Everywhere you turn, Social media is a hot topic these days, but how much do you really know about it? We interviewed Fernando Monedero, a social media specialist from Media Contacts/Havas Group, to gain some insights about this phenomenon.

1. Why should brands be interested in social media?

As we continue to immerse our generation into a digital world where 1,500 tweets are sent every second via Twitter, companies need to interact with their clients via the fastest growing network, the Internet. As traffic increases, so do the chances for brands to build social brand advocates. There are currently 225 million Facebook users worldwide, and over 8 million of them become fans of Public Profiles every single day. This growth translates into millions of opportunities for brands to engage in dialogue with users, thus creating long-term relationships with them. As a constant trend towards mass adoption, companies need to understand and be able to be part of social networks to generate a better exposure for the business. As human species it is in our DNA the need to engage with one another to inform, educate and entertain. New technologies have enhanced the ability to engage one another. Social media is the newest tool of engagement, while it is the oldest at the same time.

2. How do I measure the effectiveness of social media?

Since companies have access to users' comments we can measure their comments in qualitative and in quantitative terms. In qualitative terms, it is possible to measure what the consumer is saying and his/her brand awareness. In quantitative terms it depends on the kind of format. Our clients have information about the number of brand profile visitors, where the company will be able to increase consumer loyalty; the number of brand comments; the number of fan users (which lets us know about brand awareness); the number of clicks on the corporate site, where the companies can achieve cross-sales; and the number of video views (crossing results with their communication in TV channel). We can obtain all of this with a very specific target segmentation. With this valuable information, Media Contacts is able to know how and what the users knows about our client and find the best communication responses in order for them to achieve their goals.

3. How do I cohesively tie different social media efforts together?

In social media it is very easy to connect the communication messages between the different platforms since in all of them the nature of the user is to share content with other users. If the message is clear and interesting, the viral effect is very quick. For example, when a Youtube user uploads an interesting video, the users quickly takes the link and adds it to their social profile, blogs, or even uploads it to other video platforms. Knowing that, we recommend our clients to publicize all of their content in social media platforms, and at the same time link it to their Web sites, where the user will be able complete the brand experience.

4. What are the best sites and tools out there?

There are numerous sites and tool for different needs. Each company should utilize specific sites and tools depending on their target and objectives. One of the most important aspects in terms of social network is that companies are able to do target segmentation in their communication campaigns and find the most used platform for their consumers. If the company's intention is to reach randomly in all of Latin America, currently the most common social network is Facebook. Nonetheless, if the company's objective is to reach a specific country such as Brazil, the most common social network there is Orkut. It is also important to take into consideration the type of format that the company should use. If the company is able to use online video, the most used site is Youtube, which can be mixed with other sites such as Facebook or even with another video platforms like MSN video. Therefore, there are numerous sites as well as formats, and each should be used according to the company's needs.

5. How can Media Contacts help me get started?

Media Contacts can help you through the process with a set of tools directed specifically for Public Relations' firms to monitor your client's online media mentions. Our Social Media Solutions combines the latest technology to monitor social networks with a specialized team that will allow you to listen, understand and predict your client's perspectives, needs and brand awareness in order to engage with your audience and easily leverage the power of the social communication platform. In numerous languages we offer you a quantitative and qualitative market research service that analyzes existing freely expressed opinion circulating on the Internet in order to produce a greater understanding of your clients' views. You'll be "the first to know" what's being said about your company or brands across all social media and will be able to identify the key influencers around your topics. We help you define a social media macro strategy for your business.

6. How have you implemented campaigns with the support of US Media Consulting in the past?

We have worked conventional campaigns with US Media Consulting, and with our success in working with them we believe that in the future we could work hand-in-hand on social media campaigns as well.

For effective ways to implement social media, please contact your US Media Consulting Representative.