PYMES & Social Media in Chile: A Primer

Ev-Social had the privilege to be named one of Start-Up Chile's 2011 award recipients, and we are beyond excited and ecstatic to kick off business in this beautiful part of the world.


One question we asked ourselves when arriving here in Chile was how the social media industry has grown out here - and specifically with small and medium businesses. Have Chilean PYMES (Pequena y mediana empresa, which are small and mid-sized businesses) begun to make good use of Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and other forms of digital promotions?

Small businesses have already begun to utilize social media at full force back in the states. Even government agencies dedicated to small businesses now give social media primer courses for your local mom and pop shops. 


Chile is far ahead in the Facebook game, showing a 54.8% penetration thus far. So we were not surprised to see that many of the country's small and large businesses taking full advantage of these platforms. 

In Vina Del Mar and Santiago alone, it's hard to ignore the numerous billboards that feature the venerable Facebook and Twitter logo. 


During the student protests in Santiago, the Santiago Metro is using its Twitter feed to announce which lines will be affected by the protests.

The one thing we noted that was a bit lacking were the numbers - many twitter profiles had not yet broken into the 1,000 twitter followers, showing a need for a concerted and strategic campaign to get those numbers up.

 Buses are a major part of Chilean suburban life, particularly if you don't have a car (a large majority of Chileans  - especially young adults - do not own cars). Tur Bus is one of the major busing companies. They make great use of their twitter and FB page to promote deals and discounts.

 Amura Cafe in Vina Del Mar not only has the best ice cream in town, but they make full use of their cones to show off their social media savvy.

 LAN Chile, one of Chile's top airlines, which actually has a fantastic twitter program, which functions as a secondary form of customer service.