analyzed that 41.7% receive message information through WhatsApp, 35.9% use
message through Facebook, 20.6% use message through Instagram.
It is observed that most of the respondents use WhatsApp and Facebook, according to
the results, that is to say that these would be the two networks of greater use by the