More focus on owned communication and sales channels

January 5, 2026

Your website is yours.

As I look back on the projects I worked on for SMEs in Spanish America the last couple of months, there are a few subjects that all projects have in common across countries and which I will further dive into at a later stage. One subject I want to start with is the fact that companies heavily rely on social media and messaging apps for client and sales communication and why they should change this.


I have explained the importance of creating (or improving) a website, being a channel that a company owns, fully deciding its design and content. The caveat is to be aware to store your website with a national cloud providor, due to the North American Cloud Act.


What is the Cloud Act?

It is a US federal law of 2018 (Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data Act) that forces US technology companies to deliver data from their customers, regardless of where they are stored (including in data centres in Spanish America or Europe) if requested by US court order. The law also applies to European (and Latin American) organisations that use North American cloud services (such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon), allowing data in Europe (and Latin America) to be accessible to US authorities. 


What The Netherlands and Europe are doing, among other things, is creating awareness for this risk: Research has been done on the degree of dependence, and there is more awareness among governments and companies.

Why it matters if SMEs rely heavily on social media and messaging apps.

It matters because heavy reliance on social media (like Meta, TikTok etc) and messaging apps (WhatsApp) gives SMEs massive reach, direct customer connection, brand building, and cost-effective marketing, but also creates risks like algorithmic changes, data privacy issues, dependency on third-party platforms, and the need for constant content, impacting visibility, sales, reputation, and long-term stability, if strategies aren't balanced.


The upside for using these North American platforms is clear and in this blog I wanted to focus on the downside risks and challenges, which are listed below:


  • Platform dependency: SMEs become vulnerable to algorithm changes (like Meta's) that can slash organic reach, forcing ad spend.


  • Reputation risk: Negative feedback or poorly handled issues can escalate quickly and publicly, damaging brand image.


  • Data privacy concerns: Handling customer data on these platforms carries legal and trust risks.


  • Content demands: Maintaining presence requires a constant stream of content, which can strain resources.


  • Lack of ownership: The business doesn't "own" its profile nor its audience on social media; the platform does, limiting long-term control.


Therefore, SMEs may continue to use these platforms, however should not build their entire strategy on them. It's important to understand these risks and take (back) control.


The solution is a balanced strategy.

Although in Spanish America there is a high penetration of the use of social media platforms and messaging apps amongst the wider public, this is not a justification not to own a website and use email. 


Spreading your communication risks is a long-term sustainable strategy. You can do this by balancing earned media efforts with paid ads and events, and diversify your communication and sales channels to include your website and email. It's more about integrating and optimising all opportunities and channels for each target audience. If you only serve consumers your choices might be different than if you serve both corporations and consumers. 


In a balanced strategy, your website always plays an important role.

Una declaración anticolonial es la legitimación de Trump para el poder militar unilateral

January 7, 2026
Una declaración anticolonial es la legitimación de Trump para el poder militar unilateral. Como me apasiona la información factual, la historia y lo veo como una de mis tareas para informar a las PYMES en Hispanoamérica sobre nuestro punto de vista (europeo) con respecto a los desarrollos recientes en la región sudamericana, en el periódico holandés The Financieele Dagblad una buena lección de historia de la historiadora Eline van Ommen, profesora asociada de Historia Internacional en la Universidad de Leeds en el Reino Unido . Ella argumenta que la grave e ilegal violación estadounidense de la soberanía de Venezuela y el arresto de Maduro no tiene precedentes, incluso en la historia de las intervenciones estadounidenses en América Latina. La intervención anterior en la región fue en 1989 , cuando Estados Unidos invadió Panamá, lo que provocó cientos de muertes de civiles. La Doctrina Monroe de 1823 , cuando los Estados Unidos habían existido por menos de 50 años, fue una declaración de solidaridad, un discurso político en el que el quinto presidente estadounidense James Monroe pidió cooperación entre repúblicas estadounidenses soberanas y de ideas afines, incluida Venezuela, que en 1821 se independizó definitivamente de España, para mantener a raya a las monarquías europeas con ambiciones coloniales. Una declaración anticolonial que se centró en la interferencia colonial europea inaceptable en el hemisferio occidental. En ese momento, había muchas más poderosas potencias europeas. Sin embargo, en 2026 , Trump está utilizando la Doctrina Monroe como una declaración de poder estadounidense unilateral . Se dice que América Latina es el "patio trasero" de los Estados Unidos, en el que el resto del mundo no tiene negocios que interferir. Es la legitimación de Trump para la intervención militar unilateral. Leer más: https://www.politico.eu/article/donald-trump-western-hemisphere-americas-tariffs-panama-canal/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS_Syndication

An anti-colonial statement is Trump’s legitimization for unilateral military power

January 7, 2026
An anti-colonial statement is Trump’s legitimization for unilateral military power. As I am passionate about factual information, history and see it as one of my tasks to inform SMEs in Spanish America about our (European) point of view regarding recent developments in the South American region, in the Dutch Financieele Dagblad a nice history lesson from historian Eline van Ommen, associate professor of International History at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom. She argues that the gross and illegal U.S. violation of Venezuela's sovereignty and arrest of Maduro is unprecedented — even in the history of U.S. interventions in Latin America. The previous intervention in the region was in 1989 , when the United States invaded Panama, resulting in hundreds of civilian deaths. The Monroe Doctrine of 1823 , when the United States had been in existence for less than 50 years, was a declaration of solidarity, a political speech in which the fifth U.S. President James Monroe called for cooperation between like-minded and sovereign American republics – including Venezuela, which in 1821 became definitively independent from Spain – to keep European monarchies with colonial ambitions at bay. An anti-colonial statement that focused on European colonial interference in the Western Hemisphere being unacceptable . At that time, there were many more powerful European powers. In 2026 , however, Trump is using the Monroe Doctrine as a unilateral American declaration of power . Latin America is said to be the 'backyard' of the US, in which the rest of the world has no business interfering. It is Trump's legitimization for unilateral military intervention. More on this: https://www.politico.eu/article/donald-trump-western-hemisphere-americas-tariffs-panama-canal/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS_Syndication

Más enfoque en la comunicación propia y los canales de venta

January 5, 2026
Su sitio web es suyo. Al mirar hacia atrás en los proyectos en los que trabajé para las PYMES en Hispano América en los últimos meses, hay algunos temas que todos los proyectos tienen en común entre países y en los que profundizaré en una etapa posterior. Un tema con el que quiero comenzar es el hecho de que las empresas dependen en gran medida de las redes sociales y las aplicaciones de mensajería para la comunicación con el cliente y las ventas y por qué deberían cambiar esto. He explicado la importancia de crear (o mejorar) un sitio web, siendo un canal que una empresa posee, decidiendo completamente su diseño y contenido. La advertencia es tener en cuenta que debe almacenar su sitio web con un proveedor nacional de nube, debido a la Ley de Nube de América del Norte. ¿Qué es la Ley de la Nube? Es una ley federal de los Estados Unidos de 2018 (Aclarificación de la Ley de Uso Legal de Datos en el Extranjero) que obliga a las empresas tecnológicas de EE. UU. a entregar datos de sus clientes, independientemente de dónde se almacenen (incluso en centros de datos en Hispano América o Europa) si así lo solicita una orden judicial de los Estados Unidos. La ley también se aplica a las organizaciones europeas (y latinoamericanas) que utilizan servicios en la nube de América del Norte (como Microsoft, Google, Amazon), lo que permite que los datos en Europa (y América Latina) sean accesibles para las autoridades estadounidenses. Lo que los Países Bajos y Europa están haciendo, entre otras cosas, es crear conciencia sobre este riesgo: se ha investigado sobre el grado de dependencia, y hay más conciencia entre los gobiernos y las empresas.

Mejorar la visibilidad de un crematorio de mascotas en Colombia

December 31, 2025
El Proyecto. Profesionalización de la función de marketing de un crematorio para mascotas en el eje cafetero de Colombia

Improving the visibility of a pet crematorium in Colombia

December 22, 2025
The Project. Profesionalising the Marketing function of a pet crematorium in the coffee region of Colombia

Oat meal product launch targeting low-income consumers in Bolivia

October 16, 2025
The Project. Supporting a Bolivian business in processing and selling natural Bolivian cereals to win a new client group. Bolivia Natural approached PUM to help them improve their market position and increase sales. As this is a remote project, we focused on the most pressing element of their more extensive briefing, which is to help them with tapping into a new market opportunity. Due to the economic challenges Bolivia faces, spending power of the population has reduced, import prices of quality oat have risen to sky high levels and as a result, sales prices have risen quite substantially as well. The more affluent population can more or less absorb these price increases, there is a loyal clientele, but overall sales are impacted negatively for many entrepreneurs and overall there is scarcity of food and other imported products. Adapting to these circumstances is a must and innovation critical. To make up for declining sales of the company's more upmarket product offering, Bolivia Natural needs to innovate and bring a product to market for people with less spending power. As this project is still ongoing, I will update once appropriate.

Creating a branding and communications strategy for a chicken restaurant in Peru

October 11, 2025
The Project. A Peruvian family-owned chicken restaurant in need of marketing advice